GTS losing Topps License?

[parkerj33]

This will just further accelerate the pivot to vintage....if people still want to be in the hobby...its the smart play...and its already hotter than ever.

[ObanMontecristo]

Fanatics will not want the risk of certain products filling up their warehouses for a long time, they will want to get rid of product asap. Understanding they will also want to maximize profits, while also keeping the hobby alive and well, my guess is that they’ll have (1) some kind of allotment for hobby shops and breakers (at a discount but with a requirement that they buy all products), (2) some allotment for retail, and then (3) some allotment for collectors to buy online- hopefully with some better controls on bots.

…and probably some kind of exclusives for each of the above market segments

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by NHRonin

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

The market is correcting over the grossly overinflated prices of the past few years. I look forward to buying a premium box of cards at $150 again.

Define premium.

Wax prices have to correct. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in thinking that the rip rate is at an all-time low across all sports. It’s incredibly frustrating how few singles are hitting the market.

[Frankp2311]

Originally Posted by NHRonin

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

The market is correcting over the grossly overinflated prices of the past few years. I look forward to buying a premium box of cards at $150 again.

Exactly. Talked to a few owners and they are not as doom and gloom as some comments here. They will have to carry other Fanatics merchandise seems to be the consensus.

[Asian62150]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Define premium.

Wax prices have to correct. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in thinking that the rip rate is at an all-time low across all sports. It’s incredibly frustrating how few singles are hitting the market.

Yeah. I'd like to know when NT basketball will be $500 again.

I don't even remember what the price of Flawless used to be. $750? $1000?

[Bcwcardz]

Originally Posted by mwash1983

Same guy who owns the LCS also sent link of fanatics setting up wax in all their lids locations, that’s what the hobby is going to be, fanatics owned stores and online to customer, they will kill LCS and target/Walmart.

I didn’t think Lids was in business . Mall stores are pretty much obsolete anymore. I never understood how they stayed open by just selling overpriced hats. Let’s see.


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[ATLOTP]

let me know when i can get some sort of direct account because at the moment most of my allocations come from gts

[Pacmeyer]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Define premium.

Wax prices have to correct. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in thinking that the rip rate is at an all-time low across all sports. It’s incredibly frustrating how few singles are hitting the market.

Inflated prices sure but you can also blame the constant buy singles! refrain on this forum, which is to say that only fools open any wax.

To those singles guys out there: to buy those singles, somebody has to open (so maybe stop calling them stupid).

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

I do really believe Fanatics is interested in selling product at market price, especially hobby wax. Right now market price is what the distributors and big 3 set. I don’t think Fanatics is interested in housing wax and trying to.m milk very bit of margin as they are quickly figuring out the market and moving as much as quickly as possible.

Any good business is trying to keep inventory low. All inventory is cost and risk. This is especially true for "final product" inventory. It is one thing to keep inventory of parts and material to keep production moving for supply chain dips. You don't want to keep any of the final product around. That stuff needs to be out the door and the revenue put back into the first step of the cycle.

I would think Fanatics is trying to find a good sweet spot of making healthy margins and selling out as fast as possible. Remember it is good marketing for them to say everything sells out in a day or whatever.

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Define premium.

Wax prices have to correct. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in thinking that the rip rate is at an all-time low across all sports. It’s incredibly frustrating how few singles are hitting the market.

Part of the problem is that wax collectors have exploded because they think everything will keep going up. That blaster of Prizm will be worth $1000 in five years, right?

[Asian62150]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Any good business is trying to keep inventory low. All inventory is cost and risk. This is especially true for "final product" inventory. It is one thing to keep inventory of parts and material to keep production moving for supply chain dips. You don't want to keep any of the final product around. That stuff needs to be out the door and the revenue put back into the first step of the cycle.

I would think Fanatics is trying to find a good sweet spot of making healthy margins and selling out as fast as possible. Remember it is good marketing for them to say everything sells out in a day or whatever.

Make flagship/base stuff affordable. $2/pack or something along those lines to get newer collectors and kids involved. And don't raise prices for that lower end stuff. If it sells out quickly, print it to the moon but have something that everyone has access to at very cheap prices.

And by getting kids involved, we gotta figure out a way to get more kids involved who just want to rip packs to for fun to chase cards of their favorite players and trade with their friends. Doesn't always have to be about the ROI at such an early age.

For the higher end products, do a true Dutch Auction where everyone ends up paying whatever the sell out price is. I think they've said they will do this but we'll see.

[kyle1707]

Originally Posted by MoreToppsPlease

Fanatics eliminating hobby middle people by starting with the biggest one is a great way to start cleaning up the hobby.

I’m sure southern hobby and all sports marketing is next

[clocsta2323]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Part of the problem is that wax collectors have exploded because they think everything will keep going up. That blaster of Prizm will be worth $1000 in five years, right?

