There aren’t enough people collecting because the card companies are pricing their products so high that regular collectors can’t afford to collect cards anymore
Gone are the days of going to the LCS buying a box for 40 bucks, getting all the base cards of the players you want, bindering them up, and cherish them! I would be lying if I said I dont spend money like a dope, but it's for what I like not to flip. God has blessed me to be able to buy it, so I got back into the hobby for that nostalgic feeling again. And its crazy how miserable people are in a hobby they claim they have a passion for, but its some card show floor looks like a Tuesday Night in a casino! Once I start to chase cards for a buck, I am OUT! Unfortunately the road the hobby has taken is one of Caesars Palace, and not the Card Shop next to the Little Caesars
I've been checking out Pokemon cards recently, and I'm convinced it's MUCH closer to the experience adults had with sports cards once upon a time when they were kids. The packs aren't so expensive but you get tons of base cards, and generally speaking still have a chance to hit all the high-end, and most desirable cards in those same packs. You don't have to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy the next tier.
I’m actually glad the card shops are gone. Along with that entire generation. Their behavior was always that of a 13 year old trapped in the middle and elder aged men’s bodies. All of us that sell at shows treat young people so well. We knew what it was like getting treated terribly for all kinds of reasons by greedy old men. Anyone 55 and younger 100% know what I’m talking about.
I love collecting for the sake of collecting. But I always encounter people at the store who are just chasing. If I get inserts, great. If not, I’m happy with attractive base cards.
I’m one of the few in the demand bucket. However many of us that are collect niche items. These “high end” items coming out of new boxes/packs are just being sold and bought by flippers. Don’t buy boxes and don’t pay big $ for rookies. Most will tank and the ones that don’t..have all ready been priced for success. Long term collectors just wait and let it play out. Save a lot a money that way.
Great topic, sir. Many people are more fascinated with what the cards could represent versus what they mean to that individual. You mention Jayden Daniels: how many people asking about his cards genuinely want them in their collection because they like him or they are a fan of his team (either LSU or Commanders)? I'd guess very few compared to those who think he's the next big thing; they want to be "right" and make money off of his cards. You are right, this kind of behavior isn't new and it's more prevalent now than perhaps ever before in the world of apps like Whatnot or Loupe. What do you think it'll take, though, to shift back to collectors? You'd think after people (presumably) lost a ton on base 2019 Prizm NBA rookies, lost a ton on Zion and Ja, lost a ton on LaMelo, lost a ton on the 2020 QBs at various points, lost an unfathomable amount on the 2021 QBs, foolishly lost a ton on the terrible 2022 QBs, lost a ton on Wander Franco, lost a ton on the 2020 MLB rookie class, and most recently lost a ton on three of the big four 2023 QBs that something would change.
This may be your best take ever Neo. Like we had a beer last night and you heard everything I’ve been thinking and saying about our hobby for the last few years. Fanatics is transforming the hobby into gambling, all about the chase, and no longer about collecting. People get that big hit, and instead of appreciating it, they slap a price on it and it’s turned into greenbacks. Made worse by everybody looking at cards as a side hustle instead of a hobby. ..:I think this is why many long term collectors gravitate towards vintage…because the companies are printing into oblivion to meet the demand of the breakers and flippers, but NOT the end consumer.
This is fair. I have fallen victim to this as well. I heard someone mention their collection as "saving for retirement" and my first thought was, I'm not trying to hold on to these for 30 years??? That got me thinking?? Dang, I was doing this as a "sell within 2-3 years" type mentality. I had to pivot!! And re-prioritize my game plan!!!
Part of the problem is obviously the pricing, but I feel like another big problem not talked about is the doom and gloom that you tubers bring to the hobby. Everyone is talking about how this is the end of the hobby, when clearly it isn't. It didn't end in the 90s and it won't end now. Sure, we may be headed to a crash, but there will be a rise again. All these youtubers keep saying the same thing, that this is going to crash, but it's just so they get more clicks and it's scaring more people away. Anyways, I'm sorry for this long reply, I don't mean it poorly. It's just a trend I am seeing and tired of hearing about.
I'm with you brother! Fanatics is running off all the set builders and team set collectors to make nothing but a gambling product. For example I collected a Braves 2023 Allen a& Ginter set that cost me between 900 and a 1000 dollars last year. What happened to the 2024 product was chrome full size and mini was added and an additional filigree parallel. Just too much and have decided not to spend a single cent on my favorite card set from topps anymore. I will be happy to work toward finishing old sets and anything new, well screw'em.
I'm a collector. I don't think I've ever sold a card. Used to like to build sets but the price of boxes are ridiculous. I now collect players mostly of my Pittsburgh Pirates. I do buy into breaks with the hopes of hitting something better than I would spend on an individual card. I've had some luck but i recognize it as a form of gambling. I hit an orange Paul Skenes auto last year out of Bowman Draft. He's a phenomenal kid in all regards. Everything in my head says that I should sell this card particularly with him being a pitcher but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet. There aren't nearly as many of us but there are still some collectors out there.
It's bluntly impossible to check things off a list. As someone born in the 80s, I had a Bo Jackson collection where I almost had every licensed release until like 1992. Now there are more Bo cards in 2024 than he cumulatively had from his rookie year until retirement. I like to complete things. I like to have full runs. To me it's not worth even trying or dabbling unless I can have a reasonable shot at accomplishing something.
I think for a crash to commence there needs to be a big external force. I’m thinking a real economic recession. The economy has been roaring post-pandemic so that’s what’s driving this demand, people are flush with cash for this luxury activity. Whenever we hit a recession again (2-5 years?) all these people will be dumping their cards to pay their rent.
Another part of why the collecting side can be an uphill grind…… imagine historically, you collect an entire set (for argument’s sake, 100 cards), maybe you get it slabbed. You complete the set, you enjoy the set you’ve collected and eventually you sell ‘the set’. All 100 cards to one new ‘collector’. And what happens to the set ? Immediately gets broken up, tier-listed and sent back into the wild as fragments once again. 😢
It’s a lot like sports betting… you hit a parlay but regret not betting more.. and then it becomes a nasty cycle of just keeping your head above water due to greed from the almighty $
All the collectors do not collect Modern. Majority of collectors in the hobby collect actual sought after stuff that is hard to find or they collect super old vintage.Thats why 90s basketball inserts are soaring setting new all time comps every week rn. Bc it’s not junk and there are more ppl that want to own them than ppl that want to sell them. That type of situation makes card values go up ! So if you want cards that go up in value sorry to tell you that you need to be buying rare Kobe Jordan Shaq iverson etc etc 90s inserts and early 2000s gold refractors etc etc. it’s not rocket science it’s just basic economics.
