Pondering starting my Own Card Company

[MW Connection]

Yes, I know this sounds crazy but my passion is the hobby. over the past 5 years I have been fortunate in the futures & stock market to attain capital that could be used to fund an operation like this. I would want all of the cards my company produces to be game used. I have some questions for the hobby.

I am thinking that I will need to buy all of my game used jerseys, helmets, pants, batting gloves, hockey sticks, bats, etc. from reputable sellers that have the pieces authenticated by the professional teams they played for or PSA.

No sticker autos. I would like my company to be all on card and game used.

No event worn. If I cannot attain a piece from a game that player will not have a card with memorabillia

What type of equipment would I need to purchase to be able to produce the cards? I know some people make custom cards. I have some really cool idea for cards and would like to start small with one product. Promos would be my first step sent out for free to customers to take a look and offer opinions and pros & cons.

Lastly, my boxes will not be priced to wholesalers to price gouge honest customers. I will need to turn a profit but not by taking advantage of the people that make the hobby what it is..........

[jerryw]

you can borrow my lighter...it be a lot quicker to burn the money then to lose it this way

[groundsupport]

Originally Posted by jerryw

you can borrow my lighter...it be a lot quicker to burn the money then to lose it this way

[Kchance13]

Originally Posted by jerryw

you can borrow my lighter...it be a lot quicker to burn the money then to lose it this way

what a very helpful post.

OP I can not help you at all with your questions, but I wish you the best of luck. Only chances worth taking are the ones you are passionate about.

That being said. I don't think that there is a big enough market out there for custom cards to be worth your time and money.

Kevin

[patchgenie]

you should buy 1 good card and 100 cheap ones, then sell it for 200 a box for easy profit. that is what these random companies that came out of thin air are doing.

[thunda99]

Well good luck to you my friend, would certainly be an exciting adventure for sure

[MW Connection]

Originally Posted by Kchance13

what a very helpful post.

OP I can not help you at all with your questions, but I wish you the best of luck. Only chances worth taking are the ones you are passionate about.

That being said. I don't think that there is a big enough market out there for custom cards to be worth your time and money.

Kevin

thanks man. Just looking for suggestions and opinions from collectors.

[jerryw]

Originally Posted by Kchance13

what a very helpful post.

OP I can not help you at all with your questions, but I wish you the best of luck. Only chances worth taking are the ones you are passionate about.

Kevin

He has zero chance of making a legit card company. Let's face the facts. People don't trust the ones that have been around for 25+ years. They sure as hell won't trust joe schmo who hit it in the market and is feeling frisky. I'm not trying to be a dick, just being realistic.

[nephinfan]

Licensing would be a b#@$&! However, I would love to see a company take down the big boys.

[DSizzle31]

Originally Posted by jerryw

He has zero chance of making a legit card company. Let's face the facts. People don't trust the ones that have been around for 25+ years. They sure as hell won't trust joe schmo who hit it in the market and is feeling frisky. I'm not trying to be a dick, just being realistic.

I agree with this. If you are passionate about the hobby, there must be some other way to direct your capital that will be just as fulfilling for you.

[Kchance13]

Originally Posted by jerryw

He has zero chance of making a legit card company. Let's face the facts. People don't trust the ones that have been around for 25+ years. They sure as hell won't trust joe schmo who hit it in the market and is feeling frisky. I'm not trying to be a dick, just being realistic.

My point is that this post you just made is 10000 times more helpful then your previous. To someone that is asking for help/insight a post like the one you just made could be of help to him, Unlike the first one.

[Adamchuk]

Reach out to Major League, he is probably the member of this board with the most experience in trying to do something like this, albeit I don't think he had to the licensing etc that you would have to with to acquire the player sigs. He started a re-pack product much like the Best Of and Razor Rookie products

[Cubs_rock21]

Originally Posted by Adamchuk

Reach out to Major League, he is probably the member of this board with the most experience in trying to do something like this, albeit I don't think he had to the licensing etc that you would have to with to acquire the player sigs. He started a re-pack product much like the Best Of and Razor Rookie products

There's a difference between a re-pack product and a self made product. The only chance of being successful at all is to do a repack product with some monster chasers. However those types of products take heat as the big hits always seem to be saved until the end.

