Observations on the current state of the hobby from a show this weekend - Page 30

mfw13 · 10-23-2022, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anusinha

"cAnT tAKe a LoSs, bRo"

Amazing how many people do not understand the basic economic concept of sunk costs.....

MoreToppsPlease · 10-23-2022, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfw13

Amazing how many people do not understand the basic economic concept of sunk costs.....

If the same people had any basic concept of economics they wouldn’t be trying to flip cards to begin with.

hermanotarjeta · 10-23-2022, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreToppsPlease

If the same people had any basic concept of economics they wouldn’t be trying to flip cards to begin with.

People who deal cards for a living only learned one thing in their training - buy low, sell high.

When that’s not working anymore, they cease to function and don’t know what to do anymore.

Donkaylove · 10-23-2022, 03:57 PM

flood of mac jones, fields, tua, and daniel jones........so many. I let them keep, keep sweating, you almost cant dump them.

773cards · 10-23-2022, 05:18 PM

ANY SHOW charging an admission to attend, I would never set up at. Besides the National or larger big shows.

Show fatigue is real especially during FB season.

vintg · 10-23-2022, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 773cards

ANY SHOW charging an admission to attend, I would never set up at. Besides the National or larger big shows.

Show fatigue is real especially during FB season.

c'mon, seriously ??

a buck or 2 is literally change in your car "holder".

with inflation running rampant, a fast food meal going from 7 to 9 to 11

bucks. a card show is literally one of the best deals around.

now, is their "show fatigue", yep, their probably is, but that's ok. the hobby

is still very healthy, relatively speaking.

mfw13 · 10-23-2022, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

People who deal cards for a living only learned one thing in their training - buy low, sell high.

When that’s not working anymore, they cease to function and don’t know what to do anymore.

Yet many people nevertheless bought high and are now trying to sell low(er)....

BdotHobbs · 10-23-2022, 10:44 PM

I’ve been buying back cards I sold during the peak for like 400% less than I sold them. It’s been absolutely beautiful

ewokpelts · 10-24-2022, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 773cards

ANY SHOW charging an admission to attend, I would never set up at. Besides the National or larger big shows.

Show fatigue is real especially during FB season.

If you can’t afford a buck or two to go inside a show, maybe going to the card show isn’t a good idea.

valleynuckfan · 10-24-2022, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bravesfan#1

My least favorite interaction of the day was an older guy. Nice talking to at first then he tried to buy something… completely smug trying to deal with me and the way he talked. Wanted my Trout auto for well below comps and kept trying to “coach” me on how I’m not selling cards the right way. He claimed to comp it and then I found the 3 most recent sales were $100-150 over his quoted price. “eBay gets 20%, you can’t be putting stuff on your table for more than 80%, blah blah”. Card shows are different now, I get 90-100% on almost every sale. Just can’t stand the people that don’t know how to say “no thanks” and go bother another booth.

We have this exact guy up here at our local shows, always claiming super low BS comps.
We have been calling him "Coach" for years!

k13 · 10-24-2022, 03:10 PM

Sometimes raising prices can work on semi-rare/rare stuff.

Had a card listed for $100, barely any offers. $25 at best.
Raised it to $400. Sold it for $200.

mwash1983 · 10-24-2022, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Dealers are still at the denial stage of the hobby recession, which is still the earliest stage. Their pride is still speaking loudly and they would rather die with their cards clutched to their hands than lose a single penny on a sale.

Anger is the next stage. They will start to wonder and obsess over why their hot cards aren’t moving at 150% eBay comps. They will start to get irritable at the idiot customers who keep on “lowballing” them.

After a few more months, bargaining starts to set in. They realize their set up costs continue to rise and opportunity costs continue to mount and they start to pray that they pull some monsters in the group breaks they keep participating in to make up some costs and hope the cards of the players they invested in start to skyrocket come call up and playoff time.

Then the nasty depression starts to set in. The offseason is coming and they are stuck with heavy bags and prices keep dropping and they still can’t get anywhere close to what he’s got his cards priced at. People start to pass up his table at every show he does cause he’s got the same old cards with the same old prices on them every single time. He’s lost his day job and his wife is angry at him for not selling at the peak, where he could have made triple the money.

Finally acceptance kicks in the following year. He dumps his whole inventory at a major loss cause his wife is threatening to leave him for screwing up the household finances. He leaves the hobby forever except for getting into one cheap break on occasion for the impossible chance of hitting that million dollar card, holding a “will work 4 food” sign as he gathers money for his next group break.

I wonder where we are now?

rngrdanny22 · 10-24-2022, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BdotHobbs

I’ve been buying back cards I sold during the peak for like 400% less than I sold them. It’s been absolutely beautiful

That math doesn't check out...

k13 · 10-24-2022, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rngrdanny22

That math doesn't check out...

They have to pay you take their cards now.

mfw13 · 10-24-2022, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BdotHobbs

I’ve been buying back cards I sold during the peak for like 400% less than I sold them. It’s been absolutely beautiful

I think you mean 20% of what you sold them for.....

mfw13 · 10-24-2022, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwash1983

I wonder where we are now?

We're at the part where credit card bills start coming due with 18-25% interest rates and people start understanding that cards aren't all that liquid.....

hermanotarjeta · 10-24-2022, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwash1983

I wonder where we are now?

I’m starting to feel like we are in the anger stage.

Dealers are starting to get sick and tired of getting “lowballed” at shows constantly. They continue to get pissed off at people explaining eBay comps and are still refusing to budge, but it is starting to grind at them.