To be an end user, you have to financially secure enough to hold onto cards and not be concerned about making money with them by reselling them. Most end users are 50-60 years old because we don't have to worry as much about taking financial care of our kids.
Agree 100% I dont know how many times I have thought, "Where are the collectors? The guys that actually want to own a card because they like it?" Instead it seems like everyone I see is just chasing the new hotness so they can flip it for a few extra bucks. I think it even causes values to unnaturally inflate because the demand from flippers is so great it drives the price up, not because the player is a great player or the card is rare. Its because its an easy flip. I started collecting the guys I like to watch play and most of them have super low prices, which makes ripping packs pointless because I can just pick them up about 6 months to a year after they come out for pennies.
It was never a hobby for kids lol it’s always been a scheme for adults to take advantage of kids. In the 90s… My 6th grade teacher made sure to teach me that lesson when he took advantage of trades with kids and that was back when Beckett was the source for card values.
Hey there, I'm not fully disagreeing with you, but when exactly was this hobby specifically for kids? You look back at those vintage cards and they were attached to cigarettes, you look back to videos of card shows from the 80s and early 90s and it's a bunch of middle agers walking around looking to make a deal. We may have caught the bug when we were kids, but as the audience ages the hobby has to change with it. Also, from the producer side, capitalism is a hell of a drug.
@@RainStryke Nah, it was more a hobby for kids once upon a time. In the mid '80s with hockey cards, none of the kids I hung out with ever talked about value or cared about protecting cards. We'd take them all over, play games with them, throw them against walls, and our trades were based on "got it/need it" not comps. Then around the early '90s things started to change with the Beckett guide. Then trades were based not only on got it/need it, but the price guide as well, so you'd have to make up the difference in values with money.
You’re soooo right! The video we all needed but no one talks about. I’m one of the dying breed who actually collects for the love of the hobby and sport. It’s my escape from life. I’m also quite proud of what I’ve done with my PC. Other than selling off 43 slabs to a repacker at the last Chantilly show I typically don’t sell anything I buy because I buy in cheap. Just because the market says an unproven rookie is valued at say $500 doesn’t mean you should. Learn to invest! Look at how a players career is headed toward. Is he a future HOFer? Don’t buy unlicensed crap (when a company hides team logos because they can’t show it on card). I also want a Daniels card, preferably an on card auto but it’s because I’m a redskins fan.
I haven't watched the video yet but what you wrote in the title is correct. However, this is nothing new so don't expect anything to change (i.e. massive crash). Wilson has a new video talking about cards losing 95% of their value. He seems surprised. It's not a crash; this is normal and has been going on for 35 years. That's how the modern card market works. Almost all modern loses 95% of it's value within 2 years after release.
Great perspective. I'm in between. I collect, but if it's something I don't want, I move on. But I stopped buying and selling because of the points you made.
What fanatics NEEDs to do, is market Team Collecting. The Celtics win the Chip, why would people not chase their starting 5 who are fans of the Team and simply want those? I’m a collector and reseller. But I collect my favorite teams and players HARD. And I want to hold those. I love watching Malik Monk from the Kings, bought his PSA 10 silver. I’ll hold it forever. We need more of this.
This is why new product prices are going up and up and up. The end user isn't getting the product, it's going to the breaker who sells to the reseller, who sells to another reseller, and another reseller and another reseller and maybe eventually it'll end up in the end user's hand, the collector. It's hard to call this a hobby any more.
I do buy 'em because I enjoy them. I buy only what I like, as in, I search for a card that I want in my collection for years - if not decades. I used to break boxes and some cases, back when HOFer on card autos were the norm in UD products but, since then, pretty much nearly nothing. Great video and topic.
Yeah, that is why I moved over to Pokemon and TCG cards. I love the community. People still love to collect and trade and people play the TCG games. I mean there’s people who do the same thing - buy, sell for profit or buy, grade and sell for profit but I think the sports card market is just to crazy and I’ll be honest, I’m priced out. $1,000 for a box of Topps versus a $129 for a box of Pokemon Stellar Crown.
A good way to gauge the current market is checking how many viewers the whatnot channels are getting. They have been plummeting in viewership. When theres only 200 peoples using the app it a sign the hobby is struggling. Theres more people at a small cards show.
Great video. It is a killer to the hobby for sure. I been spectating this hobby for a long time and the secondary market support for 99% of players is pathetic.
I remember that. The sets that would come out, 1 months later, all the subset cards would crash in $. All of a sudden no one bothered to buy the cards. There use to be alot of card stores here near Northridge/Reseda. They disappeared because of this situation
I had a gambling addiction for a dozen years, and in 2021 I got back into the hobby...FOR MONEY...to offset my gambling losses because of the market in cards. Football boxes are right where I went. Don't get me wrong, I made money to pay off the purchases. Also, I did enjoy rebuilding my collection. I realized there was a problem with the markets. I sold a Malik Willis 1/5 RPA for almost $900 on eBay...after that, I became a greedy, frustrated degenerate gambler. Just turning and burning boxes and despising the hobby I once loved if I didn't make money on my purchases. So I am here to say I was part of the problem for about a year until I sought help. Now, I enjoy the hobby within my means and I don't gamble for money or cards. Watching videos of breakers or individuals opening boxes and having that look of disgust or languish because they didn't get their money back, affirms the narrative of gambling/addiction. One should cherish the cards and what the hobby ought to represents.
Fanatics is going to nuke the hobby. As always, NEO, bravo. This is why we defended you so hard against Vintage Sports Hack's baseless nonsense. You are greatness.
I remember Neo made this exact video a year or two ago and since then I’ve been slowly getting away from sports and focusing more in TCG as they’re more likely into collecting for collecting sake than just looking for the next flip although that community has their share of flippers
Agreed. I've been checking out Pokemon the last few days and it reminds me more of what card collecting was as a kid. You have access to all the rare/chase cards right there in the regular base set packs. You don't have to spend tons of money to buy higher tier sets just to get access to the best cards. They're all right there in the regular packs. Plus some of those cards have beautiful art too.
Ya it’s tough. I’ve really focused into rare mo Vaughn and Troy o Leary stuff from the 90s , rare Miguel Vargas cards since Ive collected him since 2020 and like 4/5 ‘grail cards’. Then just have fun chasing the mo and Troy and Vargas stuff bc it isn’t expensive and it’s fun. Worry about value on every card is too exhausting.
Great information. Sounds like you’re saying there’s levels to this… Im a midcentury guy and still love the set collecting. But only if its 250 cards are less 🤣. I smile when I see the old heads at card shows with their hand written list of card numbers they’re searching for. I do have a few chase sets that I hope to grade/sell to get my fav players from 80s,90s. I do turn and burn cause I know there’s a market to help fund my passion.
