Hey guys, i thought it would be fun and also very helpful if we post here any words of wisdom, tips, tricks, helpful insight or anything that would help out another collector or someone just coming into the hobby. Maybe lessons learned, mistakes made, etc. The object here is to help each other out with things we have learned from collecting in this hobby. Ill start it out.
1. when it comes to supplies, dont go cheap to save money, because you almost always spend more money down the road to protect your collection. example, i didnt want to pay the extra money it costs to buy a one touch holder to protect a hof auto, instead i put it in a page and then album. years later the card accidentally got bent. now i wish i would of paid a couple of dollars for a hard one touch holder for it.
2. Have fun with the hobby, after all it is a hobby. very few people in the hobby get rich from sports cards.
3. buying boxes of cards is good for the set builder, bad if you think you are going to get the next "big hit" i would rather spend that money on ebay or checkoutmycards.com to buy cards for my pc istead.
4. at card shows, never wear your favorite teams hat! because i noticed that when i go to a dealers table wearing a dodger hat, and ask for the price on a dodger card, the price is inflated because maybe they know i must be a diehard fan. i then noticed when i go to a table not wearing a dodger hat, i get better deals because im not advertising im a dodger fan. same goes for example if you walk up to a table wearing pujols jersey and ask for the price of a pujols card, you might be taken advantage of.
5. at cards shows, if you see a card you like, and its a great deal, buy it, if you dont and have to think about it, maybe when you come back it will be gone! this has happened to me before! on the other side of the coin, when i saw a card i liked i bought it right away. then went two tables down and found the same exact card for $5.00 cheaper!
6. dont get in bidding wars on ebay, chances are you will grossly overpay for a card.
7. when sending cards , make sure they are protected. i received a $200 vintage card one time unprotected, placed in a pwe, with no card sleeve or no top loader. i paid $7.00 for shipping costs!
8. when selling on ebay/or trading. always pay the extra money for delivery confirmation, trust me, it will save alot of headaches later when someone says they never got a card and then delivery confirmation says they did.
9. when using screw down holders, use the ones that are recessed. any other holders, your cards will just stick to the holder over time.
10. i wouldnt buy sweet spot autos, has anyone seen how now the autographs seem to just fade away over time?
11. even though you might think your card is worth alot, there is always someone that want it for 50% below bv.
12. almost always when you sell your cards, chances are you wont get "what you paid for it" there are some exceptions, but this is a general rule.
13. always sell a card when a player is hot, you can always buy the card later when the player cools down. unless there name is ruth, mantle, aaron, mays, or koufax, they WILL not stay hot forever.
14. if you have alot of cards, always have some way to track or organize your collection. I cant tell yo the number of times, i bought or traded for a card, then when i got it, i realized i had it already in my collection.
15. if you have a chance to help someone in the hobby out, even if you are getting the short end of the deal, just do it, because someday perhaps someone will return the favor and help you out when you need it.
1. when it comes to supplies, dont go cheap to save money, because you almost always spend more money down the road to protect your collection. example, i didnt want to pay the extra money it costs to buy a one touch holder to protect a hof auto, instead i put it in a page and then album. years later the card accidentally got bent. now i wish i would of paid a couple of dollars for a hard one touch holder for it.
2. Have fun with the hobby, after all it is a hobby. very few people in the hobby get rich from sports cards.
3. buying boxes of cards is good for the set builder, bad if you think you are going to get the next "big hit" i would rather spend that money on ebay or checkoutmycards.com to buy cards for my pc istead.
4. at card shows, never wear your favorite teams hat! because i noticed that when i go to a dealers table wearing a dodger hat, and ask for the price on a dodger card, the price is inflated because maybe they know i must be a diehard fan. i then noticed when i go to a table not wearing a dodger hat, i get better deals because im not advertising im a dodger fan. same goes for example if you walk up to a table wearing pujols jersey and ask for the price of a pujols card, you might be taken advantage of.
5. at cards shows, if you see a card you like, and its a great deal, buy it, if you dont and have to think about it, maybe when you come back it will be gone! this has happened to me before! on the other side of the coin, when i saw a card i liked i bought it right away. then went two tables down and found the same exact card for $5.00 cheaper!
6. dont get in bidding wars on ebay, chances are you will grossly overpay for a card.
7. when sending cards , make sure they are protected. i received a $200 vintage card one time unprotected, placed in a pwe, with no card sleeve or no top loader. i paid $7.00 for shipping costs!
8. when selling on ebay/or trading. always pay the extra money for delivery confirmation, trust me, it will save alot of headaches later when someone says they never got a card and then delivery confirmation says they did.
9. when using screw down holders, use the ones that are recessed. any other holders, your cards will just stick to the holder over time.
10. i wouldnt buy sweet spot autos, has anyone seen how now the autographs seem to just fade away over time?
11. even though you might think your card is worth alot, there is always someone that want it for 50% below bv.
12. almost always when you sell your cards, chances are you wont get "what you paid for it" there are some exceptions, but this is a general rule.
13. always sell a card when a player is hot, you can always buy the card later when the player cools down. unless there name is ruth, mantle, aaron, mays, or koufax, they WILL not stay hot forever.
14. if you have alot of cards, always have some way to track or organize your collection. I cant tell yo the number of times, i bought or traded for a card, then when i got it, i realized i had it already in my collection.
15. if you have a chance to help someone in the hobby out, even if you are getting the short end of the deal, just do it, because someday perhaps someone will return the favor and help you out when you need it.
