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Good News for Many of You!
Just a note to let everyone know that I am officially giving up the vintage card hobby. Ive gotten tired of all the wealthy "inverstor" collectors bitching. Obviously this isnt a "little man's" hobby anymore. People have become so focused on the art of the deal, that they no longer take into consideration that there are more important things out there than expensive pieces of cardboard. When things come up for people in the real world, and they have to choose between helping family, or they have situations come up that are beyond their control, most poeple would put those things in the forefront of their attention.
Yes, I admit, I have gotten myself into situations that were avoidable, and I am sorry that I inconvenienced people in that manner. HOWEVER, when situations have arisen that I explain to individuals are temporary, I still get the same flack. As ot seems like I am repeatedly finding myself in these financial binds, I am no longer going to be a part of the hobby in any capacity. The vast majority of personalities Ive seen lately concern me as to where the future of the hobby may be headed. I just dont have the patience or the "business sense" to handle it anymore. As I said, MANY of you will be celebrating this decision, and I am happy for you. As for the several decent, well meaning people Ive come to consider friends, good luck, and I hope your collections flourish. As for me, I am just too small of a fish in too big of a pond. I know I wont be missed by many (if any) but I just had to post this before I ride off into the sunset. Please proceed to flame at will. Brandon Brown |
I wish you the best, but I completely disagree with your point. I don't understand how anyone could let "big-fish" bother them. Just keep collecting and growing your collection and don't worry about everyone else. My collection is nothing compared to certain people, but I just enjoy it. And if someone is trying to pull a fast one on a deal, I'll ignore them.
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I have no clue what you are talking about, but I am a "small fish" too and don't let anyone else bother my collecting.
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Hey Guys,
before we go to far here, I am actually commenting more on the fact that I dont have the resources to be reliable enough to make the deals I want, and I am getting frustrated and tired of making enemies in a hobby that has become more about the money and "look at what I can afford" than the enjoyable hobby it should be. Its just not my bag, baby!! |
Good luck......it's good you realized that sooner than later! Lots of people have gotten themselves too deep and found it hard to get out and get away.....you can't change the economics of the market. You can change what you collect or choose not to collect....that's within your power.......
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Happy trails! You can always come back never a shortage of cards for sale.
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Most people do leave the hobby at some point, but I too am lost regarding Brandon's post. There's more going on here. Since you decided to share this with us, could you fill us in?
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I personally wouldn't let anyone else spoil by passion for the hobby...
In terms of pre-war, I am not at a point in my life that I can spend the 1K+$ on some cards that I want...so instead I have a couple post-war sets that I can buy affordable singles that work for my financial reality... When I get a larger chunk of change I will occasionally splurge on higher dollar pre-war card. No reason to quit the hobby altogether--just take a break for a few months and reassess your budget/collecting goals...Most of us eat tuna helper not caviar |
I have no idea of the background details that are motivating this, but from an outside observer's perspective on your note, it sounds like you are trying to rationalize and place blame on others or on the nature of the hobby to feel better about your lack of personal responsibility in recent deals. In other words, did you not follow through with commitments you made and now people are calling you out on it so you are pissed? Are you now just rationalizing that they and the hobby are too focussed on money to appease your own guilt? Sounds self-serving. I could be entirely wrong and I apologize if I am. If there is a grain of truth and you want to leave the hobby anyway, why not just graciously exit quietly rather than make generalized digs at the rest of us.
The reality is that the cardboard we collect has monetary value and nobody likes being ripped off whether it is for $2 or $2000. JimB |
Jim B...I believe you hit the nail on the head!
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On a side note, Brandon's avatar is a bit troubling.
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Hey Barry,
I am just to the point where all I am doing lately is pissing people off, either by taking too long to do deals, or having to hold off because of financial problems that come up. I am not blaming anyone for those situations, nor am I looking for sympathy. People seem to think that I am just blowing off agreements willy-nilly, without any thought for the seller. That is far from true. The stress I put myself under with these deals means as much to me as if I were buying anything from anyone. I really enjoy collecting cards, but my situation has finally gotten to the point where people dont trust me, and I dont blame most of them. In some cases however, when I have legitimate reasons for my shortcomings, certain people who I KNOW are dealing with multi-thousand $ cards, think its the end of the world when I cant come through on time. I very rarely tell anyone "no, I cant do the deal at all". Granted, it is frustrating when that happens, but selling a $100 card shouldnt be a life-or-death scenario. The cards are just getting too damn expensive, and there is too much competition for someone like me. I am rambling, and not making much sense so I will stop here. |
I am a set collector and, while I cannot afford the pre-war stuff I have found some vintage sets I can chip away at a little at a time to satisfy my collecting interest. I have learned paying 40 bucks for a graded common when that same common in raw form would cost me 3 bucks is just not cost effective.
