and the same bull-sh*t, just a different year - some things never change.....

Feb 05, 2009 1:23 pm
"DAMN!! - I missed another manufacturers tele-conference...how do I keep missing those things...oh, that's right I don't kiss ass and suck d*ck ...seems we're in for a round of "shilly" weather, as everybody is now an "insider" - only about 48 hours behind everybody else...a couple of these guys are gonna get whiplash - switching from DLP to UD back to DLP depending on the latest press release or phone call....
Speaking of shills and insiders - I've gotten maybe 30 emails since last night offering me a special $100 discount on the "Retailers Conference"...hopefully I'm not the only one getting bombarded with these...still way the hell too high and still no word on attendees or the "retailing leaders" that will be involved in the panel discussion - scary that none of that information has been released yet...I have however heard a list of names - even scarier if true - if this list is the actual hand-picked shills - err, I meant dealers, then the manufacturers various agendas will be well represented...and lip-service will be flowing everywhere...actually, a couple of the guys involved could come out of the closet right now...but that would spoil the surprise..."

another observation from 2009 - this time about dumpers at major shows with UD products...the last line is particularly funny - maybe MLB was watching....

Mar 25, 2009 10:56 pm
"Sure, why not...you can also blame me for the two major "players" at the Sun-Times show last weekend beating each other up to see who could dump 2009 UD Hobby Baseball the cheapest...wound up in the $39-$40 range on Sunday...nice when Andy can walk in there and pick it up for damn near $20 a box less than the sells on here...really good to see that UD's 20th Anniversary Celebration continues their fine tradition of turning a blind-eye to their dumper buddies - blind eye my ass...in any other industry it would be called what it is - a fencing operation..."Upper Deck - Hate 'em or Swallow"...excuse me if I prefer to hate 'em....makes me wonder how much UD is "helping" to inflate their prices on here...wouldn't take much to convince a $40 buyer to become a $50 buyer - if UD was fronting the other $10 per box...every UD shill is costing every legitimate dealer money - in lost sales and inflated costs...as I've said before - I'll be glad when these Mother F*ckers are gone....
and anybody that wants to can feel free to C&P this and send it over to the MLB(PA) for their consideration before handing out the license(s) later on this year... "

Some observations on the 2009 sportscard dealer conference...some things never change, do they?....

Apr 02, 2009 10:48 pm
"Well, this industry has now reached a point where if you're honest enough to not accept a bribe of a scholarship to the Krause conference in exchange for your silence on issues affecting us all - then you pay the price by having "them" drag your family into the situation...I hope Krause is proud, I hope UD is proud and I hope everyone involved in this backhanded threat is proud...it didn't work this time and it won't work the next time either...as I've said before, anyone that associates themselves with Krause, with UD, with the conference and with these smug, smarmy extortionists only serves to validate their agendas, their business practices and their complete and total lack of ethics...brave guys, bringing a man's wife and kid into the fight...is that really all they've got left?...is UD really so desperate that they have to stoop so low? (that's a rhetorical question - we all know how desperate UD is and how low they're capable of stooping)...is Krause really in such a panic to fill seats at the conference that they have their staff members orchastrating these types of attacks on honest dealers (again a rhetorical question as we're all aware of what Krause is capable of)...whether you're a vocal participant in these forums or a casual viewer, we should all be very, very ashamed to say that we're part of an industry that continues to allow these types of participants and this type of behavior...you can either speak out and condemn this or sit back and accept it...next time they may be gunning for you...."

some thoughts on an "Industry Wishlist" from early in 2009:

