COMC Competition

[TPence1970]

Opinions wanted - is there room in the hobby for a site to compete with Check Out My Cards ?


If you answer yes, what features would you like to see different from what they offer ? I'm gauging interest for a potential business venture in the future.


Thanks in advance for your opinion.

[3124508 on COMC]

These type of threads come up every other month. I've never seen one pan out in the slightest.

Not trying to dissuade you, just an observation.

[OLDPAPER]

I don't see it happening. Just so many moving parts that have to be involved for what is already a niche market.

[37Jetson]

Anything is possible, but I guarantee developing a competing site will not be cheap nor easy.

Reality aside I would think that their would be an opportunity for the consignment site that has rates lower or equal to EBay. It would not be possible to do this with $1 cards, but there is niche in my opinion.

[pskell02]

The only change I would want really is the fee structure.

[SanAntonioSpurs]

It's doable if you have backing from investors. There's always room for competition and right now COMC doesn't have any. That's why they do the things they do, fees, sorry customer service, careless with cards and so on.

Just read through the "All I want to do is talk about COMC" thread. You will see plenty of things people want fixed/changed/added.

[mc1]

10 cent processing fee

4-5% cash out fee

That would be a good start

[13goyankees13]

If a competitor offers the same service at a significantly lower price with about the same number of customers, I'm sure people will begin submitting there. The problems are:

1. The initial cost of setting up the website, getting warehouse space, getting a team of employees together, developing the checklists, and getting near the number of customers as COMC is likely in the hundreds of thousands
2. COMC would likely undercut your prices. They likely operate more efficiently than you and could price lower than you. Even if they couldn't, they could lower prices temporarily and operate at a loss knowing that they can take losses for much longer than you.

I'd love to see something like this because it would be great for customers but I doubt anyone could make it work.

[Dragonman]

10 cent processing fee

4-5% cash out fee

That would be a good start
Thats a recipe for bankrupcy.

[3124508 on COMC]

10 cent processing fee

4-5% cash out fee

That would be a good start

If we're sharing our dreams. . .

1 cent processing fee

.4-.5% cash out fee

[trmpetyjo]

I know one thing, with all the scammers on ebay, and charge backs going on right now, this hobby is in desperate need of middle man/broker. A safe, trustworthy place that buyer and seller can send merchandise to hold monies and verify accurate descriptions before sales are final. It would be a bazillion dollar business. Ebay used to offer square trade which was sort of a middle man, but not really. The hobby needs a baseball card exchange type of place where they can verify the seller is sending the correct stuff from his description and the buyer can't say he got something different then he did. I would gladly pay a commission for a service like that.

[ih8ca]

I feel that the comc fee structure is very fair. The only thing I wish that could get down is the 20% plus 20% ebay amazon fee. You need to realize that the sell through rate on most ebay store consignments is horrible because everybody thinks there stuff is more valuable than it is and it just sits. Another thing that COMC has done a very great job is creating an artificial market with the no fees for buying cards on the site and using the store credit to pay fees.
What I would like to see as an improvement on comc is better marketing and make it more user friendly for searching cards and better sellers out.

[ih8ca]

I know one thing, with all the scammers on ebay, and charge backs going on right now, this hobby is in desperate need of middle man/broker. A safe, trustworthy place that buyer and seller can send merchandise to hold monies and verify accurate descriptions before sales are final. It would be a bazillion dollar business. Ebay used to offer square trade which was sort of a middle man, but not really. The hobby needs a baseball card exchange type of place where they can verify the seller is sending the correct stuff from his description and the buyer can't say he got something different then he did. I would gladly pay a commission for a service like that.

Other companies are working on this for higher ticket items. I feel this all the outside interest in the card business from the investment side, we will be seeing a lot of changes.

[glen87]

10 cent processing fee

4-5% cash out fee

That would be a good start

as nice as that is, and as much as i would like it - they would not be operable long with those fees

[cruiserdaddy7]

It's the 20% ebay fee plus all the quarters they beat us out of. That's what I'm not a fan of.