Trying to play the ole "keeping up with the Jones'" game in this hobby is never good. There are thousands of cards I would like to own but my economic reality helps me be more satisfied with less. I have found my niche in this hobby and I am happy to pursue it and maybe thats what the original poster needs to do. |
And the type of people I mean are the first ones to chime in when it comes to their interpretation of what I said. Shocking.
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I agree. Doesn't matter if it's $2 or $2000, why shift the blame and say it is the hobby that is the problem? There are lots of guys on this board and in the hobby that spend $5/week on cards and have just as much enjoyment as the next guy.
Inter-Personal relationships seem to be the problem you are dealing with and you might want to look at that rather than at the larger "big fish problem" that you state. My guess is that if you're having a problem with folks on this board that you might be having similar problems in your personal life. Look inward, my friend. I wish you the best and hope you find peace and happiness. |
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Brandon- you might consider keeping your collection, and maybe just quietly adding a card or two periodically as funds permit. Perhaps you are simply wheeling and dealing too much. There is an addictive side to collecting and part of it is some collectors need constant action, as if every day they need the next fix. If I were still collecting, I would do it more quietly, and I might enjoy it more. Just my three cents, others may disagree.
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You're right Brandon...when someone agrees to buy a card...it is totally UNREASONABLE to actually expect that person to pay for the card in a timely manner.
I'm not kmart...and I don't deal on lay away! I know...I'm unreasonable...and a prick! Bye Bye! |
You are right. thats what it comes down to. I try to live beyond my means, I cant do it, therefore I was apologising to the people who I affected by doing this. I foresee no change in my tastes, therefore I will no longer attempt to be a part of a hobby in which my level of accomplishment is unsatisfactory to my own desires. I am simply going to say, whatever you think of me personally, you wont have to deal with me as a fellow collector any longer. Good luck gentlemen.
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In the bigger scheme we are all little fish,and I have to admit I get jealous when I see someone driving a killer Porsche or someone betting 100 chips with three models on his arms.
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I look at the hobby as one of many of my interests and try not to get over saturated. I quite honestly don't care about the big fish in the hobby. Give me a PSA 3 or 4 or SGC vintage card at a good price and I am happy. Heck I like graded cards with qualifiers on them.:cool: Take some time off and enjoy life! :) |
If you are making deals and then paying late or not at all, that sounds like an issue with your own life and has nothing to do with the hobby. Their are big fish in all parts of life and they only affect you if you let them. Collect what you want within your budget and you will enjoy a great hobby.
Sounds like you might need some time off from the hobby in any case. Good luck! |
Good news for many
Brandon, I have known you for years, I know what you are talking about,sometime you have to back out of a deal to help your family or a friend who needs help, that can bother some people, what is more important then helping family, if they don't understand the hell with them, I hope you will still consider calling me sometime. You do great work in helping others, you are a very caring youg man. You do more from a wheelchair my friend than many standing. Don't quite you passion for cards, focus on 1 group, or set, and enjoy your ride. Don't let people beat you down.
It is a pleasure to call you a friend. |
You'll never have the worst collection, you'll never have the best collection, we all fall somewhere in the middle. Trying to achieve a collection above your income level is foolish and will lead to financial ruin and lost friendships over broken deals. Sounds like you need to diversify. Instead of just buying cards, sell some too. I have a few things I like to do when my $ is tight: sell a card to buy a card, keeps me in the "action". I also look for groups of cards to buy, keep one, sell the rest. If I make a little bit of $ on the deal I put the profit towards new cards. Heck, I'll sell cards in my driveway if the weather's nice!
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When I found this forum in 2004 I realized VERY quickly that I was a little fish in a pond full of whales..I found it fun to swim among them, but as far as my collecting goes I decided to move to a much smaller pond where I was the big fish...heck I may be the only fish there, but it's made the hobby a lot more enjoyable and my collection since 2004 has grown immensely.
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No worries bro, life is good. |
Good luck, Brandon. I wouldn't worry too much about what's happened in the past or what not, and as a poster above stated, it's really more important to do what's important for your family than the cardboard stuff. Collecting is fun, and card are always there, but it's easy to get in too deep. I started collecting when I was a kid, and re-started a couple of years ago. One of the things was that I could now afford cards that I wanted to buy that I could never afford when I was a kid. All of those things that I wanted, I now had the wherewithal to actually get. However, this can definitely go too far where you are now spending past your alloted "entertainment" budget, and into your mortgage and "living" budget. There are a lot of people on this board with extremely nice collections. Some of them have the means to put down considerable amount of $$$ on cards. Others have been collecting for eons. They can easily flip there cards for tremendous profit, and use these funds to buy very nice cards. Or they just show the very nice cards that they picked up a long time ago for peanuts. None of this is wrong, and it's really fun to see all of the great cards that people have on this board. Some of the threads like "show of your best card" or "what are your top 3 cards" are some of my favorites since I love seeing those rare valuable cards. Seeing these can definitely make you feel like you really want to own some of these cards that people just love seeing. However, just like in those days when you were a kid, sometimes, you can't afford it. Even as an adult there are cards you simply cannot afford or makes no sense to buy. That's just how it is, but if you want to keep collecting, you can still find that niche that keeps you happy in the hobby. Keeping a budget can be very, very tough sometimes. There are times when I've hit my budget limit for the month, and then I see a card that I want selling for a steal of a price. It's tough to just let it pass by, but that's what you need to do sometimes. There will always be other cards that fit your collection that will come by again.
