Card show inventory discovery tool

[brass_rat]

I went to the Philly show, but somehow I missed that they had this software.

Did anybody try the "inventory discovery tool"?

If so, what did you think?

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...burbank-shows/

[Mungo Hungo]

Originally Posted by brass_rat

I went to the Philly show, but somehow I missed that they had this software.

Did anybody try the "inventory discovery tool"?

If so, what did you think?

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...burbank-shows/

"The tool is mostly for graded cards ..."

i think that's a shame.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Mungo Hungo

"The tool is mostly for graded cards ..."

i think that's a shame.

I would agree, but the rest of the sentence is :

"...but raw cards can also be put onto the platform."

So...

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Some dealers may welcome it while others will run far, far away.

Buyers will be wise to remember this and take the software with a grain of salt. No matter how much ground this angle may gain, there will ALWAYS be tons of material not featured on such an app.

[chiprop]

Takes away the fun of “the hunt”
O well…

[Rich Klein]

First off, I'm a big fan of Ezra and this team at Mascot. He and his team are always working to be innovative in the card collecting industry. Note: His and his team's world is no where near mine but I always respect those with those innovative skills

And as a regular vendor/attendee/supporter of the DCS there are times where if you are not super familiar with the show, trying to find a table can be difficult. Heck yesterday. I got a bit lost trying to track down a friend and I knew exactly which table he would be at. So a tool like that is invaluable at many big shows as not everyone has time to go table to table.

Regards
Rich

[theshowandme]

Have a friend who is doing 200+ cards a month with SGC.

He has a premier booth at Philly and a larger booth at Chantilly.

He says this is a game changer for him for both shows but also online. He can import cert numbers and they automatically list on eBay with scans and all he does is set the price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[refz]

I agree I don’t like it either.. where is the hobby going?

[nolemmings]

I like the idea very much, but it will take some time to work out the kinks. I have often wondered if I am walking right by a couple of cards I want but don't notice, maybe because the seller doesn't have them prominently displayed with his 627 T206s. Or maybe they're in a box he hasn't got to yet. Maybe he just bought them as a part of collection from a walk-in, but I skip by his table because he had nothing yesterday.
This could be a real asset at a show like the National. It will require some diligence and honesty on the part of dealers, but if they can get this up and running efficiently, I am all for it.

[jayshum]

I don't see any reason not to use it as a starting point when looking for a specific card at a show. It doesn't seem much different than buying cards from a dealer's online store. Obviously it would be most useful if most dealers had their complete inventory listed in it which may not be realistic to expect, but I don't see any reason not to use it.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

First off, I'm a big fan of Ezra and this team at Mascot. He and his team are always working to be innovative in the card collecting industry. Note: His and his team's world is no where near mine but I always respect those with those innovative skills

And as a regular vendor/attendee/supporter of the DCS there are times where if you are not super familiar with the show, trying to find a table can be difficult. Heck yesterday. I got a bit lost trying to track down a friend and I knew exactly which table he would be at. So a tool like that is invaluable at many big shows as not everyone has time to go table to table.

Regards
Rich

+1

[Leon]

Not sure about a card show app., for me.
I like walking around and looking at stuff. And many dealers have stuff they only put out when asked about at a show. I was at the Dallas Card Show talking to a dealer friend. He said he had almost as much with him, that wasn't put out, as what he put out in the first place. There just isn't enough space to lay all of the cards out.
.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by Leon

Not sure about a card show app., for me.
I like walking around and looking at stuff. And many dealers have stuff they only put out when asked about at a show. I was at the Dallas Card Show talking to a dealer friend. He said he had almost as much with him, that wasn't put out, as what he put out in the first place. There just isn't enough space to lay all of the cards out.
.

If a dealer isn't able to display everything he has, isn't that a reason the app would be useful? The dealer could have everything listed in the app so someone would know to ask for it.

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by jayshum

If a dealer isn't able to display everything he has, isn't that a reason the app would be useful? The dealer could have everything listed in the app so someone would know to ask for it.

Exactly.
It would not stop me from walking around a show. I spend about 1/3 of the time looking at stuff I don't even collect just for enjoyment purposes. Plus I know there could always be dealers who didn't join in the app and are more old school. Still, if I 'm looking for some commons from a prewar set that is not so mainstream or I have some other narrow focus, I can't always expect them to be shown with limited table space. The app would be very helpful--for both sides- to identify where such stuff can be found. It could be something simple if the dealer was short on time or not interested in providing much detail, like "dozen or so C46 Imperial tobacco commons, mostly vg".

[Section103]

I think its a GREAT idea even with some obvious potential limitations. First, it requires dealers to actually use the app. Not all will and thats fine, but there is some tipping point in which a % of dealers need to use it or its just not useful. Second, the app probably has its limits near the end of a show. I seriously doubt dealers can update sales in real time so you buyers might be chasing down dead ends on Sunday afternoon.

But at the end of the day, count me in. I'll still walk the floors but only after Ive targeted specific things Im looking for. Best part is, those buyers who dont like it can simply not use it.