[mjohnatgt]

#thereisnobettermousetrap
#moneypittotry
#whynotjuststartagradingcompanytoo

[mintacular]

Better search engine

[checkoutmydeals]

I do think it would be possible to set up a rival site, if the focus were on items which COMC either doesn't sell, or which they don't focus much attention on.

I think a COMC site with Disney Pins would probably work. Stamps and coins might also be a possibility.

A site which treated comic books seriously would also work. It's impossible to shop for comics on COMC, because they aren't even organized by the decade the comic was published. Also, their prohibition on items which aren't "family friendly" seriously hampers their ability to deal in comics which people actually collect.

Things like Magic, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards would work better if there was a system where the cards could be sorted by rarity, type, power, toughness, artist, or whether they are legal in a certain format.

The "family friendly" policy also affects fantasy art and Benchwarmer type cards, though I'm not sure how large a market that would be.

One feature that would be nice is if it were possible for people to trade / sell low dollar and common cards among themselves without having to ship them to the cental warehouse.

If there was some feature which allowed people to group items into multiple-item lots, that might also work. Maybe the consignor could put cards on a 9 / 6 / 4 / 12 pocket page and offer the entire sheet as one thing for one price. Or, maybe they could fill a 100 count / 300 count / 550 count box with items and offer the entire contents as one thing for one price.

I'm not sure how necessary it is to have scans of the exact card the buyer is going to receive. Possibly a site which used stock images for low-priced cards and used co-mingled inventory could work.

The ability to sell / trade sealed packs / boxes or cases might be useful.

For that matter, some sort of trading system in general could be useful.

There are person-to-person Magic card trading sites like Pucatrade and Cardsphere which have worked in the past. On these sites, people send cards to one another, rather than directly consigning them to the customer. Cardsphere uses a fee structure similar to COMC, where you can build up credit and then cash out the credit for actual cash at a reduced rate. However, they also charge a fee to trade. 1% to trade (minimum 1 cent per card) and then 10% cashout fee.

[mc1]

If we're sharing our dreams. . .

1 cent processing fee

.4-.5% cash out fee

I'm not speaking about my personal preference. I'm just throwing out a number based on all the complaining about ebay fees I've seen on these and other boards.

Many (most?) sellers feel that companies like eBay and amazon are ripping them off so that's why I thought a lower fee structure would draw them to an alternative.:)!

[3124508 on COMC]

I'm not speaking about my personal preference. I'm just throwing out a number based on all the complaining about ebay fees I've seen on these and other boards.

Many (most?) sellers feel that companies like eBay and amazon are ripping them off so that's why I thought a lower fee structure would draw them to an alternative.:)!

My problem is that it isn't reasonable to have those rates. A start-up company would need to have higher rates than COMC and Ebay to get enough capital to handle lots of volume and subsequently lower their fees. Lower fees are GREAT, but you can't just go from 0 to a company that can undercut Ebay. It's not profitable.

ETA: But I guess if you can, than there's your niche.

[Xazark]

expanding the range available, removing the 'family friendly' requirement, better search and filtering options, ability to trade items with other users, ability to sell sealed packs/boxes and even other collectible things like POPs, Figures etc.., ability to sell sets or lots easily, especially things like complete base sets and insert sets

[checkoutmydeals]

I think that it would be most likely to work if it were an extension of an existing business rather than a 100% startup. For example, mycomicshop dot com started out as the website of one of the largest comic book stores in the country. They have a buy list where you can sell them stuff directly that they specifically need, or they'll buy collections, or you can consign items with them of sufficient value. When you consign, you can opt to have your item auctioned or you can price it at a buy it now.

Comics on the site are cross-posted to eBay all the time. It's one of the largest sellers of comics on eBay.

Now, if mycomicshop were to adopt the COMC practice of allowing people to buy items on the website and reprice them at a higher price, I'd be all over it.