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I'm not a huge collector but I do enjoy collecting cards of my favorite ballplayer of all-time Tom Tresh. Once a week I make a purchase of one of his 1963 Topps SP rookie card and that's what makes me happy. Do what makes you happy and don't allow others to influence what you do. I own quite a few Derek Jeter autographed rookie baseballs but I would sell them before I sold my Tom Tresh collection. Do what makes you happy, but it isn't the "hobby" that's making you unhappy. My two cents. |
Don't hate the hobby, hate the collectors !!
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Agreed. Great hobby but we're all just a bunch of introverted doosh's.
Now lets see those deeply discounted items! |
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4 months behind in mortgage, worked 2 months this year, have $3.70 to my name. I sold off most of my good stuff. I'm the little fish, but will be back and back soon. Promised to send some cards for free to a couple of people, but will have to wait to get the funds for postage.
Rawn Don't tell my neighbor that I cracked their code for the internet. |
Why some people think they have to dramatically announce their departure from a public internet chat board will always mystify me.
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Good One
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paul and peter
In this vintage world, i prefer to say many different collections, many different interests, many different personalities, many different needs---
to each his own, with the the Hippocratic dictum 'do no harm' serving as a qualifier and guide. all the best in whatever you decide, Brandon barry |
Thanks for all the comments guys, both positive and negative. Many of you are right, I let myself get in deeper than I should, based on an overly competitive personality, and as one poster put it "keeping up with the Jones'" type attitude. It has taken me a really long time (too long obviously) to realize that I dont have the resources to collect certain cards, along with other things I call hobbies. Its true, pissing off people (Hi Pete) has made me understand that its me, not the world, that needs to change.
The MAIN reason I chose to air this with the board, as some of you cynics have wondered, is that I have had many successful transactions with people here and elsewhere on the net, and I wanted to thank them for putting up with me, and to explain to them, and anyone else in my situation that someone else out there is going through the same crap. Also, if anyone who still considers themselves a friend wants to know why I am no longer an active participant here. I may pick up a card now and then, but this forum makes things way too easy for me to get into trouble. As many of you said, I need to step away from the hobby, and be sure I try to be a "hobbyist" and not an "investor". I plan to evaluate my interests, and hopefully someday I will be able to narrow my collection into something more manageable for someone under my circumstances. *By the way, I recently had a seller here tell me he wouldnt sell me a card because he knew he would see it on the BST in a few days anyway. Is it really a sellers concern what happens to a card once its paid for? |
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Dude, I have seen exactly zero of your posts other than this one. Quit being a drama queen. Stay or go at your leisure like the rest of us. |
Mr. T206Collector - Just like every other post on this forum, if you dont want to read them, skip them. Otherwise STFU.
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I been here for like 10 years or so, and every couple of months it seems we have to see another self-serving, "Everyone hates me, so I'm leaving!" thread where the leavee just keeps talking, and talking, and talking......
I would STFU, but pointing out this inanity just makes me ROTFLMFAO :D |
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What Paul said...
But aren't we the leavees and he the leaver? |
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Don't quite understand why Brandon is getting so much grief here. When Dan Paradis created a thread announcing he was selling his collection, he didn't receive these snippy comments.
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Brandon, good luck with whatever you choose to do. I think you have received some good advice here and slowing down and staying within your means sounds like the best idea. Mike |
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I think the reason he is getting so much flack is the tone of his initial post. Without rereading it, my recollection of Dan's post was one of leaving because his collection had gotten to the point where the cards he wanted were either non existent or financially unobtainable. To me, Brandon's post read as an attack on many of the collectors here. Now I have had no dealings with Brandon, so I have no knowledge or opinion on what happened to sour him, but it certainly reads a bit snarky. What I get reading it is essentially A) Rich guys suck because they own all the good stuff I want and can't afford. B) I have had some financial issues and those I've done deals with won't wait or be understanding of my issues and C) The hobby is now all about the money. Plus he ended with "Please proceed to flame at will." That statement is a challenge. Perhaps that is what he meant to convey, perhaps it isn't. I don't mean that as a personal attack or judgement, but that is the vibe I get from reading his initial post. That is why I think he has gotten the response he did. Personally, I think it's a shame he let a few bad dealings get in the way of his enjoyment of the hobby. I wish him well in whatever he does from here. Mark Velarde |
I say leave with less publicity. spelling?
Joe |
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