Posted By:
John_B_CaliforniaI don't know if video games and entertainment are to blame.
I loved collecting cards with my friends in the late 80's and early 90's, yet there were plenty of other distractions to keep us busy. Acrades took the place of the advanced home systems today, and Nintendo and Sega had booming businesses. Most people had a few hundred dollars worth of games and consoles at their homes then, and it's pretty much the same now (albeit with better graphics and games).
Three big things that killed the market were high prices, too much product/confusion, and scandals/declining quality in some of the leagues.
-Anything over $2, $3, or $4 a pack, and it just got too expensive. I stopped collecting when there weren't anymore 36 count boxes with 15 cards per pack.
-Player collectors got killed off. Team collectors got killed off. Set collectors got killed off. I'd love to see 3 or 4 sets per year again. Stagger them in different series throughout the year. Selling the thrill of the hunt should be one of the marketing objectives. Sell anticipation.
-The NBA after Jordan hasn't been the same. The NHL is in trouble. Baseball scandals are depressing. There aren't as many heros as there use to be. When my friends and I ripped open packs, we wanted to be those guys. Donnie Baseball. Ken Griffey Jr. Jordan. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Wayne Gretzky. Those guys are great role models. Unfortunately now, it's not the same.