Terrible..terrible LCS in town

[cdub6238]

Unfortunately, its the only one in town. And with that said, im surprised he's still in business. Cards R Fun, in case anyone wants to know.

-He has a bad location; used to be on the corner of a decent strip mall...now hes sandwiched between a Firestone and Enterprise, thats directly behind a gas station.

-Hes terribly overpriced; i know LCS has to mark up fromsites like BO and D&A...but i called beforehand to see if they had Elite in and price- he said yes and quoted me a price of $135.99..plus tax

-Terrible customer service/knowledge..and ill get into that shortly with my visit...

About 6/7 months ago I went to trade in some cards for store credit, unsure if he still even did so. He took some and gave me store credit= 50% HI BV. So with me not having much money, and the itch to bust some 2013 stuff...I used some Paypal from winning at fantasy sports to get into a few group breaks, bought a lot off here and few items off Ebay at decent prices. All "new/2013" products of Titans, since we are in Nashville and he mostly deals in Football , I figured thatd be the best route to go and he'd be able to move it fairly quickly. And most of the cards were Justin Hunter, with a few #ed parallels of others sprinkled in.

So..I walk in and say hi and ask if he still does trade ins, to which he replies sure depending on what I have of course.

I tell him I have mostly new stuff, 2013 Titans including plenty of Justin Hunter. And his first response back was- "well we might have a problem, because you know 2013 stuff isnt listed yet, right?" I responded back as nicely as possible that indeed they were and can give you a range if needed (since of course I did my research beforehand). He said well lets see what you got.

I start going through the various 20 insert/parallel/#ed cards and lay them on the counter..going through what they are, BV and if they were #/ed; and he picks up a book of cards that was left by another customer I assume for trade as well, of what looked to be early 90s Basketball...totally not paying attention to me/what im saying or my cards on his counter...picked out about 10 or 15 or so and set them aside before continuing with me. THEN, he finally starts looking at the cards and talking about the Titans; to which he had no idea who the draft picks were (he said numerous times that Chance Warmack was a DT..and didnt know that the Titans drafted a WR)...

SO..with all my cards spread out on the counter...a guy comes to the register; he starts looking at the cards on the counter..points out that they look nice (pointing out a gold Bowman Hunter RC and orange Bowman Locker #/50) and asks how much he wanted; the owner said "well i dont know, they arent mine...yet"; and proceeds with the checkout about 100 80's/90's baseball singles for around $15- who happens to be the guy that got a $10 credit for the Bball cards earlier.

SO..back to my cards...I had told him at least twice, that on top the cards on the counter I had a stack of 8 Jersey cards (again mostly Hunter) and 3 Justin Hunter Autos...there was another customer who comes in and walks by and asks him if he has any new RC autos/GU of Hunter for him yet and he says- "no sorry..not a one" I couldve swore I jsut told you had them right here...wtf

Well..to end the 30 minutes or so of basically nothing....out of the stack of inserts/parallels etc...he picks out 2 Justin Hunter Prestige base RCs, 2 Justin Hunter Prestige Draft inserts and 2 Warmack cards; he said he wasnt interested in any of the GU Jerseys or AUTOS (especially considering a customer had JUST asked for some new ones) and asked how much i was looking for them; I laughed on the inside and told him thanks, but the cards are only maybe $15 BV (which wouldnt even get me a pack of Elite since he had them at $7.99+ tax) and told him idcome back some other time.

As im picking up my cards, he tells me that if i ever get anything like a Peyton Manning auto or something like thats hed gladlytake that...lol as if id ever "trade" for store credit on half BV when I could sell it just as easily and get a box online myself.

Anywys..sorry for the long post...just thought this was terrible business (not like i was looking for Ebay prices or higher, or for him to take everything, but still) and equally laughable at the same time. So if your ever in Nashville, looking for an LCS....steer clear.

Anybody else have places like this around?

[deceptikon1978]

I just have to ask... If you spent money on group breaks and lots with the sole purpose of trying to sell those cards to your LCS, why not just spend that original cash on something you actually wanted?

[cdub6238]

Originally Posted by deceptikon1978

I just have to ask... If you spent money on group breaks and lots with the sole purpose of trying to sell those cards to your LCS, why not just spend that original cash on something you actually wanted?

I spent a total of $75 i believe on everything...$40 for a lot here (all the Bowman parallels, 1 Prestige Hunter on card Auto, 2 GU)

$20 on 3 group breaks (were only 6 box half case breaks...got lucky with 3 GU and an Auto)

and $15 on a Justin Hunter Press Pass Blue Parallel Auto #/50 Red Ink Version (only 9 of the 50)

I figured if he did still trade that the Autos would at least break me even, and the GU and parallels if he took any would be extra...

