Are you in the hobby for the enjoyment or the money?

[dashcol]

Simple question, are you clecting for fun or solely for profit?

Just curious, I am assuming BO is filled with profit only.

[Baseball4Fun]

I voted collector.

I've rarely sold anything, much to my financial detriment.

[Lonewolf]

It's 90% for the fun and nostalgia that I now get to share with my son. Roughly 10% is getting rid of via sale or trade cards I don't really need or want to pick up things for the PC.

[ThoseBackPages]

love collecting

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

This is a hobby. I got introduced to cards in 1988 buying packs of Donruss from the ice cream truck.

I enjoy collecting modern players but the nostalgia of 80s and 90s players makes me focus on that era. There's nothing like the athletes you grew up watching. Sentimentality is strongest with them.

[fulltritty]

I am 100% a collector. The only cards I sell in my possession are doubles of cards I already have.

[mfw13]

I am, and always have been, primarily a collector (since 1976).

These days, roughly 50% of my collecting budget comes from the sales of cards in my collection that I no longer want, but I never buy a card for the sole purpose of trying to sell it later for a profit (my definition of investing).

[dme48]

I'm in it for fun. The last time i sold a card was in the late 80's.

[TimBuckTwo]

I'm in it for the cookie

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

love collecting

I figured you were going to be collecting.


I wish more of the hobby would be lik
E you!

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHatesJazz

This is a hobby. I got introduced to cards in 1988 buying packs of Donruss from the ice cream truck.

I enjoy collecting modern players but the nostalgia of 80s and 90s players makes me focus on that era. There's nothing like the athletes you grew up watching. Sentimentality is strongest with them.

Same!

Give me a Strawberry or Puckett auto or RC over any of these new guys!

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by mfw13

I am, and always have been, primarily a collector (since 1976).

These days, roughly 50% of my collecting budget comes from the sales of cards in my collection that I no longer want, but I never buy a card for the sole purpose of trying to sell it later for a profit (my definition of investing).

I’m with you.

I’m okay if the card never gets to be worth too much, but there is a price that every card would be sold at in order to get other cards for the PC!

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by TimBuckTwo

I'm in it for the cookie

Double stuff or traditional?

[ScooterD]

At this point in my life, it’s for the fun of it. About 2018, I decided that all money spent on cards is considered “sunk,” so I only buy what I want for the PC or pure enjoyment/entertainment.

I did the prospecting/investment thing from about ‘02-‘18, but it turns out that I’m just not that good at it LOL! I’m glad that I got all of that out of my system while it was still relatively affordable. My hat is off to anyone who lives and thrives in that world, but it leads to too much hustle and disappointment to be a good use of my spare time. Again - said by someone with huge PCs of Jason Bay, Brendan Rodgers, and Keegan Thompson

[rwperu34]

Both. I run a card business, and that is fun.

[hermanotarjeta]

Pure enjoyment.

Never felt the urge to be a grinding grifter.

I prefer to make money via my job and stock investments, this is strictly a hobby.

[REGGIE206]

I collect fo the fun of it.. and to bring back a lot of childhood memories.

Very rarely, I will sell.. but I usually sell because I want to buy other cards.

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

Originally Posted by dashcol

Same!

Give me a Strawberry or Puckett auto or RC over any of these new guys!

Yup, Clemens, Boggs, McGwire, Bonds, Griffey Jr, Maddux, Cal, Tony Gwynn… even if some of these guys don’t make the hall, I’ll still collect them.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by dashcol

I am assuming BO is filled with profit only.

Its a common misconception because the hobby is based around value. Even the "true collectors" who like to talk down to everyone else cares about the value of what they buy and what they own. If anyone says they care nothing about the value of their collection and what they spend they are most likely not being truthful. Even the 75 year old guy who only collects Mickey Mantle and has never sold a card still cares about the value of his collection. This type of person most likely wants that value to be passed down to their kids or grandkids, even if they never intend to sell anything.

That is why people have the wrong perception that the hobby is full of "grinding grifters". But they have that mindset because they want to look down, and talk down, to others who don't do things the same way they do.

Here is the reality. Almost every single person who makes money in cards does it because they have a love for the hobby. Sure, there are a handful of people that don't watch sports and have never collected before, but those are pretty few and far between. Especially on Blowout. The true green-with-greed guys don't even know these boards exist.

