Hockey Cards - Part III

[Rants Mulliniks]

I have to agree. My son has started into collecting pokemon cards so i found two very old big binders and a box of score/upper deck cards and went through all of them. my highest cards was a whopping 12.00 for a gretzky. all cards are from early to mid 90s. I actually found some 90s marvel cards in with them and four of them totaled over 120$ (if graded) lol.

so im def moving into the pokemon/one piece collecting with him for fun and not going to bother looking at hockey cards for him.

Sounds like you (like many) fell in that era of absolutely terrible oversaturation where (mainly) UD killed things. That's the era that somewhat killed my interest as someone who was a huge collector the 25 years prior to that. I still love cards but very selectively collect.

 

[tacogeoff]

Sounds like you (like many) fell in that era of absolutely terrible oversaturation where (mainly) UD killed things. That's the era that somewhat killed my interest as someone who was a huge collector the 25 years prior to that. I still love cards but very selectively collect.

I believe you are right!

 

[kylek023]

I wouldn't call hockey card market "dead" more like returning to the mean. I'm kind of glad that we're away from the COVID peak since the market was getting so ridiculous

 

[crazy8888]

I noticed that on some of the cards I collect, but then I’d see a card for half of what I just paid on eBay (not high end, more the mid-range stuff). The shipping on eBay is what’s brutal, especially when it’s a card from the USA. Card will be $5, but then shipping is $15-20. Can’t buy singles at those rates. Biggest advantage I see, as a Canadian, with COMC is the ability to buy singles and then do one bulk shipment once I have enough to spread the cost.

I will definitely check it out some more. As for ebay the shipping does not bother me as much as the taxes when i buy something from Canada. Lately i dont even bother with anything from Ca just because im going to end up paying much more since i live in the states. So now i only bid on stuff that ship from the states. And this sucks because some of the best cards are from sellers in CA

 

[blankall]

I wouldn't call hockey card market "dead" more like returning to the mean. I'm kind of glad that we're away from the COVID peak since the market was getting so ridiculous

Yes. Now hopefully UD will either increase the value in their products or bring the pricing back down. Although the writing may be on the wall for UD, with Fanatics taking everything over.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

I wouldn't call hockey card market "dead" more like returning to the mean. I'm kind of glad that we're away from the COVID peak since the market was getting so ridiculous

I would call it 100% dead in the water.

Hockey was a dead market pre-pandemic where the only cards that were trending were Gretzky, Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid, and Blackhawks.

The pandemic blew everyone up. 500 bucks for a Matthew's YG was ridiculous. I gave those away at shows. Same with Draisaitl and I still have multiples of both.

Now, hockey cards just aren't worth putting on a table at a show. It's just not a popular sport in the states. Why waste table space on hockey cards when you can actually sell Ohtani cards usually at a premium even with there being millions of them out there?

I'm sure it's different in Canada but when some guy is posting a tiktok pulling a McDavid autographed jersey out of a best of box at the National and he has no clue who McDavid is that says all you need to know about hockey in general.

Hockey is on the same level as nascar. Hell, Hailie Deegan, who is a horrible driver, is more popular then Connor McDavid.

Like I said, I'm glad I dumped all my high end while the pandemic was happening. I still have cases of the stuff and will surely dump most of if not all of it to a distributor once Fanatics takes full control over everything.

 

[SniperOnTheWing]

The National is NOT the place to go to gauge the health of the hockey market. It’s never been big there. In fact there’s more hockey at the National these last few years than there’s ever been.

Go to the Toronto Expo and tell me the hockey market is dead. You don’t go to Rome to see a Mayan temple and say “Mayan temples are dead” because there’s none there. You need to factor in the geography of the markets. The Expo is wall-to-wall hockey and maybe 5% of the other sports, should I go to one and say football or baseball is dead because I didn’t see much there?

 

[budaj guy]

well I can't even purchase store credit on COMC, some kind of weird error when trying to purchase via PayPal. Oh well, I guess I'll be stuck using eBay unless something changes.

 

[SaltNPeca]

How many people here use COMC for buying or selling? I’m in Canada, so hearing other Canadian opinions would be nice. Is it worth it for selling? The fees don’t seem any more friendly than eBay, though it would be much easier to sell cheaper singles on COMC. As far as buying, it seems like that might be more efficient on COMC. Stockpile cards and get one bulk shipment.

