O/T: Employment in the hobby

[Robextend]

I was thinking the last week or so that it would be great to be one of the people in this world that loves to get up and go to work. I know the economy is not at its strongest at the moment, but does anyone have any ideas as to what would be the best avenue to take as far as getting a steady job that is related to sports cards?

I realize it might be nearly impossible, but I just wanted to see if there is anything out there or if anyone had some ideas. I have been working as a data analyst for a health insurance company for over 8 years and it is as boring as it sounds and I am just not terribly happy with what I do. However I obviously do it to pay the bills (and my hobby addiction).

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks - Rob

[Matt]

Rob - if you live by one of the TPG companies you could apply for a job as a grader.

[Rob D.]

If you have a knack for often writing inaccurately and always with a lot of hyperbole, you might try contacting a couple auction houses.

[caramelcard]

I don't have anything to add. I just want to see how many Rob's can post in this thread.

Maybe you should start your own little business?

Rob

[rhettyeakley]

Short of becoming a successful full time dealer there aren't too many jobs that would allow one live a fairly comfortable job. However, everyone's definition of comfortable is different.

I am a dentist and if I could find a job in the hobby with a guaranteed pay at what i am currently making I would cease to be a dentist!

-Rhett

[rdixon1208]

Starting a small side business is a good start. I have had the same thoughts, but I just store them next to the "What would I do if I won the lottery" thoughts.

Regards,
Rob

By the way, if I won enough money, I would buy the Dallas Cowboys and then trade all of their good players for sorry players.

[drc]

Starting with a little buying and selling is a good start. Gain a reputation as an honest seller, gain some knowledge. Slowly build from there. Your data analyst work may be helpful in getting a job down the road, especially when couple with a reputation as good dealer or such. Even if a hobby company considers hiring you as a data analyst, having a knowledge of the hobby and market will only help that much more.

[Abravefan11]

By the way, if I won enough money, I would buy the Dallas Cowboys and then trade all of their good players for sorry players.

You could hire Vinny Ceratto to do that for you. I hear he's looking for a job.

[Robextend]

Short of becoming a successful full time dealer there aren't too many jobs that would allow one live a fairly comfortable job. However, everyone's definition of comfortable is different.

I am a dentist and if I could find a job in the hobby with a guaranteed pay at what i am currently making I would cease to be a dentist!

-Rhett

I hear what you are saying. Before I got a "real" job I worked in a local oldies record store for 4 years. That was the most fun I ever had working...and I always say that if I could make the same money doing that as what I do now, I would never have left that job.

[mintacular]

might want to think about even IF you could work in the hobby, your passion for the hobby might become dilluted. It is much more fun to work a day job and enjoy the hobby on the side...

[Robextend]

Starting with a little buying and selling is a good start. Gain a reputation as an honest seller, gain some knowledge. Slowly build from there. Your data analyst work may be helpful in getting a job down the road, especially when couple with a reputation as good dealer or such. Even if a hobby company considers hiring you as a data analyst, having a knowledge of the hobby and market will only help that much more.

Thats a very good idea and I have thought about that. I always wonder in today's market are dealers really making a good profit? I would love to data analyze the hobby market...much better than running reports on how many Medicare claims were denied!!

[t213]

I would be interested to know how many people support themselves entirely by dealing cards. I would guess it's a very small number. Most of the dealers and cardstore owners I know have other sources of income.

Andy

[bbcard1]

I once had a job interview with Beckett, but Rich Klein didn't hire me...;-)...all worked out for the best, but truedat

[Orioles1954]

Rob,

I've been employed as the Senior Writer for Huggins and Scott since 2006. It really started off as an accident. I was at a card show in Virginia and signed up for the H&S catalog. While reading it, I noticed multiple spelling errors. When I consigned my first items to H&S, I casually mentioned to Bill Huggins if he might be looking for somebody as a proofreader. We subsuquently agreed that it might be a good idea for me to write on a very PT basis. After four months I quit my corporate job and was hired by H&S full time. I really like our catalog and staff and am thankful for the four years I've been there.

James

[kylebicking]

If anyone in Chicago has any openings, send me a message! Going on one year, one week without employment... sigh.