I must admit, I did get caught up in the chase for a bit, but have re-evaluated what I was doing with all this insanity. I started collecting, and have reverted BACK to collecting what I really want. Way cheaper, and my walls are looking better with each slab or mag.
Thats exactly what I'm doing. I didn't want to participate during covid when prices were out of control. I wanted to get back to collecting my Eagles old and new players for PC only, no flipping. I spend anywhere from $2 to my most recent Hurts card at $511. Will slab with PSA but many of my cards will only be authenticated and slabbed for my PC showcase
I think most people would rather have the money then a big card, until prices come down people neee to pay rent rather then hold a machines rookie, you need expendable income to collect
I wanted to start collecting guys on my dynasty fantasy baseball team that I’ve had for 5+ years. I have the great fortune to have both Elly De La Cruz and Shohei Ohtani, the two hottest cards in baseball and collecting anything of note for them would cost half my paycheck. I almost feel guilty asking about them at card shows cause the dealers just see a rube that they want to shake down for top dollar
I agree with this man, I admit im like this too. I got brained wash into buying breaks chasing the $$ instead of actually buying singles of my fav players. I have to change my mindset I got into this hobby for collecting players I like instead of just collecting the hype and $$. I had a bad addiction to buying wax and it became out of control. Glad im starting to change and realize this before its too late!
I was just starting to dive back into researching for my mid-90s Jeter PC and it feels like pure collecting (calm, patient, slow and steady). An incredible change of pace to the hype cycle, next best product, next best player, FOMO. Appreciate you speaking your truth and allowing us to connect and relate.
This has been going on since the first inserts in the 90s. People can spend their money any way they want to does not mean you have to do the same thing. Buy singles or whatever cards you want to buy to flip, collect, trade or whatever.
The powers that be don’t give a fuck about collectors. They want to create gamblers and flippers who have no true interest in the cards, only transactions and dollar signs. There’s no product on the market today with a good ROI for the average joe.
I don't disagree with your take. A lot of people start out with the flipping and reselling mindset. After they fail or get lazy, they turn into a collector and end up liking what they got. At shows, I see mostly resellers and flippers. At card shops, and Target isles, I meet a lot of collectors you don't see anywhere else. The flippers you see over and over. The collector is not as visible but there are more than what you would expect. Especially in baseball. A lot more baseball collectors have "end user" mindset, than other sports.
"I met a guy through my TCG circles who was already scanning boxes of pokemon. He offered to scan my flawless boxes if I wanted. The price sounded fair so I went ahead and did 3 scans with him. He found some serial numbered cards out of /99 but no big hits, so ultimately I decided to not open them. He offered to buy the scanned but unopened boxes off me at 70% of sticker, which I felt was a fair price since I don't want to sell the boxes to someone who doesn't know that I scanned them."
@@alessandrorossi1294 Right, cause the guy that bought that box from you will be selling it online and won't call out that it has been scanned, and he'll make good money
Topps/Panini need to have redemption programs similar to Upper Deck where you're incentivized to collect a set and send it in for a reward. There's far too much vet base being printed; irregardless of retail release. If people were enticed to collect and effectively recycle their base cards (ex. redeem a full 2024 Score Football base set for a single base card #/999 to the first ~400,000 people to redeem), there'd be far less bloat then there currently is. Cards are too cheap to sell online individually and modern dealers aren't incentivized to set up 10 cent boxes at card shows when a display case of two-three dozen slabs is easier/more profitable. Also, there needs to be a shift in how collectors communicate value. There are more than enough years of data to show X player's rookie performance compares to Y player's past performance and what Y player's card values are worth. Rookies are 99.9% of the time overvalued; years beyond their rookie season. If a rookie RB, who's seemingly the best rookie RB, is doing the same numbers that Eddie Lacy or LenDale White or Jamaal Charles then their prices should equate to theirs.
Great video. I think we have it in Pokemon too, not nearly as bad, but headed down the same path. It's all just gambling. The inherent core product always was as you said. Just getting more degenerate.
Pokemon is a little different I think. The cards are less expensive and you can still get the rare/chase cards in regular packs. There are many sets, yes, but there aren't like 10 tiers of cards where you have spend $500-$1000 on a box just to have access to the rarer cards. They're all right there in the regular packs. Maybe that will evolve in the future, but that's the way I see it right now.
Heres an alternative take. Im a collector and a Bitcoiner. One of the reasons gambling is so rife at the moment is because our fiat currencies are devaluing so quickly thanks to the non stop money printing by governments worldwide. There is no premium put on our money. It constantly loses value. Therefore there is no incentive to hold or save your dollars, pesos etc. Bitcoin is the opposite. Hold your bitcoin long enough and its value continually appreciates. Remember, its Bitcoin not crypto haha
When you collect what you really like OR the players who are the upper echelon of their respective sports I am seeing continued huge demand for rare cards. Problem is, the younger age segment of the hobby is so focused on quick, unstable profits/cards they are getting burned. No one wants to just own the card for 2-5 years and hope to see appreciation in value. I do think there are alot more collectors in the hobby since Covid, but I also think that we got so caught up with quick flips and quick money.
The problem is that it’s too expensive and way too expensive to speculate on a players potential. Wemby is already priced like he’s the goat, it’s ridiculous
I’ve been slowly transitioning into the end user for the past year been trying to buy the 40-60 cards I plan on holding for the next decade plus. So buying less but also ripping and selling less
The problem is too many sets. Topps has 30 baseball sets per year. Cosmic, Sapphire, Chrome. They should focus on the flagship product only. So people know what to collect
Upper Deck is the same with hockey. It'd be so much better if they kept it to like 3-5 sets ranging from lower end to higher end. Quality over quantity.
Thank you Neo! I’ve been thinking about this for a while. What do we do with the commons and unwanted refractors, speckled/wave/ice/lava/holiday/patch/relic/foil/game used/numbered cards? And I’m just talking about Wander Franco cards. I kid. Do we donate them to the children of other countries?
Even for the cards that have low supply, it’s almost impossible to move them right now. I can have an awesome card listed on eBay for a great price, as well as being willing to negotiate, and the card gets little to no attention. This election really needs to be factored in because to me, there’s no reason why a lot of the cards I have listed don’t move or at the very least get some views. Also, I enjoy collecting JRod, Cal Raleigh, and George Kirby, as I’m a big Mariners fan. Their cards are all time cheap, making it possible to get awesome cards for the PC. Recently won a Kirby true rookie Independence Day PSA 10, numbered 17/76. Thought that was the coolest coincidence.
