Ten reasons why I feel I have to get out.

I agree with almost all those comments.

I have a big gripe as well with player selections in hockey products. Not only are we constantly being rehashed the same cards with a different name, but we're also getting served a small selection every year of the same damn players no one cares about.

There are tonnes of guys that deserve to be on cardboard (and my PC) but we're stuck with 500 different Michael Ryder cards every year.
 
First of all, I hear ya on so many points. The sad thing is there is a simple answer to all of this. 1990. The card shop, your spending money, and some supplies, coupled with the desire to read the back of every card. Much like the media can ruin a pop star or movie idol, check out the trend below:



hextall27 said:
1. Ebay and Paypal Fees are outrageous. Stay off the Net.

2. Weak Canadian Dollar has increased wax prices above sensible prices. Stay off the Net. Buy from your shop or your favorite eBay dude, and don't price match

3. Weak economy is killing singles sales and making it harder to justify buying and breaking wax. Stay off the Net. Collect what looks great to you, and let it be an investment in 20 years.

4. Redemptions SUCK. Upperdeck produces more redemption cards than actual physical cards. I have had this personally happen to myself and I know others in the same boat. Redeem 'em and wait. Or only dump these on the Bay; there's some turnover...

5. Constantly getting lowballed. Stay off the Net.

6. Too many pointless Upperdeck products, same cards under a different name. SICK OF IT ALL. Buy only what you like. It's like a diet; sometimes you gotta buckle down!!

7. Patch and Jersey cards are a scam, if they are going to tear a piece of memorabilia into a million little pieces, they should at least state what game it was used in or something. I won't even get into what companies have done to some memorabilia that belongs in the HHOF and not destroyed. Also dump these on the Net for a turnaround, abit of money back.

8. Crooked sellers and buyers on ebay.

9. Damaged cards inserted into fresh wax. Tough to avoid; it's thin paper with sharp corners getting shipped all over the world; it's gonna happen...

10. Its not fun anymore. This is a hobby, it's supposed to be fun, not a hassle. I understand brick and mortar shops trying to make a dollar but everyone think they are going to get rich and think that it is a business and an investment - get real. Buy some real estate or start a real small business. Busting wax is not much different than buying lottery tickets or playing poker.

The only thing I can find redeeming about the hobby right now is some of the great people out there who I have met and dealt with. You know who you are and I feel very privleged to have gotten to know some of you.

Can anyone please remind me why I fell in love with theis hobby in the first place or has it just changed too much.
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Sadly, the recurring theme is stay away from the Net.

I've planned a card diet for you:
1. Buy only what tickles your fancy.
2. Crack it, and immediately put distasteful redemptions and GU on the Bay for a minor re-coup of the box.
3. Post about your breaks here with your friends, and trade only with your friends.
4. Save up your damaged stuff for 4 months, and ship it all back to UD. You always get something back; it'll be like an extra treat!!

Sound good?? It's what I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
RGM81 said:
Already for 08-09 we've had Victory, Ovation, Black, OPC, Ultra, and Artifacts. In two weeks we'll be going after UD1 and McDonald's.
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There's a sub-plot here as to why so much of it sucks, though.

THEY ALL BELONG TO UPPER DECK.


There is no godly reason why one company should be shoveling this much product onto it's consumers when the regular season has played less than one full month.
 
shortstopguy12 said:
Would you say that the general number of people in the hobby is increasing, or decresing at this point in time?
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I would have said decreasing, but at the recent Montreal show, I was blown away by the increased traffic. Maybe I was just there at peak times, but that show seemed to me to have doubled in attendees compared to only a year ago when I was a vendor at the show. I think as old collectors who dropped the hobby years ago find out about the amazing innovations (certified autographs, game used pieces etc.), the hobby will boom as it hasn't since 1991. This is what many hobbyists don't realize. I didn't know until less than 3 years ago that any card companies were putting GU into the cardboard. I felt like a caveman walking around a space station. There's a lot about the hobby that is much better than it has ever been. We just have to recognize it, and appreciate it.

spooner9ball said:
Sadly, the recurring theme is stay away from the Net.

I've planned a card diet for you:
1. Buy only what tickles your fancy.
2. Crack it, and immediately put distasteful redemptions and GU on the Bay for a minor re-coup of the box.
3. Post about your breaks here with your friends, and trade only with your friends.
4. Save up your damaged stuff for 4 months, and ship it all back to UD. You always get something back; it'll be like an extra treat!!