I wasnt really mad that he didnt "buy" my stuff...i can always throw therm on Ebay and get $$ back if needed...

was more so about the terrible experience (ie- him not knowing that there were prices on 2013, not knowing about the players, overall not paying attention)...the fact that he couldve given me half BV for all most of the GU and Autos right there, and turned and flipped them to the guy that came in asking about them and at least 2x his money, totally had me confused

[PadresFan86]

Why do a lot of lcs owners seem like old grumpy turds?

[deceptikon1978]

Originally Posted by cdub6238

I spent a total of $75 i believe on everything...$40 for a lot here (all the Bowman parallels, 1 Prestige Hunter on card Auto, 2 GU)

$20 on 3 group breaks (were only 6 box half case breaks...got lucky with 3 GU and an Auto)

and $15 on a Justin Hunter Press Pass Blue Parallel Auto #/50 Red Ink Version (only 9 of the 50)

I figured if he did still trade that the Autos would at least break me even, and the GU and parallels if he took any would be extra...

I wasnt really mad that he didnt "buy" my stuff...i can always throw therm on Ebay and get $$ back if needed...

was more so about the terrible experience

You didn't really answer my question.

You bought stuff with expectations to sell or trade to your LCS. While it doesn't sound like a great experience, it's still his shop and he knows what sells and what he wants.

[djdevon]

Anyone ever watch Rick from Pawn Stars operate?

"Oh, I see you've got a pretty nice Honus Wagner there. I"ll give you $50 for it. You gotta understand its a niche market for this product. It's going to sit on my shelf for a while and I have to pay the rent. I'm running a business you see."

[jr24ai3]

Originally Posted by cdub6238

-Hes terribly overpriced; i know LCS has to mark up fromsites like BO and D&A...but i called beforehand to see if they had Elite in and price- he said yes and quoted me a price of $135.99..plus tax

-

I will agree that $135.99 is a little high. But if a shop is between $115-$125 on Elite, I don't see a problem with it. Blowout is already dumping a product at $9 over cost on the week of release (direct cost was $90/box).

This is exactly why dealers want MAPP pricing. You can't provide 1 on 1 service to someone, make a $99 sale and only make $9 before any expenses/fees. I'm not blaming blowout for the pricing, its basically Panini's fault for constantly putting out garbage product that no one can make a profit on.

[MLH]

Originally Posted by PadresFan86

Why do a lot of lcs owners seem like old grumpy turds?

Im thinking EBAY

[trixstar]

Originally Posted by PadresFan86

Why do a lot of lcs owners seem like old grumpy turds?

Because anyone young with half a brain doesn't open a card shop

[Coventry6546]

Originally Posted by PadresFan86

Why do a lot of lcs owners seem like old grumpy turds?

Because they know that it is only a matter of time before group breaks, online sites (non brick and mortar, minimal insurance needs...etc), eBay, and the greedy card manufacturers who over price their hundreds of releases make them go under. Even the nice, knowledgeable ones. I havent bought a box or even busted a pack in four plus months and my LCS typically gave me good deals. The last straw was when I busted three boxes of totally Cert when it first came out and only got $30 resale. Oh...and their sick of all the magic geeks!

[dhendrix1303]

LCS are a dying breed and current owners know it

[MarshallCutler6]

My LCs is overpriced, but the guy is absolutely fantastic. Gave me a free cutler gu when I bought a pack of bowman. Calls me anytime he has a new cutler and always cuts me a deal. Splits boxes with me. Very knowledgeable about cards. Sorry to hear about you poor experience op.

[iBLeeDBaTTLeReD]

Not that I'll ever be in Nashville, but for those who will the LCS name might help.

[cdub6238]

Originally Posted by deceptikon1978

You didn't really answer my question.

You bought stuff with expectations to sell or trade to your LCS. While it doesn't sound like a great experience, it's still his shop and he knows what sells and what he wants.

and you...didnt read my reply.

Yes..i entered 3 group breaks first for cheap and got lucky; and maybe that clouded my judgement a little buying the lot on here...but oh well.

Again...i wasnt mad or bothered that he didnt "buy anything" -as your right, its his store and can do what he wants...and as i said, i can put them on Ebay and get some $$ back if i really need too...no big deal

it was the crappy experience and customer service that promtped the OP...not that i was mad he didnt buy my stuff.

