The National will be interesting

packs · #1 07-01-2024, 12:34 PM

I don't really think shows of any scale are a barometer of the market. I've been to more shows than I can remember and I rarely ever bought anything at them, even going back all the way to the early internet days. I have always found the card show to be more of a museum than an active trading ground but it doesn't stop me from having a good time looking around.

I can remember the early eBay days when I would be at a show trying to work a deal and out would come the price guide. The dealer would decide what condition their card was in, and then tell you why this particular card is a lot nicer than the average card and worth above book value, meanwhile any time I tried to sell one of my cards it was always poor eye appeal and the dealer could only offer below book value on it.

Hasn't changed much, but I still have fun.

Lorewalker · #2 07-01-2024, 12:59 PM

Feels to me like the OP could use an anti-depressant. The market is off of it's highs. BFD. It has been off it's highs before, since I have been involved and it will be off again. Overall the market feels pretty strong all things considered given the economy. I am still losing out on most of the things I bid on so it cannot be that soft. I would focus on the better buys and not the pov of a falling sky.

Snapolit1 · #3 07-01-2024, 01:32 PM

That's odd . . . a dozen or so people agree with me . . .and you think I'm mentally ill. Very interesting.

Lorewalker · #4 07-01-2024, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

That's odd . . . a dozen or so people agree with me . . .and you think I'm mentally ill. Very interesting.

Lately you have been starting a lot of threads that are nuanced in negativity. I have no issues with someone echoing a negative sentiment but it is repeated. I see the same thing as you and the "dozen" others but I have a different perspective about it. The market is down from where it was. Start buying up the bargains or just wait until you feel it has bottomed out. Guess what? Each of us has skin in the game.

Was not suggesting you were mentally ill in the way you have framed the term but you sound depressed because you keep posting the same sentiment. I was simply trying to give another POV.

BobbyStrawberry · #5 07-01-2024, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

That's odd . . . a dozen or so people agree with me . . .and you think I'm mentally ill. Very interesting.

Haven't you heard? Nowadays you're not allowed to disagree with someone without hurling insults. We just follow our great role models in America

Peter_Spaeth · #6 07-01-2024, 05:48 PM

It's bad when the market is strong (can't buy anything) and bad when it's down (hobby is going to hell).

Aquarian Sports Cards · #7 07-01-2024, 06:01 PM

I guess I'm a Pollyanna, but I freakin' love the National. I don't get to walk around as much as I'd like but each of the last few years I have seen stuff that interested me at reasonable prices.

4815162342 · #8 07-01-2024, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

It's bad when the market is strong (can't buy anything) and bad when it's down (hobby is going to hell).

lol

notfast · #9 07-01-2024, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

I don't really think shows of any scale are a barometer of the market. I've been to more shows than I can remember and I rarely ever bought anything at them, even going back all the way to the early internet days. I have always found the card show to be more of a museum than an active trading ground but it doesn't stop me from having a good time looking around.

I can remember the early eBay days when I would be at a show trying to work a deal and out would come the price guide. The dealer would decide what condition their card was in, and then tell you why this particular card is a lot nicer than the average card and worth above book value, meanwhile any time I tried to sell one of my cards it was always poor eye appeal and the dealer could only offer below book value on it.

Hasn't changed much, but I still have fun.

Shows are probably the best barometer of the market IMO. You need all types of people to be engaged and all types of people attend shows.

packs · #10 07-01-2024, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notfast

Shows are probably the best barometer of the market IMO. You need all types of people to be engaged and all types of people attend shows.

Maybe a barometer for the health of card shows but doesn't trading need to occur for it to be a barometer of the market? There are a lot of threads about shows on the board all the time. Occasionally someone has some nice scores that they post but for the most part, they are simply reports of what was seen and light on buying.

My personal experience has been that the card show is more of a museum experience for people to look at things rather than an active trading post.

JollyElm · #11 07-01-2024, 03:15 PM

At the show I just went to on Saturday, the same vintage dealers still displayed the exact same cards they displayed at the last show I was at a couple of months ago. If you took a photograph of their cases at each event, it would look as if they were taken on the same day. Nothing changes. Crazytown pricing.

319. Louvre Affair
Cards that sit forever unsold due to their seller�s penchant for �museum� pricing.

4815162342 · #12 07-01-2024, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

At the show I just went to on Saturday, the same vintage dealers still displayed the exact same cards they displayed at the last show I was at a couple of months ago. If you took a photograph of their cases at each event, it would look as if they were taken on the same day. Nothing changes. Crazytown pricing.

319. Louvre Affair
Cards that sit forever unsold due to their seller�s penchant for �museum� pricing.

�Louvre Affair� might be your best pun yet. Bravo.

MikeGarcia · #13 07-01-2024, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4815162342

�Louvre Affair� might be your best pun yet. Bravo.

I thought that it meant cheating on your wife with a tennis scorekeeper ? ?

JollyElm · #14 07-01-2024, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4815162342

�Louvre Affair� might be your best pun yet. Bravo.

Well, thank you, kind sir.

Even though puns are thought of as the lowest form of humor, I completely disagree. Effective (that there is the key word) pun-play is super frickin' tough!!

Steve_NY · #15 07-01-2024, 10:05 PM

As a National booth holder for 40+ years, I am always interested in tracking the trends - but those same trends do not always surface at the National. I have survived all of the downturns in the hobby over the past 48 years. How do I do it? Evolve - Even at the National, I don�t believe that you should set up a similar display two years in a row. Yes, even though I see the same customers and more every year I really want them to see a different display of items I have for sale. So when I hear that dealers set up the same display every month at a show, that is just not the way to attract customers and keep them coming back.

Am I concerned about this National, yes and no. I am showcasing a display that i used to do off and on in the 80s and 90s, and expect that customers will appreciate what I have to offer. It took me a week to prepare for 30% of that display and will continue to prepare the rest over the next month.

As long as the people show up, I contend that if you have a killer display, and you stand out, then they will always find you whether you are set up in the front of the room or in the rear.

notfast · #16 07-01-2024, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

Maybe a barometer for the health of card shows but doesn't trading need to occur for it to be a barometer of the market? There are a lot of threads about shows on the board all the time. Occasionally someone has some nice scores that they post but for the most part, they are simply reports of what was seen and light on buying.

My personal experience has been that the card show is more of a museum experience for people to look at things rather than an active trading post.

I don�t think the stuff that people on this board collect is stuff that moves well at any show. Generally speaking.

Our small portion of the hobby isn�t a good representation of the whole.

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