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

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

Those who don't have money but still participate heavily in the market => bankruptcy

I think this is actually becoming more common. Maybe not total bankruptcy but it seems like more and more people are selling cards to free up funds to buy cards. It is tough to afford many cards outright otherwise.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by finfangfan

I think this is actually becoming more common. Maybe not total bankruptcy but it seems like more and more people are selling cards to free up funds to buy cards. It is tough to afford many cards outright otherwise.

Welcome to the 90's. Kids and teens in particular had far less cashflow and limited means of acquiring it. Selling cards to free up funds was a lifestyle. The average collector was putting every spare cent they had into the hobby, ripping packs, and trading or selling into the players they wanted. Most of us were cash poor.

The world is just different now. You could wake up with no intention to work and still accidentally make $100. It's 9:48am as I type this and there are a half dozen things I can do between now and midnight that would generate me income today. The stakes may be higher but the opportunities are endless and that didn't exist pre-internet.

[nabzy28]

Side-hustles are so 2017. If you don't have a side-hustle to support your side-hustle you're definitely not collecting hard enough in 2025.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

Welcome to the 90's. Kids and teens in particular had far less cashflow and limited means of acquiring it. Selling cards to free up funds was a lifestyle. The average collector was putting every spare cent they had into the hobby, ripping packs, and trading or selling into the players they wanted. Most of us were cash poor.

The world is just different now. You could wake up with no intention to work and still accidentally make $100. It's 9:48am as I type this and there are a half dozen things I can do between now and midnight that would generate me income today. The stakes may be higher but the opportunities are endless and that didn't exist pre-internet.

Well-stated....collectors have ALWAYS been selling to raise cash to buy...very few people have enough independent income/wealth to be able to buy whatever they want whenever they want to.

I've been collecting for 45+ years, and I have always had a fixed monthly spending budget that is buttressed by what I sell.....right now, it's about 40% fixed/60% from selling.

[finfangfan]

I have been more involved in the nonsports side of the hobby (Marvel/SW… not gaming) and that was always pretty cheap to buy wax up until the start of COVID. So I kind of feel like a boomer that got into the housing market at the right time… since I got into the nonsports hobby early when things were cheap and now am able to sell stuff at a comparative premium.

[PuddleMonkey]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

It's 9:48am as I type this and there are a half dozen things I can do between now and midnight that would generate me income today.

Jmmanne,
You don't have to put on the red light,
Those days are over,
You don't have to sell your body to the night.

Jmmanne,
You don't have to wear that dress tonight,
Walk the streets for money,
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right.

[Big35Hurt]

Headed over to Madison to check out the monthly card show at a new venue. They went from free admission to $5 admission but that didn't seem to dissuade people from attending. It was busy with roughly 50/50 sports cards and TCG. Someone told me the line to get in before the start of the show was 100 people or more. Long live the peli bois!

[89Giants]

Went to the fairfield show today. Not that busy but that could be due to so many shows happening every weekend now and fanatics fest? Compared to previous shows here the tables didn't sell out, and id say 60/40 pokemon/sports. Not many tables had stuff I collect, but found one table where I found some mid 2000s goodies at a reasonable price. Mike gallego and Felix jose were signing for free

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[solt0131]

What a great time to be involved in sports cards.

[corockies]

Local show in Denver this weekend at the Stockyards - 300 or so tables. It was packed all day yesterday (10am - 5pm).

[Bosoxfan5990]

Fanatics Fest tells me the hobby is alive and well

[hermanotarjeta]

I’ve noticed the plentiful Pokémon dealers have made the sports cards guys more willing to deal as they watch the pokemon guys fluff and swim around in cash.

Went to a show looking for singles and unexpectedly found some good deals on some sealed boxes. Dealers were more than willing to give a discount as they actually agreed on my asking prices - no haggling which is the best!

Picked up:

2005 donruss greats hobby
2018 heritage hobby
2018 gypsy queen hobby
2022 bowman chrome hobby

All for below eBay prices.

People were asking for James wood and PCA. Good amount of serial-numbered Ohtani but no one was buying.

Didn’t see a single gilded storm.

Basketball was ded.

[NickyCards]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

Fanatics Fest tells me the hobby is alive and well

It was an awesome experience. So many people were being introduced to cards just by doing things like the WWE entrance. They’d walk over and start asking questions about cards. I bet next year they make it Thursday-Sunday.