-Kyle

[Robextend]

Rob,

I've been employed as the Senior Writer for Huggins and Scott since 2006. It really started off as an accident. I was at a card show in Virginia and signed up for the H&S catalog. While reading it, I noticed multiple spelling errors. When I consigned my first items to H&S, I casually mentioned to Bill Huggins if he might be looking for somebody as a proofreader. We subsuquently agreed that it might be a good idea for me to write on a very PT basis. After four months I quit my corporate job and was hired by H&S full time. I really like our catalog and staff and am thankful for the four years I've been there.

James

That is a cool story James, that is the kind of situation I was thinking would be ideal for me. Catching on P/T somewhere, proving myself, and then eventually land a F/T gig.

[JamesGallo]

might want to think about even IF you could work in the hobby, your passion for the hobby might become dilluted. It is much more fun to work a day job and enjoy the hobby on the side...

Although I don't exclusively do cards, I have sold collectibles (comics, action figures, cards) my whole life. That is what I did in collage and when I got out. I am still doing it now, almost 10 years.

It isn't all it's cracked up to be believe me. When your self employed there are a lt of issues you don't think about and you will get jaded.

Once you have seen, sold or handled all the "rare" stuff what else is there. I think you would find out that your hobby quickly becomes a job, maybe slightly more enjoyable but the pressure of never know if a sale will come, putting out a lot of cash for inventory and lack of a steady income can totally ruin a person.

I have seen a lot of dealers burn out and I think the only reason I still can do what I do is that I move into different areas both in dealing and collecting. That still keeps things fresh and interesting and when I enter a new hobby I am not the aged veteran but the young gun again.

I would love to get a job for a company in development, always new and fun, might get boring at times, but everything does.

I think the big trick is to see what is around you and work at it. If your close to Topps or another card company try to get your foot in the door and see where it goes. Tough road but I wish you well.

James G

[smtjoy]

I really think a lot of it boils down to how much money would you need to earn. I would bet if you are in the market for entry level stuff then you would have a chance. The grading companies would be at the top of my list then the auctions houses. See if you can find something of value that they might need, like James and his writting. Heck I would say talk to PSA about the SMR, that thing needs tons of work and imo if done right really could be a credit to the hobby and not the current joke pricing.

As far as being a dealer, as other have said start small. You will need a couple important things, capital and inventory. You need capital/cash to be ready to puchase good deals when they arrive and inventory to have stuff to sell.

In my own side card business I carry about 40 cards worth around 5-6k in my ebay store, I sell about 5-10% (2-4 cards) each month. Thats only about $250 - $500 of revenue a month, I do make a nice margin on most of the items about 25% (after fees) but that means I make a profit of only about $62-125 a month. The good side is I put all my profit back into inventory and it has doubled in 2 years ago.

My suggestion is save up some cash and start buying/selling in your area of expertise and work your inventory up.

For me I would need to grow my inventory another 80 times what it is now or about $500,000 for me to consider doing it full time, haha, guess I am sticking to the full time job for another 20 years.

Good luck!

[barrysloate]

Rob- since I have been a full time dealer since 1983, maybe I can put some perspective on your quest. If you are able to get a full time job with an auction house or grading service, that sounds like a reasonable way to go. But those jobs don't last very long. The turnover is great and you may find yourself unemployed in a couple of years.

Starting your own business gives your more control but it is not as easy as it looks. Back in the 90's I could, for example, buy a T206 set at auction, break it up, and come pretty close to doubling my money. And I could do it regularly. Not anymore, however. Those days are over. Today, you might find yourself paying closer to 80% of retail, and sometimes even more, for most large groups of cards. It's a grind. Add the fact that the economy stinks, and I can assure you at times you will buy inventory for a dollar, and sell it for ninety cents. It's happening to everybody these days. So if you have a solid job right now, don't give it up. You'll find yourself having to sell your collection to make ends meet, and when that is gone your love of the hobby will diminish greatly.

And what about benefits? If your job offers medical benefits, and you give them up and then get sick, you will be in really big trouble. If you have a medical emergency and don't have insurance, you can get wiped out. Not worth the risk. If you have a wife who has benefits for the family at her job, then you are okay.

My advice is bite the bullet and keep your job, and see if you can make a little money on the side to supplement your income, and your hobby. I know working sucks, I gave it up a long time ago, but I think you should stick with it as long as you can.