Sound good?? It's what I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

This is excellent advise for the weary hobbyist. Personally, I pick up most of my cards online, but actually going to shops and shows, being able to browse, buy, sell, trade, and discuss the hobby with likeminded folks in person is the best part of the hobby without doubt.
 
That's why i only buy singles during the hockey season and then when the big boys come out like spa or the cup i'll try my wax luck.
 
It amazes me how many people complain about this hobby. Yes, Upper Deck puts out a lot of products. Yes, a lot of the ideas are used over and over again. Yes, ebay and paypal fees are ridiculous. Yes, redemptions can be ridiculous. Yes, sticker autos are less preferrable than hard-signed autos. Yes, the higher end products have ridiculous price points attached to them that makes it almost impossible to make your money back. Yes, there are a lot of low end sets (not sure why this is a problem?).

The great thing about a hobby is that it's a hobby! You can collect as you'd like. If you feel that you need every non 1/1 Carey Price card on the market (just an example), then be prepared to spend $5k + per month. If you want to collect the Victory master set each year, then do that.

Bottom line: Collect the way you want.
 
I was right in the same spot but I realised I needed to re-evalute things before I lost interest.

I love collecting and I found a few players who aren't as popular or expensive that I can chase without feeling overwhelmed. Forsberg will always be my favorite player, but collecting a guy of that stature is just too much.

I also have predominantly strayed from busting boxes. It's fun to break but 9 times out of 10, it's not worth it between poor re-sale value and piles of redemptions.

Unfortunately, this hobby is a game of choosing your battles. I do it because it's still fun to me and, thankfully, I haven't let anyone ruin that for me.

Good luck to you in whatever endeavors you embark upon and here's hoping you regain your love for the hobby once again.

Ryan
 
mclean_m said:
It amazes me how many people complain about this hobby. Yes, Upper Deck puts out a lot of products. Yes, a lot of the ideas are used over and over again. Yes, ebay and paypal fees are ridiculous. Yes, redemptions can be ridiculous. Yes, sticker autos are less preferrable than hard-signed autos. Yes, the higher end products have ridiculous price points attached to them that makes it almost impossible to make your money back. Yes, there are a lot of low end sets (not sure why this is a problem?).

The great thing about a hobby is that it's a hobby! You can collect as you'd like. If you feel that you need every non 1/1 Carey Price card on the market (just an example), then be prepared to spend $5k + per month. If you want to collect the Victory master set each year, then do that.

Bottom line: Collect the way you want.
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This is right on the money...i started in the hobby again in 05/06...thought i had to have every set...blah blah...in not RICH....now...i find a set i like the looks of based in looks alone and buy some boxes and build the set...i trade for what i dont get in breaks and buy of flea bay when it is a VERY good(read cheap) price...

cheap plug have sets im building listed in sig line and traders in the bucket...help...help
:offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic::offtopic:
 
It's all about what YOU make of it.

I think you see some underlying themes here......

What makes it fun for you is the ONLY thing that counts.

Look at Ryan, he now collects Leafs......... I mean non-sport. LOL

It's all about FUN!
 
I have also given up trying to get every card of a specific player and just focus on getting the cards I really like. I haven't even tried completing an entire set, for the same reason, but just collect multiples that I like from a given set. It's a hobby of mine, so I just go after the cards I like and ignore those products that I don't like. Works for me.
 
You have to limit your collection, just go after what you really like. I don't do full sets, but recently have been working on a couple of auto or memorabilia subsets at a time. That, along with my player collection (based only upon rc year cards) keeps me more than busy, and for the most part doesn't cost me a ton of $$$$.
 
Triple B said:
Brother, I was right where you are. Sick of a lot of crap that has infected the hobby. Redemptions, photo shoot jerseys, overproduced garbage repeated under different brand names, sticker autographs not to mention the general acceptance of these ridiculous practices by collectors.

I have stopped almost completely. I've sold off most of my sports cards and plan on moving the rest at the Expo. I haven't, however, stopped collecting. I have moved over to non sports and I can't tell you how re-energized I am in doing so. I have great autographs in my collection that are HARD SIGNED (except for my Brandon Routh/Superman and Charlie Sheen autographs) and are likely one shot signatures. No autographs that will be repeated 20 times each for the next 20 years. The chase is tough for a lot of these and when you get them, there isn't the chance that the signatures will be mass produced in the future (see: Bobby Orr).

