What causes you the most frustration as a card collector?

[z28jd]

Collecting Old Judge cards on a budget, as if finding specific cards from the set isn't hard enough as it is. It usually takes two people collecting the same team at the same time to make players from that team more expensive. I've seen it with Detroit, Louisville, Browns and Baltimore. If you ever collect a team from the set, do a survey first to make sure no one else is trying for that team too.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

It seems when i was a young collector...many dealers/auctioneers were just "dicks"...now they're criminals!

Thanks for the laugh Pete! (so true, btw. )

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Vintagecatcher

Patience is the toughest part of my collecting these days now that I really only need a few more cards. My biggest frustration, however, is when one of the cards finally surfaces but it is part of a large lot in an auction.

And so I wait...impatiently.


Patrick

+1
This is my situation with a current REA lot.

[Rickyy]

Sometimes things I want never pop up...when I have the funds...then when I don't...they pop up

Ricky Y

[Gradedcardman]

Being offered cards at heavily inflated prices because I am collecting that particular subset.

[Exhibitman]

The continual flow of hot, sex-starved women throwing themselves at me because I collect cards.

A close second would be the lotting decisions made by the auctioneers. I have to buy so much crap in most auctions just to get the item or two I want. It is very frustrating, especially when they've mixed a truly rare item in with the rest of the stuff. If it isn't a set being sold, there is no reason to bury a rare card like that. I also cannot stand when they lump together a group of rare cards that would stand very well broken into smaller lots. I feel sorry for the consignors because you know that they are being screwed out of a large part of the value of the lot when no one except a dealer will buy it.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

...[T]he lotting decisions made by the auctioneers. I have to buy so much crap in most auctions just to get the item or two I want. It is very frustrating, especially when they've mixed a truly rare item in with the rest of the stuff. If it isn't a set being sold, there is no reason to bury a rare card like that. I also cannot stand when they lump together a group of rare cards that would stand very well broken into smaller lots. I feel sorry for the consignors because you know that they are being screwed out of a large part of the value of the lot when no one except a dealer will buy it.

+1 there. It took me YEARS longer to acquire my '56 Kahns Frank Robinson and '47 Tip Top Ralph Kiner for that very reason--two very tough (and significant) cards that the auctioneer just didn't feel were valuable enough to place in individual lots, on more than one occasion, and instead threw them in with 10-20 other cards I had no interest in.

Best wishes to all,

Larry

[Joe_G.]

Originally Posted by z28jd

Collecting Old Judge cards on a budget, as if finding specific cards from the set isn't hard enough as it is. It usually takes two people collecting the same team at the same time to make players from that team more expensive. I've seen it with Detroit, Louisville, Browns and Baltimore. If you ever collect a team from the set, do a survey first to make sure no one else is trying for that team too.

Agreed, I need to switch teams, maybe Pittsburgh would be easier.

[MuddyMules]

Stopping into a local card show only to find showcases full of game used cards and "sticker" autographed cards (if I peel the sticker autograph off of the card and stick it to my wall, does that make my wall a rare 1/1). What happened to players actually signing the cards? Where do these guys get all of these cards without knowing anything about the sport or players? My guess is that they buy a case, weigh each pack, open the different weight packs and then sell the individual packs to people who think no different. Tip for kids.....never by single packs at card shows, especially when the showcases are crammed full of memorabilia cards. Better yet kids, stay with vintage cards, they have a great history lesson.

We stopped in a show last weekend, with my youngest son who collects newer football cards, and some guy was sitting there behind his display case, crammed full of the above mentioned cards. We asked him about a certain set and he asked "what sport is it?". How do you consider yourself a collector/dealer and not know much about what you are selling? Give me a break.

[bunst]

My frustration is with sellers who post cards for sale without scans, photos or links to images. Generally I will just ignore those listings. Often times the seller will say that scans are available and can be sent by email. If scans are available, why not just include them in the listing? If you don't know how to attach, just ask for help. I hope this doesn't rub anyone the wrong way because it happens alot here on the BST (and other places too)... I'm just saying. Ebay now requires an image, maybe BST should also too?

[jlehma13]

Frustrating but fun: Finding cards within my budget
Just frustrating: Reproductions and fraud

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

Agreed, I need to switch teams, maybe Pittsburgh would be easier.

I didn't run into trouble finding Pittsburgh players until I got down to the final three, Conway, Nichols and Deacon White. Got the first two, but now White is out of reach. Going after each pose would be a very difficult task! I have bought some extra poses of players I already had, but I'm nowhere near having them all and not really trying.

[auggiedoggy]

Originally Posted by Bosox Blair

Hi Scott,

I'm not an expert on this - just an eBay buyer. But my understanding is that recently (in the last year or so) eBay introduced this GSP option for sellers to use when the buyer was outside the US - including Canada. The pitch is that by using it the seller avoids all the complexities of shipping to a foreign country. Instead, if the seller selects this, eBay automatically calculates shipping, and also certain estimated cross-border fees the buyer would incur, and those are all charged to the buyer.

From the buyer's perspective, the fees charged through this method are exorbitant. It would be WAY, WAY cheaper if the seller just mailed the item using USPS.

Using cards as an example, in many cases the buyer would never incur any of the fees grabbed by eBay's GSP program.

As a collector in Canada, I avoid sellers who are using GSP. Or I message them and work a way around it.

Cheers,
Blair

The "Import fees" are exorbitant but remember this, the seller is still charging his/her own shipping fee as well so it is a double hit. Unfortunately I see more and more USA sellers buying into this GSP. Here's an actual example:

A US seller has an N310 Mayo Cut Plug John L. Sullivan card listed at $499.99, the shipping cost to Canada is $15.46 and the import charges are $74.69.

Unless he is agreeable to shipping the traditional way, this seller has a snowball's chance in hell of getting my business. It is Canada Custom's job to deal with import (duty), not eBay and certainly not the seller! I can count on one hand the number of times since 1999 that I actually had to pay duty. Why should I have to pay this ridiculous fee for an item that I most likely won't have to pay duty on anyway? I question its legality. I'd love to get a Canadian lawyer's opinion on this.

[ValKehl]

Further to what Brian said above, it frustrates me when an online seller shows only a pic of the front of a card, especially when there is more than one variation for the back of the card (e.g., E121/80 American Caramel).
Val

[Lgarza99]

When a card you want/need finally is available but then the condition doesn't lend itself to the purchase.