quote:

Originally posted by Lovemesomecards:

I don't begrudge the people who have the cash to buy large lots of cards at a time but that just isn't practical for everyone.

absolutely, this thread is in no way against people who buy cases and collect expensive cards after all without them there would not be loads of cheaper cards left over for us little guys to collect.

I do not have the money to buy many boxes anymore. I can buy at Diamond cost but that is still over $50 per box. I buy from Ebay and have found binders and sets including subsets at less than the cost of the box. You can buy the autographs and piecework cards from the premiun sets for less then the base cards. I am more interested in the base set then the high end inserts. The comment on comics is true with the alternate covers. In the Diamond catalog this month is the first issue of Justice League Of America it will have 53 different covers. One with the USA flag and 52 with each state flag plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. I have been collecting for over 40 years and have many extra sets, inserts, and common cards to trade with people for what I need. Most people are only looking for the high end inserts. I have traded with several ones from the site and will trade with more later I hope .

I don't know if I quite fit into this category. I am not rich by any means, but I can afford one case occasionaly, even though I hate spending the money. I do pursue the high end cards, but I also want every base card and low end chase card of every set I collect. If it seems I have a lot of hard to find items, it's just because I've picked up one here and one there over the past 25 to 30 years, and all that stuff accumulates! I used to have a well paying job that enabled me to buy almost whatever I wanted, but now I barely make above minimum wage and my collecting habits have suffered because of that. But I don't smoke or drink or take drugs, so all the money that would go to those worthy pursuits goes into my card collection instead.

quote:

Originally posted by cardaddict:

But I don't smoke or drink or take drugs,

.

I take drugs when i can get my hands on them but they usually ask me to put them back.

Good point though, you hear a lot of folks say they can't afford things but they smoke and drink, you can only spend the money once.

Great thread. My wife barely tolerates my purchases as is, and she wouldn't have a clue how much I actually spend. And that is just eBay singles, not boxes, and certainly not cases.

I think the key is to just stick to things that make you happy. My biggest collection is Lost, but I have no expectation of being able to afford an Evangeline Lilly or Michelle Rodriguez card. Thankfully neither is a favourite character, so I get as much enjoyment out of a Sonya Walger or Henry Ian Cusick for a fraction of the price.

From a dealer standpoint I can pretty much echo what everyone has said here. As a retailer if I don't buy at least 12-18 CASES then I can't compete with the guy who does.i think a lot of manufacturers have had to focus on the high end customer to drive sales at the expense of everyone else. For me, I've had to stop buying most products, and its a shame as the quality of the cards is still fantastic, but my bank manager explained I have to sell everything for a little bit more than I bought it for, and the way the business is at present, that wasn't happening for me.
Over the years my best customers were the 'little guys', people who spent pocket money having fun with their hobby, and were enthusiastic about it, just like Wolfie.

quote:

Over the years my best customers were the 'little guys', people who spent pocket money having fun with their hobby, and were enthusiastic about it, just like Wolfie.

I've allways said it. People should be more like me.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:

quote:

Over the years my best customers were the 'little guys', people who spent pocket money having fun with their hobby, and were enthusiastic about it, just like Wolfie.

I've allways said it. People should be more like me.

Right there witcha except I don't think I'd like chasing my own tail!!!

Having bought a case or 2 I don't really need to do that anymore. Outside of chasing a few holy grail cards I'm pretty much satisfied with what I collect.

I like that we can share our passion for card collecting and sometimes am envious or in awe when I read of great pulls ,see dynamic sketches or when various people share their talent for making their own cards.

I see the board as a community and as with a regular communities, there are some that can buy big and some that can't.

JMHO
NL