You're not a card pumper, Ryan. More of a card fluffer
I kid you, my friend.
Pump without dump is an empty label. I am a proud pumper of cards I like. So what? I publicize what I find to be unstudied and interesting and I encourage others to join the party. I just did an article on NASCAR postcards because I bought a giant collection of them and thought they were really cool and shockingly unstudied. And yeah, there will be NASCAR stuff on my table at the upcoming November 18-19 Pasadena show. This is supposed to be fun and social. Demented and sad, perhaps, but social. What am I supposed to do, hide in my man-cave fondling old cardboard finds? That was the MO of the Bruces, not normal people.
The irony is that in some cases all i do is make it harder for me to collect what I am publicizing, but that's the risk of disseminating information. In other cases i definitely plan to sell off what I publicize, and I have zero problems doing that, as long as I honestly portray my subjects. If someone decides to assign me some cred, thats their choice. I'm just some jackhole with a blog and a penchant for researching and writing about cards; my advice is free and worth every cent you pay for it. I think cards are a great investment/business...if you know what you are doing. if not, if you just chase trends because some twerp with a man-purse and an Adderall habit talks them up on the internet, you are a sheep asking to be sheared. Those folks need to stop worrying about what others are buying (as my mother used to say, who died and appointed you king?) and think critically for themselves. Put in your 10,000 hours and you won't have to worry about pumpers; you'll spot the bullshit from a mile away. and ignore it like dog poo on the street.