For those who bust a lot of hockey product...I have a question

[98whitesteed]

Just curious, it seems to me that hockey products get a lot of really nice patches and autos, and to boot, some really nice SP rookie cards.

For those of you who bust a lot of hockey, do you see more profit when you sell this sport compared to the others? What are the pros and cons?

The first "con" I thought of was the needing of having to ship internationally on ebay. That would really drive up the cost I would assume, and possibly deter some bidders.

Would love to get some feedback on this. I opened a box of 09-10 SP Auth with 3 other guys in a pack war and "won" all 4 hits. So, I am intrigued by opening some more hockey.

[goobers80]

Patches are pretty cool, but only because of the jerseys they wear are cooler and have more on them. I would assume baseball sells better and possibly football since hockey is much more popular in Canada. It usually costs more to ship to Canada and definitely does overseas. People in the US buy hockey, because I do card shows too , but baseball sells better there most of the times. The sports all have pretty nice cards I think.

[iluvfish2]

Production runs are also typically smaller. I'd guess hockey is really the 3rd or 4th most popular product (behind BB and FB).

Shipping internationally is the biggest issue. You typically have more player/team collectors in hockey so your individual sales should be higher, but it wont necessarily result in a higher net. Timing still has a lot to do to with it. First on ebay, nice patch, correct wording, and as you stated, the best money make you can have....a bidding war.

[BlueShirts]

I dont think shipping internationally is an issue. I have been selling for over 5 years and all I deal with is hockey snd the buyers over seas or in Canada know that shipping might be a buck or two more and they understand that.

The only thing I collect is hockey and I would't have it any other way. Its a lot of fun.

[hanes1111]

I live in PA and it is actually cheaper to ship to canada, go figure!

[Rinkwraith]

While the shipping cost does go up, most buyers in Canada and overseas are well aware of this and know they will be paying more up front. I have had a lot of Canada buyers really be appreciative that I ship to Canada as well.

Another fun aspect of hockey are your European buyers. I have sent cards to Sweden, Czech Republic, etc. since hockey players from those countries are quite popular. I list for overseas Ebay and simply put please inquire for postage so I know where to base the calculation for them.

[hairysasquatch]

Probably 50% of my hockey sales on eBay go to Canada - like Wraith said, majority of Canucks are happy you ship there and patient with the delays. The biggest problem is with Quebecois who cannot understand written English. I sell mostly low-end stuff that is sent internationally without d/c, and that means costs usually tend to be lower. High-ticket stuff is more risky to send without d/c, and you need to put the disclaimer eBay provides about seller not responsible for any additional import/customs duties levied by country of destination to protect yourself from potential negative feedback.

[BAMBAM]

Hockey is the same as with any other product that you rip as far as what type of return you get. It's all about how good your case was.

You have to be willing to ship outside the US to make money. Never had any problems with Canadian buyers. Haven't sold anywhere other than Canada and the US for the past few years and have done reasonably well on the cases I've ripped. Did ship to Sweden a few times in the past and had no problems as well with Foresberg cards.

The one negative is Canadians for the most part only spend money on Canadian born players. Euro and American born players are usually ignored unless they play on a Canadian team. Guys like Bobby Ryan, Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Parise etc. don't sell as well as they should because the largest hockey market on fleabay doesn't have any interest in them.

[zammos1]

European buyers are the best. They pay higher prices and pay quicker. Can't remember ever filing an NPB for a European and that buyer pool is getting bigger every day.

In the past for me is was usually 50% Canada, 45% US, 5% Euro.

This year it's more like 40% Canada, 40% US, 20% Euro. Finns & Czechs are especially aggressive buyers. Seeing more from Germany, UK, and Latvia of all places.

You are doing yourself a disservice by not allowing Europeans to buy your items.

[anusinha]

Euros are awesome especially the Finns. They pay big bucks for their homegrown players. Canadians are usually OK, the only people Ive had problems with are Quebecois. For some reason a lot of packages sent there are "lost".

[IndySportsCards]

Hockey is the same as with any other product that you rip as far as what type of return you get. It's all about how good your case was..

Ding Ding Ding..

Plus, the market is tiny compared to the others. Baseball is like 60% of the market, Football is next, then BBall, then Hockey. If I remember correctly, but it's significantly smaller.

[Rinkwraith]

Ding Ding Ding..

Plus, the market is tiny compared to the others. Baseball is like 60% of the market, Football is next, then BBall, then Hockey. If I remember correctly, but it's significantly smaller.

Which is kind of like saying WWE is 70% of wrestling and WCW is 30% of wrestling back in the Monday Night wars....but goddamn, I'll take ECW and ECW fans any day of the week!:)!



http://cdn2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/186/155/668/sandman-wrestling-bcd-interview-nwa-wcw-wwf-tna-ecw-xpw-a8745.jpg

[98whitesteed]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I might try some of the newer hockey product out there. Recommendations?

[dogzman]

The Cup...go big or go home :)

[zammos1]

If your goal is profit, then don't break anything that's already been released.

ITG Heroes & Prospects would be a good choice but if you've never heard of guys like Sean Couturier or Boone Jenner then you might be a little lost.

Upper Deck Series 2 is a no brainer.

Really, any case with a price of less than $1000 is a good choice. Yet to lose money on any hockey case under $1000 and I've busted them all.

[fiskaaron]

Euros are awesome especially the Finns. They pay big bucks for their homegrown players. Canadians are usually OK, the only people Ive had problems with are Quebecois. For some reason a lot of packages sent there are "lost".


Darn! Wish I knew this before my Antti Niemi ended. I probably turned down 3-4 Finns.

[fiskaaron]

Probably 50% of my hockey sales on eBay go to Canada - like Wraith said, majority of Canucks are happy you ship there and patient with the delays. The biggest problem is with Quebecois who cannot understand written English. I sell mostly low-end stuff that is sent internationally without d/c, and that means costs usually tend to be lower. High-ticket stuff is more risky to send without d/c, and you need to put the disclaimer eBay provides about seller not responsible for any additional import/customs duties levied by country of destination to protect yourself from potential negative feedback.

There is a disclaimer that ebay provides? Wow......this could help me out quite a bit. Can you tell me a little more about it? How to get it on your auctions and where to get it?

[jrandPensfan]

There is a disclaimer that ebay provides? Wow......this could help me out quite a bit. Can you tell me a little more about it? How to get it on your auctions and where to get it?

You pretty much just put what he said into your listing details. Say something along the lines of "seller not responsible for any additional import/customs duties levied on delivery".

Unless I'm wrong, I think he just meant that they mention this in some of the "best selling tips" guide. Not necessarily that they give you a disclaimer. Anyone with more experience please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.