Help get me up to speed

[hederman]

Hey all,

It's been 5 years since I've been active in the hobby and I know I've missed A LOT. Last I can remember the big events in the hobby were the coming price increases to the USPS and the ITG brand dissolving. What have I missed? What is the current state of the hobby? What sets are hot (I see The Cup is still around)?

I still follow hockey so I have a good idea what rookies are hot and what players are likely collectible, but that's about it. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[SNobles]

The UD exclusive and took effect after the 2013-14 season I believe has hurt the hobby, Leaf bought the ITG brand and are putting our many of the same product names you would remember but have eliminated the low/mid range products for the most part. Dr. Price started his own new brand called Presidents Choice and for the most part it is not pack released but you can buy what you want from their website.

Series 1 and Young Guns are still a staple, The Cup is still top dog. Vintage seems to be popular right now as the current products seems to be over produced.

ePack from UD is now a thing, so you can buy many products virtually awhile after the physical release.

COMC is a huge player now, Beckett is even worse than it was when you left.

That is all I can come up with at this time.

 

[geschrocks33]

The current state of the hobby is what I would describe as "less than favorable"

Companies keep signing players to exclusive auto contracts, most recently the ones "hurting" (I put it in quotes because each has their opinion) is Leaf (who took over for ITG) signing Eichel, Patrick, and Hischier to exclusives. So those 3 have no "true" auto RC's (or won't have in the case of Patrick/Hischier as they are fresh for this year.

There is a rumor that Topps may want to return to hockey but don't think anyone has concrete confirmation on that.

The Cup, UD1/UD2, SP Authentic, etc are the products that everyone still goes for. The ePack era has killed UD1/UD2 though in terms of values as everything gets flooded to COMC.

USPS shipping prices are completely ridiculous. Trading with USA members either requires higher end trades, or some flexibility on shipping methods.

 

[hederman]

Ah yes, the UD exclusive. I had forgot about that. How much longer does that exclusive last? If anyone knows.

 

[pathshot]

The Cup, UD1/UD2, SP Authentic, etc are the products that everyone still goes for. The ePack era has killed UD1/UD2 though in terms of values as everything gets flooded to COMC.

The exception to this: the prime Young Guns cards do as well as ever. Though production runs might end up hurting the values of McDavid once the hobby fully realizes how many of them are out there.

Beyond this, 100% valid assessment.

 

[MGiuseffi1969]

If you have a bunch of rare older BAP/ITG cards tucked away, do yourself a favor and don't look at the current values... ITG vault and other reasons have ruined the value of these.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[quincy]

All I can say is: be selective. There's still loads of fun to be had, but it's best if you focus on the things that resonate most with you.

 

[Triple B]

Wait until he finds out about epacks. If you open any UD Series 1 this week, make sure you sell your Young Guns by next Friday.

 

[bamlinden]

Jeremy (gomaz) might be more informative on this front....but graded cards seem to be creating a huge boom right now. The quest for the 9’s, 9.5’s and the pristine 10’s.

All the rage I hear.

For me....the hobby hasn’t changed too much. I’m more cautious with my money but I still think there’s lots to discover out there.

 

[creasecollector]

Welcome back, and whatever you decide to do or who/what to collect, make sure to have fun. Fun is very important in this hobby. It can't be all about money or value all the time.

 

[uvic99]

I'd add that group breaks have become more of an established part of the hobby.

Definitely agree with the others about being selective. Maybe just me, but bang for the buck seems to be way down when it comes to boxes. But there's still fun to be had in the hobby. : )

 

[hederman]

ePack from UD is now a thing, so you can buy many products virtually awhile after the physical release.

COMC is a huge player now, Beckett is even worse than it was when you left.

ePacks and COMC were just starting up when I stepped away so I'm not super familiar with either. Is eBay still the primary source of buying or has COMC caught up to them?

The current state of the hobby is what I would describe as "less than favorable"

Companies keep signing players to exclusive auto contracts, most recently the ones "hurting" (I put it in quotes because each has their opinion) is Leaf (who took over for ITG) signing Eichel, Patrick, and Hischier to exclusives. So those 3 have no "true" auto RC's (or won't have in the case of Patrick/Hischier as they are fresh for this year.

The Cup, UD1/UD2, SP Authentic, etc are the products that everyone still goes for. The ePack era has killed UD1/UD2 though in terms of values as everything gets flooded to COMC.

USPS shipping prices are completely ridiculous. Trading with USA members either requires higher end trades, or some flexibility on shipping methods.

Sad to hear these things. I understand, but also don't understand, exclusives at the same time. I realize it drives sales toward your brand if you can say only player X signs for us, but do these companies also not see that it hurts the hobby at the same time?

This is the second time I hear about ePacks being bad.

What's the going rate now for a standard bubble mailer for USPS? Is there any workaround that you know of?

If you have a bunch of rare older BAP/ITG cards tucked away, do yourself a favor and don't look at the current values... ITG vault and other reasons have ruined the value of these.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I loved (and still do love) the older BAP/ITG sets! I also remember Vault just becoming a thing and people were pretty upset that these cards even existed, let alone that they were now being released. I'm of the opinion that adding a shiny 1/1 stamp to a card that technically already exists doesn't achieve anything.

Wait until he finds out about epacks. If you open any UD Series 1 this week, make sure you sell your Young Guns by next Friday.

ePacks part 3. I don't even know what they are and I already don't like them.