I’ve found listing .99 cent auction is the way to go in your case. I honestly think most people, myself included, only have saved auctions. Hell, I give up and list to auction and they sell higher than my BIN price for that reason. I think people are over ridiculous overpriced BIN listings and just avoid them.
TCG cards are already half the card market now and at the trajectory it’s been catching sports it will be well over half the card market very soon. Lots of collectors in both Pokemon and Magic the Gathering boosted by the fact the cards have utility and demand to actually play a game people enjoy. This extra element sports doesn’t have to create more “end users”
i love buying within my budget or over and it use not to be that way. my love for the hobby is about the cards it brings me joy, i feel i’m pretty lucky with buying a pack or box here and there. i’m not in it for money im in it to rip and find the holy grail card.
Kinda puts a smile on my face buying all the joe burrow cards at these low prices. Don’t feel bad one bit for the guys who paid 2k plus two years ago. It repeats itself over and over again just wait for the cards you want.
I think there are a lot of “end users.” I just don’t think the average end user is willing to pay the prices that the flippers have driven them up to, passing them between themselves.
There are a ton of collectors. There are not enough for high end $1000 plus cards to stay at these higher pricing. The sweet spot for collectors is $500 and less. The problem with people who cover the hobby focuses on 10% of the hobby. There are 10xs more set collectors than you are speaking of in this video.
First off, PSA killed the 2 nd card boom in our lifetime by shutting down in the middle, we're just in a raw shock of a ruined orgasm phase. Second vintage rules.😮😂😊
Think that comment is leaning towards comic books. They make certain books collectible, then later they create the same books but with a bit more sparkle. Some card sets are like this. First load is simple, then they make the next load the same but bit more sparkle which ruins the first load. They did this on comics, so I buy them less to none at all for that month
Every year there are more and more cards of these players. How many total Wemby rookie cards are out there? including base, parallel, inserts, auto's, variations etc ... etc .. ??? It's just oversaturation for the money grab. I still "collect" low pop All Timers, current and past for my Man-Cave. I no longer prospect or buy any sort of packs or boxes ... that was incredibly fun when I was a kid, but those days are gone.
Well when its a million people only collecting a few players across all sports its not much u can do.... 🤷🏾♂️ cj, wemby, puka,ohtoni, judge, kobe, jordan, mahomes, brady, curry, lebron, love, daniels, catlin, trout,skenes, josh allen, lamar jackson, calib, purdy other then that who else are people really buying 🤷🏾♂️
I love collecting cards the ones I want usually get bought quickly not big names Maurice jones drew 1/1s, on card autos or mutli autos with people I like but they try to post his stuff for 10x what it should sell for
This is the perfect opportunity for smart, long-term holders. Similar to buying a 3-year old used car, let the idiots take the 50% depreciation on the new car. Let the idiots take the hit on ripping wax, I'll buy the raw singles next season when prices have dropped in half. On another note...I wonder why Lootbox has switched content from ripping to hobby news...
Too many of us (myself included) bought way too much during the pandemic and wound up with piles of worthless cards. It’s a bit like the early 90’s when the hobby crashed hard. It’ll survive but Fanatics is going to have to rethink the path forward.
Card cycles have always been this way. It’s really no different than he stock market. The good cards of good/ great players hit a bottom and then go up. If anyone took your advice on Jordan’s in early 2000s, then they would’ve missed out on massive gains. Obviously not everyone is like Jordan. But essentially you’re talking about FOMO. It happens in everything, including TP during rough times. It sounds like you’re bitter. But price discovery is how we know what something is worth. If you like a player and card price goes down, then that’s a buying opportunity. Topps/ Fanatics wants to grow the market by 10%. What do you think is going to happen. Do you think NVDA is worth its current price 🤔😂. I don’t think so, but others do. It’s always supply vs demand. No matter the business, subject or really anything. So I hear your perspective and the doomsday clock may be ticking. But the market will tell us that. Imagine not buying Apple stock in 1990 cause of fear factor like you said. Time will tell.
And what’s wrong with everyone chasing? That’s better for collectors who just buy singles and will get stuff they want to collect for pennies on the dollar and other people can go on gambling. Everyone needs to just relax and stop worrying about what other people do and stay in your lane.
There aren’t enough people collecting because the card companies are pricing their products so high that regular collectors can’t afford to collect cards anymore
You don't need products.
Singles are cheap and that's the problem. Idiots buying boxes.
Gone are the days of going to the LCS buying a box for 40 bucks, getting all the base cards of the players you want, bindering them up, and cherish them! I would be lying if I said I dont spend money like a dope, but it's for what I like not to flip. God has blessed me to be able to buy it, so I got back into the hobby for that nostalgic feeling again. And its crazy how miserable people are in a hobby they claim they have a passion for, but its some card show floor looks like a Tuesday Night in a casino! Once I start to chase cards for a buck, I am OUT! Unfortunately the road the hobby has taken is one of Caesars Palace, and not the Card Shop next to the Little Caesars
I've been checking out Pokemon cards recently, and I'm convinced it's MUCH closer to the experience adults had with sports cards once upon a time when they were kids. The packs aren't so expensive but you get tons of base cards, and generally speaking still have a chance to hit all the high-end, and most desirable cards in those same packs. You don't have to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy the next tier.
I’m actually glad the card shops are gone. Along with that entire generation. Their behavior was always that of a 13 year old trapped in the middle and elder aged men’s bodies. All of us that sell at shows treat young people so well. We knew what it was like getting treated terribly for all kinds of reasons by greedy old men. Anyone 55 and younger 100% know what I’m talking about.
Simple. Stop buying into breaks and full price releases...drive the demand on retail/breaks down and theyll stop printing a million parallels....
Yes. Please!!
I love collecting for the sake of collecting. But I always encounter people at the store who are just chasing. If I get inserts, great. If not, I’m happy with attractive base cards.
I’m one of the few in the demand bucket. However many of us that are collect niche items. These “high end” items coming out of new boxes/packs are just being sold and bought by flippers. Don’t buy boxes and don’t pay big $ for rookies. Most will tank and the ones that don’t..have all ready been priced for success. Long term collectors just wait and let it play out. Save a lot a money that way.
Amen!!
Great topic, sir. Many people are more fascinated with what the cards could represent versus what they mean to that individual. You mention Jayden Daniels: how many people asking about his cards genuinely want them in their collection because they like him or they are a fan of his team (either LSU or Commanders)? I'd guess very few compared to those who think he's the next big thing; they want to be "right" and make money off of his cards.