[pgellis]

I also think it would be difficult sometimes becoming a dealer after you have been a hobbyist for so long. I think it would be difficult at times selling a card you loved, at a loss just so you could pay some bills.

I own my own business and know how irritated I get some times (to myself) when customers come in to my business and try to nickel and dime me on some goods. It's as though they think at times that when I sell an item for $15 that I just made $15. And that is obviously not the case. I have to pay my lease for the shop, lease for equipment, shipping of the goods, etc., etc.

With a business that also was my hobby, I could see how frustrating at times it would be and how difficult it could be at times to take your "hobby hat" off and put your "business hat" on.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

[timzcardz]

Forgive me for being a master of the obvious, but . . . for you, Topps is just a ferry ride away! ;)

http://www.topps.com/abouttopps/SubmitResume/applicantInfo.aspx


They are in a very nice building. We're moving our NY office into the building at the end of the month, and even though I will not be working for Topps, I am looking forward to seeing "The Topps Company" above the door as I enter the building every morning. :D

[Rob D.]

Edited because of a case of mistaken identity on my part.

[Leon]

My problem is that I am a die hard collector, first. It seems that many times I am buying a card for inventory, I get it and like it, and it goes into my collection. I guess it's not a bad problem but it's still a problem. I think what Barry said is fairly spot on. A possibe thing to do would be to keep your day job and practice the art of buying and selling on a small scale, to start with. See how that goes (it's not quite as easy as one would think, to make money) and then progress from there.....or not :). Good luck....

[Robextend]

Forgive me for being a master of the obvious, but . . . for you, Topps is just a ferry ride away! ;)

http://www.topps.com/abouttopps/SubmitResume/applicantInfo.aspx


They are in a very nice building. We're moving our NY office into the building at the end of the month, and even though I will not be working for Topps, I am looking forward to seeing "The Topps Company" above the door as I enter the building every morning. :D

Hey Tim,

Funny you mention Topps because I applied last week. I actually work around the corner from them.

Thanks - Rob

[Robextend]

My initial thoughts were in line more or less with what Barry and Leon stated.

Medical insurance would be a big issue unless I worked for an established company like Topps. Also, I will always be a collector at heart, so there always would be that internal struggle that I am sure is tough for some dealers.

I wanted to see if I was missing something, and I got a couple ideas here. I will probably look into doing something small on the side (low risk) and see what happens. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. much appreciated.

Rob

[barrysloate]

Rob- a final thought: it's great that you applied to Topps, but even if you get a job there it is no guarantee you will like it any more than your current one. I'm sure the Topps Company hires many drones to do the accounting, bookkeeping, and all the paper pushing that goes with corporate work. If you think they will be hiring you to design, print, and sort baseball cards it probably won't happen. It's a corporation and the day to day work can be as boring as anywhere else.

At least a job at an auction house, if such a thing is available, would allow you to handle a lot of neat artifacts. That could be fun. The year I worked at Sotheby's cataloguing the Halper Collection was one of the most challenging I've ever had, and even though I've had my own auction business for many years, I never handled as many rarities as I did there. Now that was fun.

[Orioles1954]

Rob,

Having handled many of the most important cards in the hobby, all I can say is that it takes a lot to impress me now. It seems like you have a good job with good benefits. There are a lot of people out there looking for work now. Perhaps, keeping vintage cards as just a hobby or side business might be a good idea?

[jbsports33]

If anything I would start small and slow on your own and keep your day job, I have been doing that for over 5 years now and it has made my side business and collecting very enjoyable. I work with some dealers that sell full time and it’s very hard and competitive for them, especially the last few years. Maybe even getting something part-time within the hobby working for someone else than working at it full time would be better.

Jimmy

[nebboy]

With in insurance background apply to the top insurance company that insure personal sports collections. There not hard to find in any hobby pub. Maybe even something you could do from home (Partime at first) as a data analyze for the the insurance hobby market - underwriters need good data on pricing, condition info.

[glynparson]

James basically said everything I was going to say and pretty much word for word. Except I have never done comics, but certainly have delved into other fields.

[Rich Klein]

In that I realized in college that sports collectibles *WAS* my primary interest and I've been able to spend most of my "adult" life in sports or sports collectibles. Not everyone is so lucky,....

Rich

[ethicsprof]

You certainly have had some very important positions in the hobby and have done a remarkable job along the way!!
all the best, ole friend

barry