But quite frankly....what kind of business sense is it when you have 1 person looking intentively at "my cards" on the counter and saying they look nice, and asking for a price...and then after he leaves show no interest? or when someone comes in asking for NEW Justin Hunter GU or Autos...i tell him a have a handful at least 2 times before said customer comes in...but he tells the customer no he doesnt have any, and isnt interested in the ones i have...when he couldve re-sold them righton the spot more than likely?

but anyways...

as far as your question, why i didnt just buy what i wanted?

I dont have a PC, because quite frankly i dont have money to keep up with it. Like i said, this was just extra money i had in Paypal from fantasy winnings...and instead of waiting 2 weeks for a check, figured id try this instead. What box would you recommend for $75 that i spent or less?

[oldgoldy97]

Why not sell to the two customers interested in your cards right there?

[cdub6238]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Why not sell to the two customers interested in your cards right there?

I guess i could have...but wasnt really sure if that was considered ethical, since i was in his LCS.

If he hadnt taken so long to show basically no interest, i might have tried to wait until the 2nd guy left and caught him outside.

[deceptikon1978]

Originally Posted by cdub6238

and you...didnt read my reply.

Yes..i entered 3 group breaks first for cheap and got lucky; and maybe that clouded my judgement a little buying the lot on here...but oh well.

Again...i wasnt mad or bothered that he didnt "buy anything" -as your right, its his store and can do what he wants...and as i said, i can put them on Ebay and get some $$ back if i really need too...no big deal

it was the crappy experience and customer service that promtped the OP...not that i was mad he didnt buy my stuff.

But quite frankly....what kind of business sense is it when you have 1 person looking intentively at "my cards" on the counter and saying they look nice, and asking for a price...and then after he leaves show no interest? or when someone comes in asking for NEW Justin Hunter GU or Autos...i tell him a have a handful at least 2 times before said customer comes in...but he tells the customer no he doesnt have any, and isnt interested in the ones i have...when he couldve re-sold them righton the spot more than likely?

but anyways...

as far as your question, why i didnt just buy what i wanted?

I dont have a PC, because quite frankly i dont have money to keep up with it. Like i said, this was just extra money i had in Paypal from fantasy winnings...and instead of waiting 2 weeks for a check, figured id try this instead. What box would you recommend for $75 that i spent or less?

I did read your reply. And you... Didn't answer my question in that reply.

No clue what box you should have bought for $75. Kind of hard to say when you don't even have a collection.

[MLH]

Originally Posted by dhendrix1303

LCS are a dying breed and current owners know it

I dont understand why more LCS owners dont evolve and sell stuff online as well. Im trying to talk the guy in town here into doing it, maybe even getting into breaks and whatnot. Hell i even told him id set him up to do it, but hes a retired guy, maybe mid 60's and says hes not "good with the internet" lol.

[cdub6238]

Originally Posted by deceptikon1978

I did read your reply. And you... Didn't answer my question in that reply.

No clue what box you should have bought for $75. Kind of hard to say when you don't even have a collection.

so....in my OP...i stated...

"so with not having much money, and the itch to bust 2013 stuff"

if i have the itch to bust 2013 stuff...means i like to bust wax..just like everyone else...

just because i dont have a PC means i cant enjoy busteing packs/boxes?

Not trying to be rude...just trying to understand your angle here.

[deceptikon1978]

Originally Posted by cdub6238

so....in my OP...i stated...

"so with not having much money, and the itch to bust 2013 stuff"

if i have the itch to bust 2013 stuff...means i like to bust wax..just like everyone else...

just because i dont have a PC means i cant enjoy busteing packs/boxes?

Not trying to be rude...just trying to understand your angle here.

I have no angle. All I did was ask a simple question. You can do whatever you want with your money.

[superynaldo]

Originally Posted by PadresFan86

Why do a lot of lcs owners seem like old grumpy turds?

Because they are... LCS's are a waste of your time and money these days... Overpriced, outdated, piss poor customer service... Why bother...

[HBMC]

I must be really lucky, my LCS is great.

[Earlsnake07]

Originally Posted by HBMC

I must be really lucky, my LCS is great.

Where is your LCS? I am heading to Chiefs camp in a few weeks and we are going to stop on the way....anywhere close to St. Joe?

[HBMC]

Originally Posted by Earlsnake07

Where is your LCS? I am heading to Chiefs camp in a few weeks and we are going to stop on the way....anywhere close to St. Joe?

Nope, I'm 200 miles south of KC.

[QuinEarlyDoucet]

I just found it funny that the guy didn't know who justin hunter was ...wtf! He's a titans player from Tenn Vols lol lol could it be more perfect