Similarly, there are Magic card sites and Pokemon card sites which started out as the website of a brick and mortar store, and now they do millions of dollars in business per year, in part by cross-posting to eBay and Amazon. If it were possible to flip cards on those sites, the way I can flip cards on COMC, I'd also be all over that.

Amazon started out as an online bookseller who also let other people sell books on their site. If it were possible to buy an item in the Amazon warehouse for one price, and then relist it on Amazon for a higher price, without taking physical delivery of the item, I'd be all over that as well.

[TPence1970]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far with opinions & ideas. Please keep them coming.

[Budler]

Opinions wanted - is there room in the hobby for a site to compete with Check Out My Cards ?


If you answer yes, what features would you like to see different from what they offer ? I'm gauging interest for a potential business venture in the future.


Thanks in advance for your opinion.



YES There is room for a competitor. Just ask K-mart when Wal-Mart started to expand. now it is Amazon.

Look at COMC years ago. How they started? What were they selling then and now what are they selling. They started out with commons and now it is graded cards and Amazon, E-bay and Deans cards. They have come a long ways baby.

How long did it take to get to 50 million items. If you remember it was a BIG deal when they hit 1 million cards. They made a lot of changes along the way to make themselves profitable or just to stay in business.

Sportslot is changing also. You see a lot of higher priced cards there now days.

A lot of ideals have been thrown your way.

[Soxrule111]

My problem is that it isn't reasonable to have those rates. A start-up company would need to have higher rates than COMC and Ebay to get enough capital to handle lots of volume and subsequently lower their fees. Lower fees are GREAT, but you can't just go from 0 to a company that can undercut Ebay. It's not profitable.

ETA: But I guess if you can, than there's your niche.

I think this can be argued. People might have varying opinions on profitable.

COMC might want to clear $1million plus, or put $500k in the Top Guys pockets.

If someone could start up a similar site and bank $105k he could be happy, doing what he loves, and hope to improve over 10 years. (lets not forget how long comc has been around)

[Swipe79]

I think the company would need deep pockets to start. Operating at a loss for a couple of years might be necessary to carve out a piece of the business.

You would need to offer similar/better processing fees/times. We've all seen the prices creep higher over time and the submission specials are gone.

When COMC started, they gave away $20 in processing to first time users. I think that attracted a lot of attention.

Card handling needs to be professional - one of the gripes a lot of people have is the mysterious corner dings that we get on submissions. We all know what's really happening, but COMC likes to blame the person who submits for the issue.

People have already covered a lot of the other things - I think having the ability to submit certified autographed memorabilia would be a nice plus.

Having the ability to trade might be of interest for a lot of people as well.

Having a relationship with BGS, PSA, and SGC would be awesome. I'm not a fan of BVG/BGS and most of my PC is PSA.

Just since my begin date as a consignor on COMC, I've definitely felt a shift in the attitude towards the users. Having great customer service is a must.

[3124508 on COMC]

I think this can be argued. People might have varying opinions on profitable.

COMC might want to clear $1million plus, or put $500k in the Top Guys pockets.

If someone could start up a similar site and bank $105k he could be happy, doing what he loves, and hope to improve over 10 years. (lets not forget how long comc has been around)

That $105k is over what, 3, 5, or 10 years? Not too much money.

The key word in my post was "just". You CAN go from 0 to eBay, but its not going to happen instantaneously. That's a long and arduous path.

[ih8ca]

I would like a Consignment company that I can come in and view cards. I travel to a lot of auction houses and view. I always find something different to buy and bid on. If probstein was on the west coast I would fly out weekly and look at his listings. I have seriously thought about going from la to New Jersey weekly to look at his auctions.

[Rabs]

I think the trading aspect is a neat idea.

Problem is most of the sellers on COMC like that there is no communication between members.

[Dielon]

If we're sharing our dreams. . .

1 cent processing fee

.4-.5% cash out fee

no processing fee, no cash out fee, +.10 cents for every card I submit to COMC in my account, and a handwritten birthday card every year.