More and more no shows at shows where dealers don’t bother setting up anymore. Getting pissed off at wasting another weekend so why bother coming.

Many will spend the long dark winter after the World Series wondering what happened. As holiday and winter expenses start to mount, some will start to crack. “I promise next time I will sell when my guy gets hot”. “Why did I spend so much on Tatis?”. “Please, I hope my guy starts off scorching hot in the spring.”

Thoughts like that will occur as they transition to the bargaining stage.

k13 · 10-24-2022, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfw13

We're at the part where credit card bills start coming due with 18-25% interest rates and people start understanding that cards aren't all that liquid.....

Those would be coming every month regardless and not just starting now.

theshowandme · 10-24-2022, 06:30 PM

Hope you’re saving for the 2023 NSCC.

Will be a great time to buy for collectors who have readily available funds

k13 · 10-24-2022, 06:32 PM

These guys can't even get $10 for a Franco Chrome rc meanwhile Tim Hortons inserts are selling all day for $20.

Should have picked a sport with collectors and not flippers.

k13 · 10-24-2022, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshowandme

Hope you’re saving for the 2023 NSCC.

Will be a great time to buy for collectors who have readily available funds

I would not put anything worthwhile on the table for these collectors.
That's what dealers used to do in 2014-2017.

Put all the good stuff away that was underpriced.

vintg · 10-24-2022, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

I’m starting to feel like we are in the anger stage.

Dealers are starting to get sick and tired of getting “lowballed” at shows constantly. They continue to get pissed off at people explaining eBay comps and are still refusing to budge, but it is starting to grind at them.

More and more no shows at shows where dealers don’t bother setting up anymore. Getting pissed off at wasting another weekend so why bother coming.

Many will spend the long dark winter after the World Series wondering what happened. As holiday and winter expenses start to mount, some will start to crack. “I promise next time I will sell when my guy gets hot”. “Why did I spend so much on Tatis?”. “Please, I hope my guy starts off scorching hot in the spring.”

Thoughts like that will occur as they transition to the bargaining stage.

OR

and this is a big OR, buy, hold, and invest in vintage.

ruth, cobb, mantle, aaron, mays, williams, j. robinson, clemente, koufax

i'm gonna let you in on a little secret. well-centered hof's in the 3-6 grade
range continue their upward trajectory. always in demand. and liquid.

it's not difficult, it really isn't. it's alot of fun, and you don't lose any sleep
over one of these guys slumping or getting injured, or God forbid, suspended.

blackbears86 · 10-24-2022, 07:13 PM

Maybe prices are dropping for the big shows, but the last few regional shows I've been to aren't showing the "desperation stage"----YET.

I think dealers made so much $$$ over the last 2 years, they can absorb loses for a while longer. I'm calling next spring/summer to be the time when we really see some movement in prices.

Plus, box prices are still insanely expensive compared to singles prices. I don't feel like we've reached critical mass until box prices drop.

ironfireman · 10-24-2022, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 773cards

ANY SHOW charging an admission to attend, I would never set up at. Besides the National or larger big shows.

Most shows around here are $4-5 and if you plan to spend $100 you're already ahead not paying sales tax. Hell, shipping on eBay is $5. Plus you get to look at cards, talk cards, learn #@#@#@#@ and maybe get some great deals.

vthobby · 10-24-2022, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshowandme

Hope you’re saving for the 2023 NSCC.

Will be a great time to buy for collectors who have readily available funds

According to the junk I read everyday it appears most "collectors" on here do not

" have readily available funds "

They are a predominant group that support the wrong grading companies and always buy the wrong things!

PS Save your time.....if you have to ask which of the grading companies is really the cream of the crop then you are clearly not paying attention!

Makes it easy for us in the minority!

10-23-2022, 03:57 PM	#729
Donkaylove Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: PNW Posts: 3,181	flood of mac jones, fields, tua, and daniel jones........so many. I let them keep, keep sweating, you almost cant dump them.

10-23-2022, 05:18 PM	#730
773cards Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,338 773cards	ANY SHOW charging an admission to attend, I would never set up at. Besides the National or larger big shows. Show fatigue is real especially during FB season.

10-23-2022, 10:44 PM	#733
BdotHobbs Member Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 685 BHobbs3205	I’ve been buying back cards I sold during the peak for like 400% less than I sold them. It’s been absolutely beautiful

10-24-2022, 03:10 PM	#736
k13 Banned Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 12,617	Sometimes raising prices can work on semi-rare/rare stuff. Had a card listed for $100, barely any offers. $25 at best. Raised it to $400. Sold it for $200.

10-24-2022, 06:30 PM	#744
theshowandme Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 5,020 theshowandme nova_cards	Hope you’re saving for the 2023 NSCC. Will be a great time to buy for collectors who have readily available funds

10-24-2022, 06:32 PM	#745
k13 Banned Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 12,617	These guys can't even get $10 for a Franco Chrome rc meanwhile Tim Hortons inserts are selling all day for $20. Should have picked a sport with collectors and not flippers.

10-24-2022, 07:13 PM	#748
blackbears86 Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: maine Posts: 17,072 blackbears86	Maybe prices are dropping for the big shows, but the last few regional shows I've been to aren't showing the "desperation stage"----YET. I think dealers made so much $$$ over the last 2 years, they can absorb loses for a while longer. I'm calling next spring/summer to be the time when we really see some movement in prices. Plus, box prices are still insanely expensive compared to singles prices. I don't feel like we've reached critical mass until box prices drop.