[PuddleMonkey]

Originally Posted by 89Giants

Mike gallego and Felix jose were signing for free



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Looks like they were providing the cards too.

[Cracktoast]

Originally Posted by NickyCards

It was an awesome experience. So many people were being introduced to cards just by doing things like the WWE entrance. They’d walk over and start asking questions about cards. I bet next year they make it Thursday-Sunday.

smartest thing they did was listen to feedback and put the Card section in the middle of the floor so you had to go through it to get to other stuff instead of shoving it in the back where people who were just there for the interactive stuff bypassed it.

[89Giants]

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

Looks like they were providing the cards too.

They did which was nice. They said grab any 3. They were just sitting there bored

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[thenightman]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

Fanatics Fest tells me the hobby is alive and well

Fanatics Fest is the furthest thing from a card show. Sure, they have cards there, but the % of people going there for that is small.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by thenightman

Fanatics Fest is the furthest thing from a card show. Sure, they have cards there, but the % of people going there for that is small.

Hey, I'm just providing feedback based on what the influencers told me.

[f2tornado]

I went to the monthly Fargo, ND show on Sunday. There were a few empty tables and also a less crowded hall this month. There was also one guy who always seemed to end up at the same table as me and simply couldn't shut up. I found enough stuff to justify driving the 200 miles each way. I'll chalk up the smaller crowd to people spending a hot summer weekend at the lake along with a threat of severe weather potentially having people on edge after one of the most powerful storms in state history that caused widespread destruction including a killer tornado that hit nearby about 36 hours prior.

No plans to hit another until the Road to the National Show in Omaha late July. I'm likely skipping the actual National.

[NickyCards]

Originally Posted by thenightman

Fanatics Fest is the furthest thing from a card show. Sure, they have cards there, but the % of people going there for that is small.

Could have fooled me. I had to wait to see some showcases. CardsHQ did more sales at Fanatics Fest than at the National. The dealer tables were packed.

[Imnottheonly]

Originally Posted by NickyCards

Could have fooled me. I had to wait to see some showcases. CardsHQ did more sales at Fanatics Fest than at the National. The dealer tables were packed.

Alot fewer tables than at the national, so less competition for dollars. If there is 40% of the money to be spent but only 20% of the tables then a dealer with competitive pricing and deep inventory should do great.

[NickyCards]

Originally Posted by Imnottheonly

Alot fewer tables than at the national, so less competition for dollars. If there is 40% of the money to be spent but only 20% of the tables then a dealer with competitive pricing and deep inventory should do great.

I agree with your statement but my main point was disagreeing with his statement of a small percentage of people were there for cards. I had an easier time navigating through the activities than the dealer tables.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by NickyCards

CardsHQ did more sales at Fanatics Fest than at the National. The dealer tables were packed.

I always find it interesting the people point to sales as an indicator rather than profits, which are what really matter when trying to run a business.

Anybody can sell stuff for a loss....what keeps a business running is consistently selling for a profit.

My sense is that a lot of hobby activity these days is people selling cards at a loss that they bought for much higher prices during the bubble. All those peli-boys walking around shows trying to sell to dealers.....they ain't selling at a profit....they're selling out of desperation because they need cash to pay off their credit card bills. Because 99% of the time, you're going to get more $$$ selling on FeeBay or in a FB group than you will selling to a dealer at a show.

[Cracktoast]

As far as Wilson and Cards HQ I'd say they are doing just fine profit wise or they wouldn't be opening a second location. I can't imagine running the anchor store is cheap so to keep it plus open a second store and purchase enough inventory to stock both I'd say he's doing just fine.

Now some smaller dealers maybe that's true but even then alot of dealers now days are totally or largely internet based so they have less overhead because they don't necessarily need a physical building they pay stupid high rent prices for. They take that money and put it in inventory to break online and still come out ahead in most cases.


*EDIT*

I just realized the above post was talking more about average joe selling to the dealers not dealers taking a loss. My misunderstanding.

[f2tornado]

I think a lot of people are losing money but having more fun doing it than other options that separate a person from his or her wallet. Johnny Retail buyer might be dropping $50-$100 a week at the Walmart but doesn't care. He'd be dropping the same money on the lotto or FanDuel anyway. The hustlers are probably fine or they wouldn't be hustling for long. Judicious dealers are fine since they can get stuff at a cash or trade discount.