[scotthenrichs]

no processing fee, no cash out fee, +.10 cents for every card I submit to COMC in my account, and a handwritten birthday card every year.

They should be paying me for the pleasure of handling my cards, darnit! :D

In all seriousness, COMC is great, fee structure is totally understandable given the overhead they have to pay for all the employees that are needed to handle an operation like this and a warehouse to store and keep track of everything.

I'd only say they need a little tweaking. Mainly in the searches I think. I'd like a little more options for multi-filters available. Like say I want to look for stuff on sale sorted by recently added for Green Bay Packers players that's over a $1 to filter out the commons. Can do some of those things, but not everything.

Or even better, an email/text alert that tells me when anyone lists a certain card for below a certain price so I can jump on COMC and buy it.

Would be great if they could do a server upgrade to avoid downtimes which seem to be somewhat regular as well, but maybe there's more to that then what see, not sure.

[gopherfan]

I didn't read all of this, and sorry if it was mentioned already, but what I really want to see on there is a waitlist for buyers. I have so many cards that I am constantly checking on that aren't worth buying on eBay with the $3.50 shipping on most. If I can pick up 20-30 of them on COMC, and pay one shipping fee it would be worth it. Let me list the cards I want, and then sellers may decide it is worth it to send them in.

[3124508 on COMC]

I didn't read all of this, and sorry if it was mentioned already, but what I really want to see on there is a waitlist for buyers. I have so many cards that I am constantly checking on that aren't worth buying on eBay with the $3.50 shipping on most. If I can pick up 20-30 of them on COMC, and pay one shipping fee it would be worth it. Let me list the cards I want, and then sellers may decide it is worth it to send them in.

How many cards both aren't on COMC and aren't worth 3.50 shipping, but both are readily accessible to sellers and are still worth enough for the seller to make a profit? Seems like a nonexistent category.

[checkoutmydeals]

I really want to see on there is a waitlist for buyers. I have so many cards that I am constantly checking on that aren't worth buying on eBay with the $3.50 shipping on most. If I can pick up 20-30 of them on COMC, and pay one shipping fee it would be worth it. Let me list the cards I want, and then sellers may decide it is worth it to send them in.

I agree that some sort of wantlist feature would be useful. Especially if you could generate a report of which cards are worth sending in.

Even if the card is already in stock, I'd love to see some sort of buy list feature. Like, if you would buy a particular card for 75 cents, and if you have 75 cents in your account, and if no cards on the page are 75 cents, a seller with that card could opt to sell it to you for that price. (The buyer should have the option of indicating that there are no condition notes).

It would be similar to the bid / ask price you see in a normal market. The person might be a dealer looking to buy the item wholesale, or they might be a collector looking to complete a set.

[checkoutmydeals]

How many cards both aren't on COMC and aren't worth 3.50 shipping, but both are readily accessible to sellers and are still worth enough for the seller to make a profit? Seems like a nonexistent category.

Probably millions, particularly if someone is a set collector and is after non-sports, gaming, minor league cards, foreign cards and such.

I have thousands, possibly tens of thousands of cards where there are none in stock on COMC, and little or no sales history, but are they worth sending in? Right now, it's a total crap shoot. At least with a want list feature, there would be some guidance.

[COMCMax]

COMC is a underrated revenue monster. It would cost a fortune to start something that could handle what they do. They are the future imo. Ebay is a giant headache and that 20% fee is made up quicker than you think on COMC with the conveince they provide.

[Budler]

There are sites out there that you can put in your want list and they will match them to what is for sell and trade on the site. Try http://www.tradingcarddb.com. You add your want list and what you have for sell/trade and they will give you match alerts. Then it is up to the two people to work a deal.

Check out my want list (over 16,000) at http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Profile.cfm/budler

My biggest problem is very few people have cards I need. Then there is the shipping cost as you are dealing with each seller like Sportslot.