Is There a Toploader Shortage?

JohnnyDrama

JohnnyDrama

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The only reason I ask is that damn near every package comes with cards in no toploader. If I'm lucky, they come sandwiched in cardboard for structure but more often than not there's not even that.

Is there a toploader shortage I'm unaware of or are sellers cutting costs literally everywhere?
 
Yes, there is a shortage. The hobby boom has seen demand for supplies of all sorts also spike, and stocks are insufficient to meet that demand. The shortage of card savers - for example - is so severe that the grading companies have condescended to accept cards in toploaders for submission.
 
quincy said:
Yes, there is a shortage. The hobby boom has seen demand for supplies of all sorts also spike, and stocks are insufficient to meet that demand. The shortage of card savers - for example - is so severe that the grading companies have condescended to accept cards in toploaders for submission.
Click to expand...

I feel lucky to be in a less popular sports card town because my LCS always has a huge box full of any variety for standard prices.
 
JohnnyDrama said:
The only reason I ask is that damn near every package comes with cards in no toploader. If I'm lucky, they come sandwiched in cardboard for structure but more often than not there's not even that.

Is there a toploader shortage I'm unaware of or are sellers cutting costs literally everywhere?
Click to expand...

Ultra Pro was also making face shields for a while which cut down on their production quite a bit.
 
quincy said:
Yes, there is a shortage. The hobby boom has seen demand for supplies of all sorts also spike, and stocks are insufficient to meet that demand. The shortage of card savers - for example - is so severe that the grading companies have condescended to accept cards in toploaders for submission.
Click to expand...

Having never submitted a card for grading, I had no idea that toploaders were unacceptable.
 
I recently got my order from BCW that took over four months for them to be filled. When I talked to there customer service rep she said at the time they were still waiting on 37 containers of products from China. She said there were three reasons besides demand that they were have problems getting the stuff. They are production slowness, a world wide container shortage, and a shortage of shipping vessels around the world. What amazes me is the prices that LCS are charging for products. I have seen regular toploaders going for almost $9, when a year ago they were $3. I guess that is what Covid Card Craziness has done to collectors. I have been the hobby since 1985 and I haven't seen a boom like this since the late 80s.
 
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Even COMC has removed the "add toploader" option. I admittedly haven't been paying much attention to this whole thing, but I swear I have a gigantic box of all sizes of top loaders somewhere. They're all recycled so they vary in condition, but I don't recall keeping anything that would have a large amount of tape residue or anything like that. Is everyone so desperate for top loaders that it's worth it for me to go dig this box out?
 
I saw something on FB this morning where COMC is offering to credit your account a dime for each toploader you send them. So yeah, there is a shortage! I have literally thousands sitting in shoe boxes.
 
weasel-king said:
I saw something on FB this morning where COMC is offering to credit your account a dime for each toploader you send them. So yeah, there is a shortage! I have literally thousands sitting in shoe boxes.
Click to expand...

They are offering 0.10 credit to your account for each toploader you send and I hope this helps them out, but you can get twice that selling them on ebay and have your shipping covered.

When I ship from COMC, I usually forgo the top loaders, but I did it on my last order because their 0.25/per price was as good as new on ebay/Amazon/etc.
 
On COMC, I always add them on cards worth 10 dollars are more just for the added protection, everything else I put in one when the shipments arrive
 
I have 14 packs of regular 35 point toploaders, and a number of 55s, 75s and up...

I is rich!

lol

This hobby never ceases to amaze me.

Cory
 
I am lucky that my only p.c. (which uses 75pt loaders and normal sleeves) has slowed to a trickle these days. I have about 8-9 singles incoming, which is about the amount of loaders i have lol and my LCS is sold out. I've only added about 20 singles in the last YEAR so yeah. I heard a rumour that UltraPro was making Covid face mask shields and this uses up alot of their plastic concentrate ?
 
I'll bet that COMC is now kicking themselves for dissuading submissions sent in with toploaders!

(referring to the fact that actually charge you to remove them...)
 
I used to buy gently used supplies for all my shipments to comc. I'd buy entire rubbermaids for like 10 bucks. That **** is gold now..lol
 
LOL - why doesn't this surprise me? I cleaned out one of my cabinets a little while ago and probably tossed out a couple thousand top loaders.

I just received an item yesterday, plain envelope. no top loader, cardboard, card saver or even a sleeve!!!! :badmood:
 
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Greg Brown said:
LOL - why doesn't this surprise me? I cleaned out one of my cabinets a little while ago and probably tossed out a couple thousand top loaders.

I just received an item yesterday, plain envelope. no top loader, cardboard, card saver or even a sleeve!!!! :badmood:
Click to expand...

This happens to me all the time. Literally NO protection whatsoever. What could go wrong?
 


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