 

[theblindtiger]

I've also been away a few years and am returning.

ePacks seem to have hurt the ability to rip and flip, but have brought down the cost to complete insert sets if you purchase through COMC. I guess that's either a good or bad thing depending on where you stand.

 

[Orca Pod]

ePacks - it's a system where UD sells 'packs' of cards directly from their website.

1) Some say it screws the brick and mortar store. Others say it's great because they don't have a brick and mortar store anywhere near them.

2) A certain percentage (no one really knows) of the hits from a case are held back for ePacks. This creates a situation where not all, for example, High Gloss cards are available for the physical release; there's only (again example) 7 of the 10 in packs. Thus, there's less chance of these cards being available to collectors. Yes, they will be available on COMC, but at the same time, some COMC sellersthink an Erik Gudbranson HG is a $325.24 card.

^^^ The above reason is the major one that drove me from my yearly project of collecting a team set of Canuck HG cards.

3) It also allows UD to put the 'prime' cards (examples; a 1-1 shield, the Connor McDavid UD Exclusive 97/100, things like that) in ePacks, rather than physical packs. I'm not accusing them of doing stuff like this, but the opporunity is there. I was born in 1961, so I am the earliest of the GenXers, so I don't trust anybody... Heck, for that matter, nothing prevents them from putting EVERY Brock Boeser YG HG/10 in ePacks, thus having some COMC sellers list them at 4,567.98.

Those are a few of my thoughts on ePacks. Throw them out, take heed, whatever. But, there are lots of people that became very jaded with the physical releases once ePacks came to be.

 

[TheGriceBoys]

First of all, welcome back Matt! great to see a somewhat "elderly statesman" come back around.

I can only speak for myself personally so here's my take......

While I stay very ingrained in the hobby "buzz" and converse here somewhat regularly, I've veered way away from collecting hockey cards because I don't have the extra time nor the interest in what's currently being produced.

I need and want the time with my sons, they're growing up fast and I don't have the time to be a pecking at a keyboard searching the world for cards when I can play them one-on-one at hoops or read books with them.

I have focused my extra income on collectibles for my sons that they enjoy, and baseball and non-sport cards for myself along with other hobbies and family stuff.

It's getting stagnant, there definitely needs to be another licensee, UD has gotten immensely lazy and sloppy.

Yes, Upper Deck makes some gorgeous sets and inserts and when they do something right, typically it's stellar and unparalleled. Unfortunately that's few and far between these days as they have no one to push their standards.

In a marketplace over-saturated to the hilt, as Q said, be selective, find a niche or thing to focus on, laser-focus on, and go with it. You can get caught up going 8 different ways and burn through money and stamina for this hobby quickly.

Also, as Giuseffi said, ITG and BAP aside, He hinted at something, there is no money to be made in this "hobby" unless you hit the big rookies, or have deep pockets for vintage or high end stuff. And even then you may have to sit on some cards to get your value back. The money isn't there anymore like it was pre-2008, nor is the value. I would say 85% of the cards you pull from wax (or epack) will be relative rubbish in a few months time as more "popular" products hit the market.

Also a lot of the old guard is gone and there are a ton of new people who turn and burn cards and PCs weekly. The true "collectors" are a dying breed. It's all the new millennial and younger generation gimme gimme gimme NOW and what have you done for me lately. (monthly)

There IS fun to be had, but it'll take energy and focus to find it, which is an kind of counterproductive as you probably want a hobby to RELAX.

That one word holds it all together though is FUN. If you are not having FUN, bail, just don't start again.

And if it's not fun then just spend the time on your newborn, that is far and away the most important and the best way to spend your time. :beer:

 

[geschrocks33]

ePacks and COMC were just starting up when I stepped away so I'm not super familiar with either. Is eBay still the primary source of buying or has COMC caught up to them?


Sad to hear these things. I understand, but also don't understand, exclusives at the same time. I realize it drives sales toward your brand if you can say only player X signs for us, but do these companies also not see that it hurts the hobby at the same time?

This is the second time I hear about ePacks being bad.

What's the going rate now for a standard bubble mailer for USPS? Is there any workaround that you know of?



I loved (and still do love) the older BAP/ITG sets! I also remember Vault just becoming a thing and people were pretty upset that these cards even existed, let alone that they were now being released. I'm of the opinion that adding a shiny 1/1 stamp to a card that technically already exists doesn't achieve anything.



ePacks part 3. I don't even know what they are and I already don't like them.

Usually when I sent a bubble mailer to Canada - $9.50 at least, $15.50 when the weight increase. There are members that say you can print labels via PayPal and such for like $3, but it seems it depends on your post office and who decides to sort mail that day. Within the US it's about $2.70 or so for a bubble.

I have been shipping to Canada in cardboard DVD sleeves, you can fit usually 1-2 thick cards or 5-6 regular cards in a toploader teambag with a decoy for support. Have only had 1 issue with about 150 packages or so. No tracking but it costs about $1.50 and is a good solution for low end trades, as long as you confirm with your trade partner what you're doing.

 

[SNobles]

ePacks and COMC were just starting up when I stepped away so I'm not super familiar with either. Is eBay still the primary source of buying or has COMC caught up to them?

I think eBay is still the biggest but COMC has made leaps and bounds and is amazing for the mid-low end which is my primary source now.