People forget about this as a major contributor to the barren wasteland Box Break sections. Total suckers filling closets with junk retail and entirely overproduced hobby boxes. Absolutely the most ignorant way to participate/invest considering the entry point is and has been at grossly inflated numbers. But for the past two-three years people have become enamored with how wax looks when it's neatly stacked on Ikea shelves while their kids sleep on blankets on the floor.

[imbluestreak23]

I had buddies who reached out during the pandemic getting into cards asking me about every angle to get back in the hobby. Most of them jumping in only were asking about breaks, and others were asking about grading packs trying to get "ahead of the curve." But the packs they were wanting to grade were from 2020-21 Prizm basketball blasters

[k13]

Originally Posted by Pacmeyer

Inflated prices sure but you can also blame the constant buy singles! refrain on this forum, which is to say that only fools open any wax.

To those singles guys out there: to buy those singles, somebody has to open (so maybe stop calling them stupid).

Most of these "idiots" that open wax are disappearing quickly.
You can't even sell wax 30% off Ebay locally around here. FB.

If you want to sell retail it has to be 50% less than msrp.

LCS still gets a good premium prices but they have really slowed down.
Cases are pilling up.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by Pacmeyer

Inflated prices sure but you can also blame the constant buy singles! refrain on this forum, which is to say that only fools open any wax.

To those singles guys out there: to buy those singles, somebody has to open (so maybe stop calling them stupid).

So you’re saying the board should be pumping wax again?

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by imbluestreak23

I had buddies who reached out during the pandemic getting into cards asking me about every angle to get back in the hobby. Most of them jumping in only were asking about breaks, and others were asking about grading packs trying to get "ahead of the curve." But the packs they were wanting to grade were from 2020-21 Prizm basketball blasters

Get smarter friends.

[Archangel1775]

Originally Posted by mwash1983

Same guy who owns the LCS also sent link of fanatics setting up wax in all their lids locations, that’s what the hobby is going to be, fanatics owned stores and online to customer, they will kill LCS and target/Walmart.

That’s not going to kill retail. I’m sure 99%of Lids are in malls. Not very many people go there and to some, it would be like pulling teeth. Either way, it would be hobby. The box stores will still get their retail exclusives and will do fine

[kyle1707]

Ultra modern

2017-2022 singles market

Majority is in the tank. Can’t believe wax prices holding

Even with all the gamblers.

Hopefully flipping it up side down helps

But I still think fanatics made a awful mistake paying what they paid for all this license

[mossoholic]

4 pages and not a single person has mentioned what should be the obvious solution. At least for rare and hobby wax. The blind auction or some type of fair auction system. Going that route true market value is decided. Everyone has a fair chance. Bots don't have an advantage. Whether a buyer wants 1 box or 10 cases they have the chance to buy as much of a product as they want. Fanatics gets to sell every box immediately and gets on average the most they can out of each product to sell it all right away. Pretty simple so it most likely won't happen.

[bub838]

I don't think this means your local LCS is going to disappear. It means Fanatics is replacing the middle man and your LCS will just work with them. I really wouldn't be surprised if in bigger areas Fantatics just buys out the LCS.

Why not keep the physical location, use it to carry plenty of your product, have live breaks, people ripping their purchases in store, etc. Bring people out of their homes and make the hobby experiential.

As the poster above me mentioned, I hope they go with dutch auctions. They've already done it with the Zerocool releases. Do it for hobby releases too.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by bub838

I don't think this means your local LCS is going to disappear. It means Fanatics is replacing the middle man and your LCS will just work with them. I really wouldn't be surprised if in bigger areas Fantatics just buys out the LCS.

Why not keep the physical location, use it to carry plenty of your product, have live breaks, people ripping their purchases in store, etc. Bring people out of their homes and make the hobby experiential.

As the poster above me mentioned, I hope they go with dutch auctions. They've already done it with the Zerocool releases. Do it for hobby releases too.

Dutch auctions means all the people with money, ie breakers, will end up with all the wax. How does that help the hobby?

[wilsonsingles]

Originally Posted by Archangel1775

That’s not going to kill retail. I’m sure 99%of Lids are in malls. Not very many people go there and to some, it would be like pulling teeth. Either way, it would be hobby. The box stores will still get their retail exclusives and will do fine

problem with retail, is that all price points went up.
for example blasters now 29.99/34.99

now there are only a few retail products that are worth opening.

at my target and 4 walmarts, nothing ever made to the shelves from 2019-early 2022, now the shelves are overflowing.
nobody is buying retail here.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by kyle1707

I’m sure southern hobby and all sports marketing is next

There is a reason why the now previous owners of Southern sold off their company to an investment entity.

They see the writing on the wall, ie, the rats are jumping off the sinking ship.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Dutch auctions means all the people with money, ie breakers, will end up with all the wax. How does that help the hobby?

Not with reverse Dutch. The lowest bid is the closing price for all. It won't be like Panini where you have to guess when to buy in. If there are 1,000 cases available, the 1,000th case is the closing price. All you have to do is bid a million dollars or whatever ridiculous price you want and you'll still be locked in at the lowest. I think it will be great once they do it with sports.