Point is, you need to find a section of the hobby that DOES make you happy. I have supported the hockey side for years, and now I'm sick of it. Seems like you are too. For now, if UD remains the only licensed choice, I'm done. I'll buy ITG products to support them, but I'm not as neck deep into hockey cards as I once was. If you need to do the same to find what you like, you have to seek out options.
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I'm 100% with you on this one.....I was throwing money away on a daily basis busting boxes and waiting for that one huge hit....Well it never came and when it finally does I would've thrown so much money away by then that I would make a negative on my return anyway...I stopped busting wax and just focused on 3 things....Collecting only nice Richter cards, my glacial graphs set, and hard signed memorabilia....With the money I've been saving not busting wax I've been able to obtain some gorgeous 16x20 framed pieces of my all time favorites....The best part about this is that you once in a while find a piece with some great inscriptions....Its just like having a 1/1 of your favorite player.....Plus there a lot easier to display!!
 
Hey.....I know a sure fire way to get some more QC with UD......GIVE ITG A FRIGGIN LICENSE SO UD ACTUALLY HAS TO COMPETE!

Anyone really complain about the QC of ITG products? I haven't heard of any for a loong time. Even if there is a QC issue, I'm sure Dr. Price has taken care of the issue for the consumer/collector. Heck they even do their best to make due on expired redemptions.

I've had to quit trying to collect every single card of a certain player, even if that player is not a super star or a semi star....yet:D

UD just pumps too much product out, there's no layover period for set builders and collectors to recoup expendable income before the next set comes out. Artifacts has been out for a couple of weeks and next week I hear UD 1 is released? The week after McDonald's releases their cards. After Christmas, low end/affordable sets are no more, it's all mid - high end.
 
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Sad to see you go.
I've really re-evaluated my collecting methods over the past few months. I haven't busted as much as a pack of 08-09 stuff, or anything for that matter since August. I'm really picking my spots and waiting for sets to come out which traditionally hold some value and have good box breaking chances.
ONe thing I recommend is looking through your collection, picking out the stuff u enjoy showing off to people, then ditching the rest (hiding it away or selling)
Focus on whats left, why you like it, and focus on going after more of the same.
 
NaslundFANatic said:
Hey.....I know a sure fire way to get some more QC with UD......GIVE ITG A FRIGGIN LICENSE SO UD ACTUALLY HAS TO COMPETE!
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Competition can only help this situation. I agree 100%. Why not give ITG a licence? As you pointed out as well, their qc issues are virtually non existent. IMO they have earned the right to produce NHL endorsed product thru great customer service and much better quality control than UD.

To the original poster....if you can list 10 reasons to get out....you might have your answer. Its too bad....its a great hobby and the other hobbyists are a fantastic group. But it isnt for everyone. If its stressing you out that much....time to pick another hobby that brings you some enjoyment.
Good luck! :):)
 
Pete....I hear ya

The hobby needs a huge shake up.

05-06 seemed to get all the fold back and now it's dwindling.I'm in the same boat and have cut back huge only to help the big guy on his collection.Something has to change and fast.....we need another company to start producing new licensed cards to rival UD. IT'S GETTING OLD,FAST


You brought up many great points Pete and you are one of many thinking the same way...........Proof is in the pudding. Our sunday stomping ground has lost over half of the guys that use to hang out there

It's sad..........Just hope I'm not next



Dean
 
Upper Deck, should really just reconsider eliminating all those base parallels, and all parallels for that matter. I find most collectors go after them for the sake of adding them to a player collection or team collection. While I was collecting Joe Mullen, the same photography appeared on so many of his cards that displaying the cards nothign short of sheer ugliness.
How many people really want all those Artifacts parallels? And Gold Parallels for patch cards that aren't considered RC? Do we really need all these parallels for McD cards?
 
I think I have decided a couple of things, and I want to thank a few people here for helping me realize and pinpoint some problems.

I am only doing Series 1&2 and Sp authentic, I have said this before but I always try some other stuff. This time I mean it. :S

I am giving up Ebay. They can take thier fees and hassles and shove it. It will be HobbyInsider for any sales & purchases from now on.

I am only dealing with a few people who I know I can trust. I must say though, i have been proven right time and time again that I have a pretty good knack for figuring people out right off the bat. Some people get off on trying to pull one over on you or getting a better deal. Get a life.

Alright. My tantrum has been dissipated.
 

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