I used it for the first time this summer, and the package just arrived (in Germany). As a buyer I love the selection and pricing.

I knew I'd get dinged by customs, but yeah like $25 USD of cards cost me €3 tax + €6 admin charges... €9 on $25!

Germany is a joke in this regard, so will not be using frequently. Maybe ship must-haves to US-based friends I plan to visit or wait until I make trips to Canada.

Still one card in particular I wanted was overpriced on eBay and not available at my favorite shops (in Canada), so the end price was still decent.

 

[yada]

The shipping on eBay is what’s brutal, especially when it’s a card from the USA. Card will be $5, but then shipping is $15-20. Can’t buy singles at those rates.

Crazy to hear youre getting f***ed on shipping from us to canada. Ive purchased a fair amount of low end cards and im not picky about where the seller is. I have picked up multiple cheap cards that are only a few dollars, even $1-2 cards because i love the regular upper deck canvas cards and the shipping doesnt eat me alive when getting canada to the us.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

The National is NOT the place to go to gauge the health of the hockey market.

Wat? The biggest show of the year isnt the place to gauge the health of sports cards now?

It’s never been big there. In fact there’s more hockey at the National these last few years than there’s ever been.

I've been to the last six Nationals. No, it hasn't.

Go to the Toronto Expo and tell me the hockey market is dead. You don’t go to Rome to see a Mayan temple and say “Mayan temples are dead” because there’s none there. You need to factor in the geography of the markets. The Expo is wall-to-wall hockey and maybe 5% of the other sports, should I go to one and say football or baseball is dead because I didn’t see much there?

"wall to wall hockey" you say?



The show, just from this video alone shows hockey was about 50% of dealers cases. And unless they were actually selling its irrelevant what they had in said cases. This guy bought more sports other then hockey.

There's another video where trade night was mostly basketball and football and the vlogger didn't even bother.

So yes, hockey is a dead market.

Hopefully Bedard changes that. Like it or not, he will be the hobby darling for the next few years and with his MVP redemption hitting 400 bucks already I'm going to go out on a limb and say his YG will start at 1k and will surpass McDavid prices once the Blackhawks suddenly become good again.

 

[Satan]

Crazy to hear youre getting f***ed on shipping from us to canada. Ive purchased a fair amount of low end cards and im not picky about where the seller is. I have picked up multiple cheap cards that are only a few dollars, even $1-2 cards because i love the regular upper deck canvas cards and the shipping doesnt eat me alive when getting canada to the us.

The eBay global shipping program f***ed international buyers. I hear the shipping complaint a lot from “novice hobbyists” because they havent heard of companies where you can have a US postal box and save money.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Wat? The biggest show of the year isnt the place to gauge the health of sports cards now?


I've been to the last six Nationals. No, it hasn't.


"wall to wall hockey" you say?



The show, just from this video alone shows hockey was about 50% of dealers cases. And unless they were actually selling its irrelevant what they had in said cases. This guy bought more sports other then hockey.

There's another video where trade night was mostly basketball and football and the vlogger didn't even bother.

So yes, hockey is a dead market.

Hopefully Bedard changes that. Like it or not, he will be the hobby darling for the next few years and with his MVP redemption hitting 400 bucks already I'm going to go out on a limb and say his YG will start at 1k and will surpass McDavid prices once the Blackhawks suddenly become good again.

Saw someone bought that MVP for 500us nonetheless.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

I know this is not hockey card related, but card related nonetheless -- is the Pokemon card industry that big? I have one family member with an entire room devoted to Pokemon cards. From his best pulls, to a stack of boxes completely left unopened.

 

[blankall]

I know this is not hockey card related, but card related nonetheless -- is the Pokemon card industry that big? I have one family member with an entire room devoted to Pokemon cards. From his best pulls, to a stack of boxes completely left unopened.

The Pokemon market is global and much bigger than the hockey card market. I have no idea how it works, as I was slightly too old for Pokemon. However, there are multiple individual cards going selling in the 6 figure plus range.

 

[budaj guy]

The eBay global shipping program f***ed international buyers. I hear the shipping complaint a lot from “novice hobbyists” because they havent heard of companies where you can have a US postal box and save money.