Fri Feb 13, 2009 4:02 pm
"I thought, since the powers-that-be seem to be a little more receptive (or at least sensitive) to what we're thinking nowadays that I would start a board that would consolidate alot of the smaller (but still important) things that could stand some changing within the industry...we have the dumping board - and that certainly got their attention...this would be for the kind of things that make you shake your head and ask "Why do they do this?"...for example...
Conventional Shaped Display Boxes - WTF is up with Topps Finest? - Tri-Angles don't display well - Space wise the packaging is wasteful both for display and shipping purposes - come on - "Why do they do this?"
Industry Publications That Are Nothing But Ads For Our Competition - You don't see McDonalds handing out ads for Burger King, and you don't see Target handing out the latest Wal-Mart flyer...but in this industry, we're expected to support our competitors by carrying Beckett and Tuff Stuff, each containing so much advertisng that if you started to tear the ads out, you would wind up with...well, nothing...at the very least, how about a "Hobby" version of those rags - God knows were expected to pay far more than the subscriptions rates for this stuff...how about a "newstand" version (with all the ads) and a "Hobby" version (adless) - something we could actually sell without slitting our own wrists...I know print is dead in this industry - but part of the reason is most of us aren't crazy enough to carry a rag full of dumper ads..."

Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:52 pm
"How about a "Card Czar"? - The league(s) appoint one guy to look for abuses within the properties division - but specifically for cards...now that the leagues have finally caught on to the abuses, have them pull 1 attorney out of the properties division and have him be the guy that calls eBay and says "Hi, I represent MLB properties division and we will be coming over to talk to you about 'Captain Collect'...have your eBay and PayPal records ready as we'll be contacting our 'friends' at IRS and the DOJ for possible theft and misappropriation of MLB property"
Sounds like a plan to me..."

Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:25 pm
"Dump "sticker" autos - the same sticker going on a basic auto that goes on a one of one is just plain wrong - the customers are starting to ask "are the autos on stickers"?...that's a sure sign that it's time to move on....
as to redemptions - I'll ask what I've asked before - has anyone ever seen a redemption come out of a "retail" or "blaster" box?...to the best of my knowledge, the answer is no...one more - early releasing to the big-box stores...the excuse always is - "They need to get it early - to process it - 'cause they've got so many stores"...apparently not, they get it early to put it on the shelves early...any major big box that gets it into a regional distribution center, can have it to every store in the region within 24 hours...I know it, they know it and so do the manfacturers....and product release dates - everybody will be releasing less products this year - hit your dates and space your product - no more dump releases on Christmas Eve....lesson learned from "Mayo" - fraud is fraud - I hope more than a few dealers got hold of their CC companies to file complaints on this one - that should be our SOP from now on - change the content, face the wrath of the CC companies....also, a return to "X-Outs"...let's keep this returned product within the dealer community...annouce it and sell it to us - not to some jobber that'll dump it into every dollar store in the country...and, as a kicker - group rates on health and business insurance..."

Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:02 pm
"I'm still all for "a signing day" - one day for each league - during camp, when all the stuff that needs to get signed, gets signed...no more excuses about chasing around after some BuFu POS that can't be bothered to fulfill a contract...."

Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:50 am
"I wish the industry had a trade publication free from manufacturers influence...that might be one of few benefits still possible for any "dealer organization" - even a regional one - even in the form of a monthly newsletter or quarterly gazette...I think as long as you see manufacturers putting the bill for ads, the "happy time news" concept will continue...you would think, as large as even this contracting market is, that there would be something out there, but there isn't...with the Brill Report gone (possible forever now), there really isn't anyone out there asking hard questions - and it seemed pretty obvious that even Bob's attempts to get answers were being met by a lot of slammed doors and disconneted calls.....
It's unfortunate, but probably alot of this will go to the on-line underground...Rich Johnston in the comics industry and a couple of guys popping up in the card industry...that's unfortunate...since the shadowy aspect of their approach tends to undermine their message...a nice clean open publication, maybe supported by business card ads would be a breath of fresh air in this industry...."

and Episode 3 - The Morning After the Morning After and the continuation of the steady stream of transients that couldn't get their stuff sold at "The Big Show"....

Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:25 pm
"Day 2 of the week after "The National"...best summed up by the bada-bing that just left, who asked "Why is that Mickey Mantle youse got in the showcase over there worth any more than this Ryan Dempster card I've got?"...he then went on to explain in great detail how he had been buying up huge "collections" of cards (at auction) for several years...and how he had stuff that went as far back as the late 1980's - no sets, none of them "Rockie" (I'm assuming he meant "Rookie" cards and I'm assuming he has no Bullwinkle cards either), no hall-of-famers, no stars...and now he wanted to sell, and since I was a dealer, I had to buy his stuff...another one of those that didn't listen to a damn thing I said, repeating his same questions over and over and over again, wanting to know how I could walk away from him to answer the phone, buy scrap gold, ring up somebody or whatever...he got more and more frustrated with the fact that the crap he bought at auctions wasn't anything that I was going to make him rich with...then he got realllly sarcastic (sarcasm always works so well on me)..."What youse is saying is my stuff ain't worth sh*t and that your sh*t don't stink and what I should do is just drop off a truckload of my stuff in front of your store and give it to youse for nuttin'"..."No, I didn't say that at all...as a matter of fact, my sh*t does stink, just nowheres near as bad as your "collection"...and if you were to drop off a truckload of your "stuff" in front of my store, I'd have you arrested for littering...the reason you were able to buy all this crap at auction was that nobody else wanted it...no store wanted it, nobody at a show wanted it and nobody on the whole freakin' planet of eBay wanted it...if you hadn't bought it, it would be clogging up a landfill somewhere...and chances are, half the stuff you own is crap I've thrown away that got salvaged at the landfill by the guy running the auctions where you bought your sh*t...any other questions?"...apparently not, as that finally shut him the f*ck up and he left...leaving a couple of whales laughing their asses off and a half-dozen carp hauling crap wondering whether or not they should approach me with their "collections"...sort of made me feel like the pawn-broker from "Scrooge"..."I'll give you $2 for this crate of swill and you're lucky that you're catching me in such a generous mood."...bought alot of $2 crates of swill today...it'll magically go from swill to swell overnight though, 'cause that's what we dealers do...turn crap into gold...gonna spend the rest of the night squeezing boxes of '91-'92 Score Hockey until they turn into diamonds...tomorrow I'm gonna dig me a really deep tiger pit out in the parking lot - fill it with sharp, pointy sticks that I've pissed all over, cover it over with a rug and hang a "Paying big money for sportscards from the 1980's and 1990's" sign over the rug...I can see the cops now..."Whatcha doing Glen?"..."Staring out the window looking at all the idiots falling into the pit"..."Pit's damn near full, whatcha gonna do then?"..."Dig me another pit"

Episode 2 - The Morning After the 2008 National Sportscard show - when everyone that had shoved the show up our heroes ass the previous week returns to the reality that the show wasn't that big a deal and that they better head over to their local card, comic and coin shop and try to make ammends...

Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:49 pm
"Day One of the week after "The National"...predictably, a steady stream of "dealers" (read - badda-bings)...wandering in with their treasures...each of them wearing little lizards on their shirts or jackets and each with a racing cap pulled down over their faces...and the same "impress me..." opening line...none of them know what they want for their stuff, but I should drop everything, look through their stuff and "shoot 'em a number...'cause youse never know"...same guys that are waiting for Sammy (Sosa) to make a comeback...they'll be kicking and screaming to the grave with those Kevin Seitzer Rookies clutched in their hands...each of them has been shown the door and told to come back if/when they have a number in mind...also, a steady stream of people walking in with their "I'll take my ass-whooping now" signs around their necks..."Shooting Carp in a Barrel Season" has commenced...no need to stretch for anything right now...if nobody wanted it at Sportsfest or The National - then nobody wants it... AND...people in spending money...many with the "Ya Know, I was gonna go to The National, but figured f*ck it" opener...thank you very much for your patronage...had one guy in today from last week who was doing the "I'll get them at The National" thing that walked in, walked right past me, walked up to Chuck and bought the stuff he didn't care for last week...no returns on supplies yet, but it's still early....anything else in town between now and Christmas?...plenty of face-plantings left...don't know that it attracts anything new to our area...brings out the "One Last Chance at Selling this Crap" types..or the "I'll get an offer from everybody at Sportsfest, everybody at The National, every store in the area, then I'll check eBay and every online sports auction...then I'll call into the radio talk-shows and try to create some buzz for my crap...then I'll wait until the day after Christmas to sell my drek" types and the "I'll mortgage the house, buy a share of a booth, set-up my 'wanna-be' stuff and hand out flyers to my upcoming basement sale...featured item...a dealer badge from The National"...undoubtedly we'll have somebody (just like a couple of years ago) come walking in crowing about pulling a million dollar T deal out from under one of the big boys...and (just like a couple of years ago) we'll them 'em they're full of sh*t..."