The ones you are referring to, like myself, who make money in the hobby do it because of their deep love for their hobby and childhood. And the hobby has gotten to a point where its easy to make money. So what better way to make money or make a living then by doing what you love? I don't see it as a badge of honor to drag yourself to a 9-5 job every day where you dread getting up on Monday mornings. I love my life and my "card job" and can't wait to get up every morning.

The best part? I now have the best collection I have ever had in my life and its all paid for my buying and selling other cards. My collection is literally free. So to the high horse posters here who like to brag about working a regular job and spending their W-2 money on cards, good on you. I wish you all the best. I choose not to do that and my life has never been better. I don't know why our society has normalized looking down on people who do things differently. Maybe they have figured something out that you are missing? Let's all do the hobby however we choose, because at the end of the day money makes the hobby go round, even if you pretend like you don't care about it with your cards.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

There’s a lot of people who are in this for only money… and none of them will post here.

[KhalDrogo]

I’m in this only for the money.

[Cracktoast]

Polls like this don't show the true mentality of the overall hobby. Nobody is truly going to say they are in it for the money because they would get shunned so naturally 8-9/10 are going to say collecting.

[daveyc1]

for me collecting. I sell cards, but have never used the "profit" for anything other than buying other cards for the collection.

If I were in it for the profit, I would have left the minute Greg Jeffries turned out to be just good and not the next Mantle.

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by premium1981

Its a common misconception because the hobby is based around value. Even the "true collectors" who like to talk down to everyone else cares about the value of what they buy and what they own. If anyone says they care nothing about the value of their collection and what they spend they are most likely not being truthful. Even the 75 year old guy who only collects Mickey Mantle and has never sold a card still cares about the value of his collection. This type of person most likely wants that value to be passed down to their kids or grandkids, even if they never intend to sell anything.

That is why people have the wrong perception that the hobby is full of "grinding grifters". But they have that mindset because they want to look down, and talk down, to others who don't do things the same way they do.

Here is the reality. Almost every single person who makes money in cards does it because they have a love for the hobby. Sure, there are a handful of people that don't watch sports and have never collected before, but those are pretty few and far between. Especially on Blowout. The true green-with-greed guys don't even know these boards exist.

The ones you are referring to, like myself, who make money in the hobby do it because of their deep love for their hobby and childhood. And the hobby has gotten to a point where its easy to make money. So what better way to make money or make a living then by doing what you love? I don't see it as a badge of honor to drag yourself to a 9-5 job every day where you dread getting up on Monday mornings. I love my life and my "card job" and can't wait to get up every morning.

The best part? I now have the best collection I have ever had in my life and its all paid for my buying and selling other cards. My collection is literally free. So to the high horse posters here who like to brag about working a regular job and spending their W-2 money on cards, good on you. I wish you all the best. I choose not to do that and my life has never been better. I don't know why our society has normalized looking down on people who do things differently. Maybe they have figured something out that you are missing? Let's all do the hobby however we choose, because at the end of the day money makes the hobby go round, even if you pretend like you don't care about it with your cards.

Good post!

I am glad you are filled with joy for your hobby and job.

I also enjoy my “w2” job, I do not dread waking up on Mondays.

I would love to do what you do, but there is not a market for it where I live, so it would be a failing venture, and I do not find enjoyment out of selling online and spending all day in front of a computer. Not saying that’s what you do, but it’s what I would have to do here.

So, you would fall in the third category, a mix of both. A free collection is what we all would love to have. Hell, a break even collection would be great!

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by dashcol

I also enjoy my “w2” job, I do not dread waking up on Mondays.

That is awesome, and what it should be about. Enjoying what you do. I wish everyone could get to that point. Not crapping on others for doing things differently. That is usually the theme here. The more we can all accept that we are all built differently the better these boards will be. Unfortunately, I think for some, the only way they can function is by talking down to others and constantly belittling everything with name calling and the holier than thou attitude.

It doesn't bother me in the least what others do and how they spend their money. But my o my does it really get under the skin of some when you say you enjoy a product or if someone enjoys joining a break. Be prepared for the arrows to fly and to be called a "degenerate boi".