I am far from a “novice hobbyist”. I spent 15 years buying, selling, and collecting retired casino poker chip sets. That hobby is centred in the USA, and poker chip sets are heavy packages. I could get a rack of chips shipped in a SFRB for ~$25, which is the price range for shipping a single card in many cases. I have many American friends from that hobby I could reach out to, but it’s a bother for a card here or there. EBay is a necessary evil unfortunately, though it’s fine unless buying from an American seller.

I don’t want or need a US postal box for the few times I may need to get a card I can’t find in Canada. COMC is an option that solves my problem, and apparently it was a glitch on their end yesterday when I couldn’t load some store credit.

 

[Satan]

I am far from a “novice hobbyist”. I spent 15 years buying, selling, and collecting retired casino poker chip sets. That hobby is centred in the USA, and poker chip sets are heavy packages. I could get a rack of chips shipped in a SFRB for ~$25, which is the price range for shipping a single card in many cases. I have many American friends from that hobby I could reach out to, but it’s a bother for a card here or there. EBay is a necessary evil unfortunately, though it’s fine unless buying from an American seller.

I don’t want or need a US postal box for the few times I may need to get a card I can’t find in Canada. COMC is an option that solves my problem, and apparently it was a glitch on their end yesterday when I couldn’t load some store credit.

COMC acts basically as a US mailbox service... which is what I was referring to in my post... and COMC has been around for almost 20 years..... and you're just getting set up on it now. Novice

There's a few other options now that are sports card centered. I've been using ShipMyCards throughout the pandemic for larger purchases from US sellers- they have a mailbox in Portland, where there's no sales taxes.

 

[budaj guy]

COMC acts basically as a US mailbox service... which is what I was referring to in my post... and COMC has been around for almost 20 years..... and you're just getting set up on it now. Novice

There's a few other options now that are sports card centered. I've been using ShipMyCards throughout the pandemic for larger purchases from US sellers- they have a mailbox in Portland, where there's no sales taxes.

Lol what can I say, I got out of the poker chip hobby and became a little more involved with hockey cards. I’ve always collected a little here and there, but needed some kind of a chase to replace poker chips. I decided to focus on a couple PC’s, which I’m enjoying much more than chips (card collectors are nicer people too imo).

Thanks for the info, I’ll look into that service if it’s something I need.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

I know this is not hockey card related, but card related nonetheless -- is the Pokemon card industry that big? I have one family member with an entire room devoted to Pokemon cards. From his best pulls, to a stack of boxes completely left unopened.

Pokemon is huge.

Every set there's always a couple big money chase cards that are impossible to pull but have huge desirability on account of they're great cards for your deck if you actually play and the collectability aspect of owning one.

The main point is you have the same amount of odds pulling them from retail as you do from gaming stores.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Who the heck going to be in Series 1 if the recently drafted players going to be in Series 2?

 

[Canadian Game]

Who the heck going to be in Series 1 if the recently drafted players going to be in Series 2?

I’d imagine a couple notable guys might be Owen Beck and Dustin Wolf. Also wouldn’t surprise be if they include Logan Cooley once he officially debuts since he recently signed his ELC.

 

[The Kingslayer]

I’d imagine a couple notable guys might be Owen Beck and Dustin Wolf. Also wouldn’t surprise be if they include Logan Cooley once he officially debuts since he recently signed his ELC.

Cooley be a good one. Is Cutter Guathier staying in College? That be a nice add to S1

 

[Canadian Game]

Cooley be a good one. Is Cutter Guathier staying in College? That be a nice add to S1

Yeah last I saw he’s still unsigned, so I assume he’s staying in NCAA

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I’d imagine a couple notable guys might be Owen Beck and Dustin Wolf. Also wouldn’t surprise be if they include Logan Cooley once he officially debuts since he recently signed his ELC.

They need someone worthy if there's no Bedard in S1.

I have high hopes for Beck as a hab fan, but his YG has 0 interest for me.

 

[Canadian Game]

They need someone worthy if there's no Bedard in S1.

I have high hopes for Beck as a hab fan, but his YG has 0 interest for me.

I agree with needing worthy players in S1.

I was mainly thinking of players who weren’t in the latest draft. However, UD will definitely need some star prospects to sell S1.

Matthew Savoie is possibility, which I could see Buffalo dressing him in the NHL at the start of the season. Kevin Korchinski, Mavrik Bourque, Xavier Bourgault are a few others.

Of new draftees, maybe any of Fantilli, Carlsson, Benson, Yager?