You are right, this kind of behavior isn't new and it's more prevalent now than perhaps ever before in the world of apps like Whatnot or Loupe. What do you think it'll take, though, to shift back to collectors? You'd think after people (presumably) lost a ton on base 2019 Prizm NBA rookies, lost a ton on Zion and Ja, lost a ton on LaMelo, lost a ton on the 2020 QBs at various points, lost an unfathomable amount on the 2021 QBs, foolishly lost a ton on the terrible 2022 QBs, lost a ton on Wander Franco, lost a ton on the 2020 MLB rookie class, and most recently lost a ton on three of the big four 2023 QBs that something would change.
This may be your best take ever Neo. Like we had a beer last night and you heard everything I’ve been thinking and saying about our hobby for the last few years. Fanatics is transforming the hobby into gambling, all about the chase, and no longer about collecting. People get that big hit, and instead of appreciating it, they slap a price on it and it’s turned into greenbacks. Made worse by everybody looking at cards as a side hustle instead of a hobby. ..:I think this is why many long term collectors gravitate towards vintage…because the companies are printing into oblivion to meet the demand of the breakers and flippers, but NOT the end consumer.
That's not on fanatics it's on all the people paying outrageous prices for product. They're just doing what we allow them to do.
This is fair. I have fallen victim to this as well. I heard someone mention their collection as "saving for retirement" and my first thought was, I'm not trying to hold on to these for 30 years???
That got me thinking?? Dang, I was doing this as a "sell within 2-3 years" type mentality.
I had to pivot!! And re-prioritize my game plan!!!
A rainbow is near impossible in today's parallel to death market.
Bingo! The million dollar question seems to be “how can a new generation of collectors be built”?
Part of the problem is obviously the pricing, but I feel like another big problem not talked about is the doom and gloom that you tubers bring to the hobby. Everyone is talking about how this is the end of the hobby, when clearly it isn't. It didn't end in the 90s and it won't end now. Sure, we may be headed to a crash, but there will be a rise again. All these youtubers keep saying the same thing, that this is going to crash, but it's just so they get more clicks and it's scaring more people away. Anyways, I'm sorry for this long reply, I don't mean it poorly. It's just a trend I am seeing and tired of hearing about.
The price of the product is a huge factor, and what's inside the subsets
I'm with you brother! Fanatics is running off all the set builders and team set collectors to make nothing but a gambling product. For example I collected a Braves 2023 Allen a& Ginter set that cost me between 900 and a 1000 dollars last year. What happened to the 2024 product was chrome full size and mini was added and an additional filigree parallel. Just too much and have decided not to spend a single cent on my favorite card set from topps anymore. I will be happy to work toward finishing old sets and anything new, well screw'em.
I love "vintage" Allen & Ginter and have a few early sets as well. The artwork just seems to get a little bit worse with each passing year as well.
I have Messi cards i’m proud to own and will never sell…
I consider myself a true collector at heart and will enjoy owning them till my last days.
Messi, is that you?
@ can’t confirm but i can say that my ballon dor collection is nothing compared to sportscards.
I'm a collector. I don't think I've ever sold a card. Used to like to build sets but the price of boxes are ridiculous. I now collect players mostly of my Pittsburgh Pirates. I do buy into breaks with the hopes of hitting something better than I would spend on an individual card. I've had some luck but i recognize it as a form of gambling. I hit an orange Paul Skenes auto last year out of Bowman Draft. He's a phenomenal kid in all regards. Everything in my head says that I should sell this card particularly with him being a pitcher but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet. There aren't nearly as many of us but there are still some collectors out there.
Focus is on PLASTIC now, plastic with a 10 stamped on it,
the cardboard no longer actually matters.
Yeah the hobby is definitely looking transactional.
I don't do plastic! Cardboard is ok for me. Collector since 1998.
Incorrect. The cardboard matters and so does the number grade!
@@JaredR-l4j Ok Timmy, if you say so,
by pointing out the GRADE being important.
@@theboringchannel2027 Its much like a flawless MS 70 Morgan dollar of your favorite year no difference.
It's bluntly impossible to check things off a list. As someone born in the 80s, I had a Bo Jackson collection where I almost had every licensed release until like 1992. Now there are more Bo cards in 2024 than he cumulatively had from his rookie year until retirement. I like to complete things. I like to have full runs. To me it's not worth even trying or dabbling unless I can have a reasonable shot at accomplishing something.
Let the crash begin. Only then will I be able to go back to collecting the way I want.
I think for a crash to commence there needs to be a big external force. I’m thinking a real economic recession. The economy has been roaring post-pandemic so that’s what’s driving this demand, people are flush with cash for this luxury activity. Whenever we hit a recession again (2-5 years?) all these people will be dumping their cards to pay their rent.
Another part of why the collecting side can be an uphill grind…… imagine historically, you collect an entire set (for argument’s sake, 100 cards), maybe you get it slabbed. You complete the set, you enjoy the set you’ve collected and eventually you sell ‘the set’. All 100 cards to one new ‘collector’.
And what happens to the set ?
Immediately gets broken up, tier-listed and sent back into the wild as fragments once again. 😢
I have collected thousands of cards and plan on continuing. Collectors need to rule again!
Sitting here passing out candy to kids and I can’t believe how many little kids are dressed up as Paul Skenes!
It’s a lot like sports betting… you hit a parlay but regret not betting more.. and then it becomes a nasty cycle of just keeping your head above water due to greed from the almighty $
All the collectors do not collect Modern. Majority of collectors in the hobby collect actual sought after stuff that is hard to find or they collect super old vintage.Thats why 90s basketball inserts are soaring setting new all time comps every week rn. Bc it’s not junk and there are more ppl that want to own them than ppl that want to sell them. That type of situation makes card values go up ! So if you want cards that go up in value sorry to tell you that you need to be buying rare Kobe Jordan Shaq iverson etc etc 90s inserts and early 2000s gold refractors etc etc. it’s not rocket science it’s just basic economics.
once the pile of cards gets so big it becomes a mental issue like horders
To be an end user, you have to financially secure enough to hold onto cards and not be concerned about making money with them by reselling them. Most end users are 50-60 years old because we don't have to worry as much about taking financial care of our kids.
Agree 100% I dont know how many times I have thought, "Where are the collectors? The guys that actually want to own a card because they like it?" Instead it seems like everyone I see is just chasing the new hotness so they can flip it for a few extra bucks. I think it even causes values to unnaturally inflate because the demand from flippers is so great it drives the price up, not because the player is a great player or the card is rare. Its because its an easy flip. I started collecting the guys I like to watch play and most of them have super low prices, which makes ripping packs pointless because I can just pick them up about 6 months to a year after they come out for pennies.