Episode 1 of "The National Archives" from August of 2008, during a particularly long week for our hero and his trusty crew...the national sportscard convention was in town (again), bringing with it every loon that thought their ProSet Santa Claus card was going to make them rich...this takes place approximately 20 months after a shoot-out with an armed robber made national news. leaving everyone cautious around the day to day crazies that make up a typical business day...your cast of characters:
Our Hero as the Narrator
Andy - Local Cop and Director of Security
Chuck - Head of the Comics Division
Katie - Sweet, innocent, high-school aged staff member - and Andy's little sister
and now, an inside look at the goings on at a real cards, comics and coin shop...
Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:35 am
"But that's the fun of having a storefront ...you never know what's in that giant box they've got...Goudeys, PlayBalls, FunFood Buttons...Rare Gold...Early Silver Age Marvel Comics...The Holy Grail...A .357 Magnum... ...things were alot easier in the '70s and early '80s...no card-glut yet, no comic-glut yet, the US Mint wasn't cranking out a hundred new products a year...most of the stuff you saw back then you could put some number to...whatcha gonna do today with most of this stuff? (hint - ship it to expletive)...some of the best deals I've ever bought though were because I was the only guy that would look at it...busier than all sh*t yesterday, day 4 of the week of "The National", sold a ton of boxes (figured everybody would be at the Big Show - but they weren't) and bought a really nice currency deal that I probably wouldn't have gotten to see, but other guys closed to go to "The National" so the guy drove his stuff out to me and I got to buy it at my price...most of the deals we buy and the business we do is pretty straight up...but everyday, we've got 2 or 3 that just make you shake you're head...this week it's the not very attractive, clown-face makeup'd (not Joker-style, but not far off) woman that's walked in every day with the same backpack of '90s glut comics (Brigade, Youngblood, MCP, etc. etc.)...now today she might not show up, she might show up with her back-pack of crap, or today she might show up and pull a glock outta her pack...you just never know, that's what keeps life interesting...by looks alone, if I'd put a buzzer on the door, I'd have missed out on some of the best buys and best customers I've ever had...still would have let the shooter in (40YO W/M driving a Mercy)...the economy's not helping...had an unemployed type in here a couple of days ago looking to sell some books (not comics, but textbooks and stuff like that) - told him we didn't deal in that - he went off! F-bombing us left and right 'cause we don't deal in used books, don't know anybody that does and wouldn't (couldn't) price out the ones he had...gave him his 15 seconds, then got up on him and gave him the "you wouldn't want to make me mad" speech...had a woman in here Tuesday with a bag of beat-up electronics and appliances crying her life story to Chuck - she didn't want to go to a pawn shop - she wanted to sell her stuff here (we don't buy that sh*t!)...guy in yesterday, looking to sell a fake 10KT Jostens class ring - real Jostens class ring with a fake 10KT imprint - he's got no gas money, no money for baby food, no job, etc. etc. etc. toss him back the fake ring, he brings out a real one, sells it, doesn't get out the door with the money 'cause he sees some Sandman Trades he's got to have....
I've got local cops with 30 years in that think they've seen everything 'til they hang here for a few hours...they leave shakin' their heads mumbling "WTF"...and then we have the quiet days...no crack-whores, no unemployed drunks, no bangers with that opening line of "Anybody ever try to rob this place...."....no twitchy little guys looking at Katie like she's a prom date...no flaming cabana boys looking at Chuck like he's a prom date...no tough guys getting up on Andy 'cause Andy doesn't blink or give an inch...nobody "having" to talk to me because they've got "new" information on the shooting....I like the quiet days...just don't get enough of 'em.....might be quieter if we just did coins, or cards, or comics...must be some combination of the three that opens up the gates of hell.... "