[rhettyeakley]

I don’t hate it but doubt I would use it. It would need to be essentially updating itself in real time or it could get pretty annoying for a dealer that has a bargain card and sells it to the first customer then having people asking about an already sold item for the next 2-3 days.

I enjoy the hunt at card shows. It is like our version of treasure hunting.

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

I don’t hate it but doubt I would use it. It would need to be essentially updating itself in real time or it could get pretty annoying for a dealer that has a bargain card and sells it to the first customer then having people asking about an already sold item for the next 2-3 days.

I enjoy the hunt at card shows. It is like our version of treasure hunting.

I would imagine that if it is really that annoying the dealer would take the 2-3 minutes on the app to say it is sold. Besides, it could serve as a hook to get people to the table and look for other items of similar interest.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

I don’t hate it but doubt I would use it. It would need to be essentially updating itself in real time or it could get pretty annoying for a dealer that has a bargain card and sells it to the first customer then having people asking about an already sold item for the next 2-3 days.

I enjoy the hunt at card shows. It is like our version of treasure hunting.

The amount of time and effort it would take for a dealer to keep their inventory up-to-date in the app would certainly have an impact on it's usefulness and uptake, but there are dealers now with websites that list their inventory who also do shows so they somehow manage to deal with issues of updating now when cards are sold in person.

I agree that it's fun to walk around shows and see what you can find, but an app like this wouldn't prevent that from still happening. When I go to a show, there may be specific cards I'm looking for that I would first search for in the app, but I would still walk around to see what else I might find that would interest me even if it wasn't something I originally knew I wanted.

[brunswickreeves]

I would have loved this for the recent GBSCC show I attended, although would have taken the fun out of the hunt. I was on a mission for one single card. A life long desire for it and a tragic event in my state prompted me to take action and make the dream come true while I still had time on earth. Instead of using such an app, I researched hundreds of sellers websites and social media platforms to get a flavor for what they specialized in. Then printed the floor map and created a flow diagram and timetables of booths to visit in hot pursuit of the card, from most likely to least likely vendor to carry it. After two hours walking the floor I finally came upon a seller I overlooked who had the card. I negotiated a deal and walked out feeling on top of the world!

[Leon]

I am the old man yelling at the sky, but not really. I think it's awesome if others want to use it. I am sure it's a fine application. I am just not an application guy. Big Chief and Crayola....
No doubt it's more efficient but, then again, I still use a dry-erase board calendar in my office too...

and a postcard (shown many times) from the BST, around 6 yrs ago...
.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

I would have loved this for the recent GBSCC show I attended, although would have taken the fun out of the hunt. I was on a mission for one single card. A life long desire for it and a tragic event in my state prompted me to take action and make the dream come true while I still had time on earth. Instead of using such an app, I researched hundreds of sellers websites and social media platforms to get a flavor for what they specialized in. Then printed the floor map and created a flow diagram and timetables of booths to visit in hot pursuit of the card, from most likely to least likely vendor to carry it. After two hours walking the floor I finally came upon a seller I overlooked who had the card. I negotiated a deal and walked out feeling on top of the world!

That's a great story! You can't post all that without showing the card though!

[Luke]

I think it's a cool idea. For seller's that have spreadsheets it should be easy to upload their stuff and for those that prefer to keep it old school, they can just decline to use it. Seems like a win for buyers.

[brunswickreeves]

Originally Posted by Luke

That's a great story! You can't post all that without showing the card though!

You’re right, pic posted.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

You’re right, pic posted.

Congrats on the pickup!

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Leon

Not sure about a card show app., for me.
I like walking around and looking at stuff.

Yep, agreed

[MACollector]

Where can you find the inventory? Saw Burbank and Dallas had it this month but can’t find the site with inventory!

[Rhotchkiss]

I looked at the app, here is a link: https://withmascot.com/

It’s so much more than a card show app to know what dealers have. It appears to be a fully integrated inventory/collection organization tool that pushes product out to a dozen marketplaces. It’s a very impressive site and it seems like it could be a very useful for dealers, especially those selling online. My gut is they will expand it to work for other products - easy extensions would be coins, comics, and other slabbed items. This is likely the future…

For now, I will hold dear to my spreadsheets and Flickr account. I expect many other pre WWI collectors will do the same. But I bet I will eventually give in to the inevitable and utilize a tool like this- just not today!

[obcbobd]

I guess I'm missing something. When I go to the Mascot web site it talks about synching your collection for selling. Very nice, but not if interest.

Where do I do to see what dealer has card "X" for sale?

Thanks

Bob

[brunswickreeves]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

I guess I'm missing something. When I go to the Mascot web site it talks about synching your collection for selling. Very nice, but not if interest.

Where do I do to see what dealer has card "X" for sale?

Thanks

Bob

Same question as I’d like to search for a specific card, find all the archived examples for sale and be able to reach out to the sellers.

[Rhotchkiss]

I believe they activate the card show aspect on the day of (or the day before) the show start. It is supposed to be current as of the show, so those dealers who use the app need to know they are at the show, where they are and what inventory they brought.