Hobby versus Making a Living

[donmuth]

Just curious about how many forum members consider ball cards as primarily a hobby versus how many make their living buying & selling cards?


Some follow up questions:
- How did you get started in the card business and when?
- In your opinion, what are the keys to having a successful card business?
- What were the biggest obstacles in starting up your card business?
- If you had it to do over again, would you choose to be in the card business or was there another field that you really had your heart set on?

[ullmandds]

Definitely a hobby...albeit an expensive one at times...nothing more!

[Jim VB]

A hobby for sure. This is where I'd be living if I tried to make a living doing this. (Since I don't, I can afford a double wide.)

[albrshbr]

A hobby and nothing else...although I have quite a bit I should probably try to sell someday

[ullmandds]

Jim...I could picture you sleeping in that cardboard box clutching your 33 Goudey Lajoie in 1 hand and a bottle of maddog in the other!

[joeadcock]

Hobby for me.

Frank

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Jim...I could picture you sleeping in that cardboard box clutching your 33 Goudey Lajoie in 1 hand and a bottle of maddog in the other!

It's been a loooong time since I consumed any MD 20/20! Yikes!

[Steve D]

It's strictly a hobby for me.

Back in the early 1980s when I was around 18-21ish, I worked for Bill Goepner and Nacho Arredondo at San Diego Sports Collectibles. I had a lot of fun working in their retail store. I did find though, that it soured me on spending large amounts of money on cards. The one example I remember is that at the time, I was looking for a nice 1967 Topps Tom Seaver rookie card. It was a high-demand card at the time and was going for around $80-$100, which wasn't exactly "chump-change" for a college-student/part-time worker. It was also not that easy to find one in San Diego CA.

Anyway, one day I came to work and upon entering the shop, I layed my eyes on a 9-pocket sheet in a display case, with 6 or 7 Seaver rookie cards in it. Suddenly, I just wondered why if it was so expensive, how could I be looking at 6 or more of them at one time (when if I remember correctly, I hadn't even seen ONE of them in a long time...if ever!). I didn't buy any of them, but did get one a bit later.

Edited to add:

I also sold at some local shows in the San Diego/Anaheim area back in the early 1980s. I had thoughts of trying to do it full-time, but after tasting the card shop experience and how it just took a lot of the fun out of collecting (at least for me), I elected to not go in to "the business", and kept it a hobby

Steve

[steve B]

Hobby for me too, but I have also done a couple shows and occasional flea market in the past.

At one point we had a speaker at the club that asked how long people had been collecting without becoming a dealer. I think I was the only one over 15 years, and did a show shortly after that.

Among the successful dealers I've known there are a few common things.
1)sufficient operating capital. Most of the late 80's early 90's guys washed out from having to sell below cost to afford the next product.
2)Knowledge. There were a few dealers I'd visit every 6 months or so to see what stuff they had no clue about. (If it's not in Beckett it can't be worth much right?)
3) More recently, good use of the internet and other networking. One place I go offloaded all the Curtis Martin cards to a NY dealer the day after he went to the Jets. He avoided them becoming locally unsaleable.
4) Either specialising in older stuff and building a strong client base and good inventory or Being a generalist and having a good feel for what was selling well right now.

And it's pretty much the same in any hobby.

Steve B

[ChrisStufflestreet]

Hobby for me.

I sold at weekend shows way back when and realized that if I were ever going to take it to the next level as a seller, I couldn't do that and be a collector too.

[alanu]

Hobby.

I buy and sell cards to help raise funds for more cards, but nowadays it's often a losing proposition.