This WAS a hobby for kids. CHILDREN can't collect. We are teaching them to gamble. Everyone's eyes are green now. Bunch of adults with green eyes
It was never a hobby for kids lol it’s always been a scheme for adults to take advantage of kids. In the 90s… My 6th grade teacher made sure to teach me that lesson when he took advantage of trades with kids and that was back when Beckett was the source for card values.
Hey there, I'm not fully disagreeing with you, but when exactly was this hobby specifically for kids? You look back at those vintage cards and they were attached to cigarettes, you look back to videos of card shows from the 80s and early 90s and it's a bunch of middle agers walking around looking to make a deal. We may have caught the bug when we were kids, but as the audience ages the hobby has to change with it. Also, from the producer side, capitalism is a hell of a drug.
@@RainStryke Never looked at it that way. Makes more sense.
Actually it started with cigarettes
@@RainStryke Nah, it was more a hobby for kids once upon a time. In the mid '80s with hockey cards, none of the kids I hung out with ever talked about value or cared about protecting cards. We'd take them all over, play games with them, throw them against walls, and our trades were based on "got it/need it" not comps. Then around the early '90s things started to change with the Beckett guide. Then trades were based not only on got it/need it, but the price guide as well, so you'd have to make up the difference in values with money.
This video just earned you another subscriber. Keep speaking the truth (shout out to your compadre SCD).
You’re soooo right! The video we all needed but no one talks about. I’m one of the dying breed who actually collects for the love of the hobby and sport. It’s my escape from life. I’m also quite proud of what I’ve done with my PC. Other than selling off 43 slabs to a repacker at the last Chantilly show I typically don’t sell anything I buy because I buy in cheap. Just because the market says an unproven rookie is valued at say $500 doesn’t mean you should. Learn to invest! Look at how a players career is headed toward. Is he a future HOFer? Don’t buy unlicensed crap (when a company hides team logos because they can’t show it on card). I also want a Daniels card, preferably an on card auto but it’s because I’m a redskins fan.
Here's what I've learned. Open packs is fun. Actually owning the cards and selling them. Not so much.
This sounds like the formula ALL companies use to succeed. Behind every great empire lies a great crime.
I haven't watched the video yet but what you wrote in the title is correct. However, this is nothing new so don't expect anything to change (i.e. massive crash). Wilson has a new video talking about cards losing 95% of their value. He seems surprised. It's not a crash; this is normal and has been going on for 35 years. That's how the modern card market works. Almost all modern loses 95% of it's value within 2 years after release.
I didn’t leave the hobby the hobby left me. Who can afford to be a casual ripper anymore.
Great perspective. I'm in between. I collect, but if it's something I don't want, I move on. But I stopped buying and selling because of the points you made.
What fanatics NEEDs to do, is market Team Collecting. The Celtics win the Chip, why would people not chase their starting 5 who are fans of the Team and simply want those?
I’m a collector and reseller. But I collect my favorite teams and players HARD. And I want to hold those. I love watching Malik Monk from the Kings, bought his PSA 10 silver. I’ll hold it forever. We need more of this.
This is why new product prices are going up and up and up. The end user isn't getting the product, it's going to the breaker who sells to the reseller, who sells to another reseller, and another reseller and another reseller and maybe eventually it'll end up in the end user's hand, the collector. It's hard to call this a hobby any more.
Great vid. I've never felt I got burned on buying vintage. Quit chasing and buy the card for the card.
I do buy 'em because I enjoy them. I buy only what I like, as in, I search for a card that I want in my collection for years - if not decades. I used to break boxes and some cases, back when HOFer on card autos were the norm in UD products but, since then, pretty much nearly nothing. Great video and topic.
Very well said ..most people's end game is an unknown quantity
its lame to have cards unless you very very rich then its impressively cool
Yeah, that is why I moved over to Pokemon and TCG cards. I love the community. People still love to collect and trade and people play the TCG games. I mean there’s people who do the same thing - buy, sell for profit or buy, grade and sell for profit but I think the sports card market is just to crazy and I’ll be honest, I’m priced out. $1,000 for a box of Topps versus a $129 for a box of Pokemon Stellar Crown.
A good way to gauge the current market is checking how many viewers the whatnot channels are getting. They have been plummeting in viewership. When theres only 200 peoples using the app it a sign the hobby is struggling. Theres more people at a small cards show.
Great video. It is a killer to the hobby for sure. I been spectating this hobby for a long time and the secondary market support for 99% of players is pathetic.
You're 100% right. Greedy worms did this in the early 90's and killed the business for a quick buck. Looks like they are at it again.
I remember that. The sets that would come out, 1 months later, all the subset cards would crash in $. All of a sudden no one bothered to buy the cards. There use to be alot of card stores here near Northridge/Reseda. They disappeared because of this situation
Gave a video like. Flippers will come and flippers will go. Collectors will keep on collecting.
I had a gambling addiction for a dozen years, and in 2021 I got back into the hobby...FOR MONEY...to offset my gambling losses because of the market in cards. Football boxes are right where I went. Don't get me wrong, I made money to pay off the purchases. Also, I did enjoy rebuilding my collection. I realized there was a problem with the markets. I sold a Malik Willis 1/5 RPA for almost $900 on eBay...after that, I became a greedy, frustrated degenerate gambler. Just turning and burning boxes and despising the hobby I once loved if I didn't make money on my purchases. So I am here to say I was part of the problem for about a year until I sought help. Now, I enjoy the hobby within my means and I don't gamble for money or cards. Watching videos of breakers or individuals opening boxes and having that look of disgust or languish because they didn't get their money back, affirms the narrative of gambling/addiction. One should cherish the cards and what the hobby ought to represents.
You’re absolutely correct. You really know your stuff
Fanatics is going to nuke the hobby. As always, NEO, bravo. This is why we defended you so hard against Vintage Sports Hack's baseless nonsense. You are greatness.
the Vintage Sports shack guy is a windsock
@ 💯
I remember Neo made this exact video a year or two ago and since then I’ve been slowly getting away from sports and focusing more in TCG as they’re more likely into collecting for collecting sake than just looking for the next flip although that community has their share of flippers
Agreed. I've been checking out Pokemon the last few days and it reminds me more of what card collecting was as a kid. You have access to all the rare/chase cards right there in the regular base set packs. You don't have to spend tons of money to buy higher tier sets just to get access to the best cards. They're all right there in the regular packs. Plus some of those cards have beautiful art too.
@ Yeah, the day the TCG ever releases hobby boxes and/or serialized cards is the day I’ll consider getting away from the TCG
@@Hbrixx Lol.
No one wants to hold this stuff physically, so it’s basically become NFT trading. We are all just trading pictures of PSA 10s.
