The Dreaded "R-Word"

[Moe@COMC]

Hey gang, Moe at COMC here. I was hoping to get a little discussion/dialogue going on today - we posted this topic to our Blog followers the other day, and now I'm bringing the discussion here.

When I say "The R-Word", there's only one thing I could really mean...that part of the hobby which dare not be named by those involved: Redemptions.

We've all gotten them in a pack of cards, at one point or another. You're anticipating a big hit, expecting something really awesome and cool as promised on the wrapper and…boom. There it is. Like the blue screen of death (kids, ask your parents) there it is, staring you in the face. A nondescript card with a little bit of text detailing something that could be potentially awesome, with something that needs to be scratched off.

Granted, these days you can go to the card company’s website, get the redemption process started and hope that something comes back to you…in a year. Maybe. And, what are the chances that you'll get that card they promised? What if that player bails on the company? Or the company decides to go with someone else? Or (as happened to me earlier this year) the player gets cut by the team after his 2nd arrest during training camp?

Sometimes you get lucky…in that you get what’s actually been promised. Sometimes, you just get whatever the card company had laying around as a replacement.

Feel free to share your best/worst redemption stories. Go ahead and name names, point fingers, vent, yell, then tell us what you think would make the redemption process a more positive one for you. You can talk about it here, or you can join in the discussion on the COMC blog. Thanks for your time and have a great weekend!

http://blog.comc.com/2013/05/23/the-dreaded-r-word/

 

[Rorschach]

Card companies sign deals with NHLPA who will have player volunteers, star players, who sign cards in the event some other player flakes, goes missing or loses the cards.

Also card companies can make limited cards like the OPC red border wrapper trade-ins and then use those packs as possible trade-ins for redemptions that aren't made or from too long ago, like from product five years ago. Thus, no redemption becomes totally worthless...even if you can't get the card on the redemption, you can get valuable packs of limited cards even for old redemptions.

 

[chadsexington]

I once had a lengthy discussion with Upper Deck over a half dozen redemptions that were outstanding and asked them to send me replacements since I was in the process of getting out of hockey. Laid out my names (which were fairly reasonable - Guys that friends of mine collected mostly) and made one request: No Calgary Flames.

3 months later, the replacement arrived: A Dion Phaneuf/Eric Nystrom dual auto from SP Authentic. Both were Flames on the card

I didn't even bother calling UD back because I was so angry about it. The values matched but they completely ignored the one request I had.

I haven't bothered with a UD redemption since.

I've had no problems with Topps and the UFC team as of yet, but I have a lot of redemptions outstanding in the system right now piling up over the last couple releases (around 10-12, with another card sitting on my desk to be scratched - though that card is live already so there shouldn't be a problem fulfilling it.)

Topps has even been good enough to automatically ship higher value cards through non-courier registered mail, meaning I don't have to drive anywhere but my post office to pick them up.