[Ephland]

OP - are you considering doing this without pictures of the players?

[wickedliquids]

Not only would licensing be a problem, but you may want to start the way of ACEO. Honestly, I wish there was a way to block all of ACEO's listings as I find 99% of what they produce to be hideous.

Have you thought about starting small? Copyright a name, set up some designs, go to test print, then drop a few on the market? You're on the right track by making sure the game used items you want are just that, game used. You're concept might flourish. All card companies had to start somewhere!

[asujbl]

The best advice...

It doesn't just sound crazy. It's flat insane.

There are much better uses of your capital.

[Colt9494]

Are you doing a repacked or your own custom product? I somewhat have a small, repack style product and an starting on my second product. My first product which was 2 cases of t206 product. I cleared about $400 in less than a month.

[texgator]

Originally Posted by MW Connection

I will need to turn a profit but not by taking advantage of the people that make the hobby what it is..........

If the bolded part is true, then I think you should heed the advice of many who have already posted.....don't even bother. This is the kind of endeavor that you should only start if you are completely expecting to lose all your initial investment.

[Bob Loblaw]

You need licensing. Licensing is EXPENSIVE.

Honestly, the best way to make money right now in this hobby is to take out a loan for about $100,000 (or if you have it kicking around - great!). Get with a box manufacturer. Go to eBay as well as scour these boards and big card shows. Buy lots of cards!

Buy 5 BIG BIG BIG "GASP"worthy cards.

Create a repackaged product, and advertise the heck out of it! After expenses, give yourself a 10%-15% profit on the first run, and repeat, every few months, with a larger profit each time.

I hate it, but that's the true money making model in this 'hobby'.

[XL5]

Originally Posted by MW Connection

Yes, I know this sounds crazy but my passion is the hobby. over the past 5 years I have been fortunate in the futures & stock market to attain capital that could be used to fund an operation like this. I would want all of the cards my company produces to be game used. I have some questions for the hobby.

I am thinking that I will need to buy all of my game used jerseys, helmets, pants, batting gloves, hockey sticks, bats, etc. from reputable sellers that have the pieces authenticated by the professional teams they played for or PSA.

No sticker autos. I would like my company to be all on card and game used.

No event worn. If I cannot attain a piece from a game that player will not have a card with memorabillia

What type of equipment would I need to purchase to be able to produce the cards? I know some people make custom cards. I have some really cool idea for cards and would like to start small with one product. Promos would be my first step sent out for free to customers to take a look and offer opinions and pros & cons.

Lastly, my boxes will not be priced to wholesalers to price gouge honest customers. I will need to turn a profit but not by taking advantage of the people that make the hobby what it is..........

Get a crappy job at an existing card company or a company that prints the cards for an existing card company. Learn as much as you can about the business over a year or two.

Then if you still want to do it, come up with your plan. If you don't think it's worth getting a job at a card company, you probably won't last through the startup phase of your own card company either.

Honestly, cutting up genuine game-used material and sticking it into cards only adds value if the consumers value the cards. And consumers will only value the cards if you have a valued brand name, a license, or both.

[preakness]

just my opinion but there are going to be sooooooooo many skeptics (understandably) regarding whether what you produced is game-used so it wouldn't be worth it

not a knock on you, it's just because of the amount of china-bought / player worn at an event relics that have surfaced over the past few years

[texgator]

Originally Posted by preakness

just my opinion but there are going to be sooooooooo many skeptics (understandably) regarding whether what you produced is game-used so it wouldn't be worth it

not a knock on you, it's just because of the amount of china-bought / player worn at an event relics that have surfaced over the past few years

That is easily avoided by maintaining a database that connects the patch to the original item and the authentication.

[preakness]

Leaf and ITG did a somewhat merge recently.
Let that be a clue that even the more popular non-Topps companies have to do something to stay relevant/successful.


You earned that money you have sitting in your bank. Be smart with it and reconsider this card company idea

[dhcollecting]

Where are you located? I am willing to work to get this company started?

[HOFcollector]

Hire mouschi