Ya it’s tough. I’ve really focused into rare mo Vaughn and Troy o Leary stuff from the 90s , rare Miguel Vargas cards since Ive collected him since 2020 and like 4/5 ‘grail cards’. Then just have fun chasing the mo and Troy and Vargas stuff bc it isn’t expensive and it’s fun. Worry about value on every card is too exhausting.
Great information. Sounds like you’re saying there’s levels to this… Im a midcentury guy and still love the set collecting. But only if its 250 cards are less 🤣. I smile when I see the old heads at card shows with their hand written list of card numbers they’re searching for. I do have a few chase sets that I hope to grade/sell to get my fav players from 80s,90s. I do turn and burn cause I know there’s a market to help fund my passion.
I must admit, I did get caught up in the chase for a bit, but have re-evaluated what I was doing with all this insanity. I started collecting, and have reverted BACK to collecting what I really want. Way cheaper, and my walls are looking better with each slab or mag.
Thats exactly what I'm doing. I didn't want to participate during covid when prices were out of control. I wanted to get back to collecting my Eagles old and new players for PC only, no flipping. I spend anywhere from $2 to my most recent Hurts card at $511. Will slab with PSA but many of my cards will only be authenticated and slabbed for my PC showcase
Shhhh, you're not supposed to say facts out loud. Fanatics ban incoming.
I think most people would rather have the money then a big card, until prices come down people neee to pay rent rather then hold a machines rookie, you need expendable income to collect
I wanted to start collecting guys on my dynasty fantasy baseball team that I’ve had for 5+ years. I have the great fortune to have both Elly De La Cruz and Shohei Ohtani, the two hottest cards in baseball and collecting anything of note for them would cost half my paycheck. I almost feel guilty asking about them at card shows cause the dealers just see a rube that they want to shake down for top dollar
I agree with this man, I admit im like this too. I got brained wash into buying breaks chasing the $$ instead of actually buying singles of my fav players. I have to change my mindset I got into this hobby for collecting players I like instead of just collecting the hype and $$. I had a bad addiction to buying wax and it became out of control. Glad im starting to change and realize this before its too late!
This is such an interesting topic. It's an entire rabbit hole.
I was just starting to dive back into researching for my mid-90s Jeter PC and it feels like pure collecting (calm, patient, slow and steady). An incredible change of pace to the hype cycle, next best product, next best player, FOMO. Appreciate you speaking your truth and allowing us to connect and relate.
Maybe this is your calling back into Manny Ramirez PC?
This has been going on since the first inserts in the 90s. People can spend their money any way they want to does not mean you have to do the same thing. Buy singles or whatever cards you want to buy to flip, collect, trade or whatever.
The powers that be don’t give a fuck about collectors. They want to create gamblers and flippers who have no true interest in the cards, only transactions and dollar signs. There’s no product on the market today with a good ROI for the average joe.
Very well spoken my brother 👍
I do. I love everything about sports cards.
I don't disagree with your take. A lot of people start out with the flipping and reselling mindset. After they fail or get lazy, they turn into a collector and end up liking what they got. At shows, I see mostly resellers and flippers. At card shops, and Target isles, I meet a lot of collectors you don't see anywhere else. The flippers you see over and over. The collector is not as visible but there are more than what you would expect. Especially in baseball. A lot more baseball collectors have "end user" mindset, than other sports.
Ct scan is the death of hobby. Everyone and there mom is scanning boxes
"I met a guy through my TCG circles who was already scanning boxes of pokemon. He offered to scan my flawless boxes if I wanted. The price sounded fair so I went ahead and did 3 scans with him. He found some serial numbered cards out of /99 but no big hits, so ultimately I decided to not open them. He offered to buy the scanned but unopened boxes off me at 70% of sticker, which I felt was a fair price since I don't want to sell the boxes to someone who doesn't know that I scanned them."
@@alessandrorossi1294 Right, cause the guy that bought that box from you will be selling it online and won't call out that it has been scanned, and he'll make good money
Topps/Panini need to have redemption programs similar to Upper Deck where you're incentivized to collect a set and send it in for a reward. There's far too much vet base being printed; irregardless of retail release. If people were enticed to collect and effectively recycle their base cards (ex. redeem a full 2024 Score Football base set for a single base card #/999 to the first ~400,000 people to redeem), there'd be far less bloat then there currently is. Cards are too cheap to sell online individually and modern dealers aren't incentivized to set up 10 cent boxes at card shows when a display case of two-three dozen slabs is easier/more profitable.
Also, there needs to be a shift in how collectors communicate value. There are more than enough years of data to show X player's rookie performance compares to Y player's past performance and what Y player's card values are worth. Rookies are 99.9% of the time overvalued; years beyond their rookie season. If a rookie RB, who's seemingly the best rookie RB, is doing the same numbers that Eddie Lacy or LenDale White or Jamaal Charles then their prices should equate to theirs.
Great video. I think we have it in Pokemon too, not nearly as bad, but headed down the same path. It's all just gambling. The inherent core product always was as you said. Just getting more degenerate.
It's all just dressed up gambling and the camouflage gets thinner and thinner
Pokemon is a little different I think. The cards are less expensive and you can still get the rare/chase cards in regular packs. There are many sets, yes, but there aren't like 10 tiers of cards where you have spend $500-$1000 on a box just to have access to the rarer cards. They're all right there in the regular packs. Maybe that will evolve in the future, but that's the way I see it right now.
Heres an alternative take. Im a collector and a Bitcoiner. One of the reasons gambling is so rife at the moment is because our fiat currencies are devaluing so quickly thanks to the non stop money printing by governments worldwide. There is no premium put on our money. It constantly loses value. Therefore there is no incentive to hold or save your dollars, pesos etc.
Bitcoin is the opposite. Hold your bitcoin long enough and its value continually appreciates. Remember, its Bitcoin not crypto haha
That's not correct, crypto is not really regulated
@garygordon3075 read again. I specifically said bitcoin, not crypto.
Neo this semi epiphany of yours is something one should have known YEARS ago
Nailed it, great take. IMO in 20 years this era will be looked at as worse than the junk wax era
Def worse. The junk wax were was cheap and worthless. This era is expensive and worthless
When you collect what you really like OR the players who are the upper echelon of their respective sports I am seeing continued huge demand for rare cards. Problem is, the younger age segment of the hobby is so focused on quick, unstable profits/cards they are getting burned. No one wants to just own the card for 2-5 years and hope to see appreciation in value. I do think there are alot more collectors in the hobby since Covid, but I also think that we got so caught up with quick flips and quick money.
The problem is that it’s too expensive and way too expensive to speculate on a players potential. Wemby is already priced like he’s the goat, it’s ridiculous
I’ve been slowly transitioning into the end user for the past year been trying to buy the 40-60 cards I plan on holding for the next decade plus. So buying less but also ripping and selling less
Yup absolutely right...no one wants to hold.
The problem is too many sets. Topps has 30 baseball sets per year. Cosmic, Sapphire, Chrome. They should focus on the flagship product only. So people know what to collect
Upper Deck is the same with hockey. It'd be so much better if they kept it to like 3-5 sets ranging from lower end to higher end. Quality over quantity.
Probably a good move not having COMC as this video's sponsor lol.
Thank you Neo! I’ve been thinking about this for a while. What do we do with the commons and unwanted refractors, speckled/wave/ice/lava/holiday/patch/relic/foil/game used/numbered cards? And I’m just talking about Wander Franco cards. I kid. Do we donate them to the children of other countries?
Hopefully card collecting is great again. I am enjoying the Marvel Cards at the moment. It’s all I can afford at this time.
So true all about money flip
Even for the cards that have low supply, it’s almost impossible to move them right now. I can have an awesome card listed on eBay for a great price, as well as being willing to negotiate, and the card gets little to no attention. This election really needs to be factored in because to me, there’s no reason why a lot of the cards I have listed don’t move or at the very least get some views.
Also, I enjoy collecting JRod, Cal Raleigh, and George Kirby, as I’m a big Mariners fan. Their cards are all time cheap, making it possible to get awesome cards for the PC. Recently won a Kirby true rookie Independence Day PSA 10, numbered 17/76. Thought that was the coolest coincidence.
I’ve found listing .99 cent auction is the way to go in your case. I honestly think most people, myself included, only have saved auctions. Hell, I give up and list to auction and they sell higher than my BIN price for that reason. I think people are over ridiculous overpriced BIN listings and just avoid them.
I’ve been observing this for about a year. As a collector I’m able to get cool cards for $1 so not a bad thing for me. I refuse to open wax
TCG cards are already half the card market now and at the trajectory it’s been catching sports it will be well over half the card market very soon.
Lots of collectors in both Pokemon and Magic the Gathering boosted by the fact the cards have utility and demand to actually play a game people enjoy.
This extra element sports doesn’t have to create more “end users”
i love buying within my budget or over and it use not to be that way. my love for the hobby is about the cards it brings me joy, i feel i’m pretty lucky with buying a pack or box here and there. i’m not in it for money im in it to rip and find the holy grail card.
Kinda puts a smile on my face buying all the joe burrow cards at these low prices. Don’t feel bad one bit for the guys who paid 2k plus two years ago. It repeats itself over and over again just wait for the cards you want.
Big facts!!!!💯
I think there are a lot of “end users.” I just don’t think the average end user is willing to pay the prices that the flippers have driven them up to, passing them between themselves.
Also hard to make a rainbow any more when there’s 55 parallels of a card.
Important discussion. Chasing the gamble just burns collectors.
There are a ton of collectors. There are not enough for high end $1000 plus cards to stay at these higher pricing. The sweet spot for collectors is $500 and less. The problem with people who cover the hobby focuses on 10% of the hobby. There are 10xs more set collectors than you are speaking of in this video.
First off, PSA killed the 2 nd card boom in our lifetime by shutting down in the middle, we're just in a raw shock of a ruined orgasm phase. Second vintage rules.😮😂😊
Think that comment is leaning towards comic books. They make certain books collectible, then later they create the same books but with a bit more sparkle. Some card sets are like this. First load is simple, then they make the next load the same but bit more sparkle which ruins the first load. They did this on comics, so I buy them less to none at all for that month
Every year there are more and more cards of these players. How many total Wemby rookie cards are out there? including base, parallel, inserts, auto's, variations etc ... etc .. ??? It's just oversaturation for the money grab. I still "collect" low pop All Timers, current and past for my Man-Cave. I no longer prospect or buy any sort of packs or boxes ... that was incredibly fun when I was a kid, but those days are gone.
A lot of this is because they the prices of MSRP to double or even 2 and 1/2 times to regular price
Well when its a million people only collecting a few players across all sports its not much u can do.... 🤷🏾♂️ cj, wemby, puka,ohtoni, judge, kobe, jordan, mahomes, brady, curry, lebron, love, daniels, catlin, trout,skenes, josh allen, lamar jackson, calib, purdy other then that who else are people really buying 🤷🏾♂️
Buyers market!
I love collecting cards the ones I want usually get bought quickly not big names Maurice jones drew 1/1s, on card autos or mutli autos with people I like but they try to post his stuff for 10x what it should sell for
When Michael Rubin said he wanted to 10x the hobby, what he really meant was he wanted to 10x his profits but not the collector base
This is the perfect opportunity for smart, long-term holders. Similar to buying a 3-year old used car, let the idiots take the 50% depreciation on the new car. Let the idiots take the hit on ripping wax, I'll buy the raw singles next season when prices have dropped in half. On another note...I wonder why Lootbox has switched content from ripping to hobby news...
Too many of us (myself included) bought way too much during the pandemic and wound up with piles of worthless cards. It’s a bit like the early 90’s when the hobby crashed hard. It’ll survive but Fanatics is going to have to rethink the path forward.
Same happened to me. If I just invested that in stock I could probably retire now
Really sad, but this video is soooooo true.
Card cycles have always been this way. It’s really no different than he stock market. The good cards of good/ great players hit a bottom and then go up. If anyone took your advice on Jordan’s in early 2000s, then they would’ve missed out on massive gains. Obviously not everyone is like Jordan. But essentially you’re talking about FOMO. It happens in everything, including TP during rough times. It sounds like you’re bitter. But price discovery is how we know what something is worth. If you like a player and card price goes down, then that’s a buying opportunity. Topps/ Fanatics wants to grow the market by 10%. What do you think is going to happen. Do you think NVDA is worth its current price 🤔😂. I don’t think so, but others do. It’s always supply vs demand. No matter the business, subject or really anything.
So I hear your perspective and the doomsday clock may be ticking. But the market will tell us that. Imagine not buying Apple stock in 1990 cause of fear factor like you said. Time will tell.
Vintage is where the majority of collectors live.
Nope
And what’s wrong with everyone chasing? That’s better for collectors who just buy singles and will get stuff they want to collect for pennies on the dollar and other people can go on gambling. Everyone needs to just relax and stop worrying about what other people do and stay in your lane.
Everyone's chasing the same players which causes the prices to artificially inflate. How do you think singles hit the market
I don't own hardly no any sports cards... maybe some very rare UFC cards like jon jones but that is about it. LOL