Quote:
Originally Posted by Piedmont Sport
As I said before auction houses KILLED it - STAMP OUT AUCTIONS Dealers are now becoming auction houses - alot easier making 30% and not laying any money out or humping the cards and material in and out - standing 40 hours a weekend and eating shity food - and overpaying to support the promoters - who by the way are now auction houses. I could go on and on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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To play devil's advocate, card shows and shops were dying out long before auction houses came along. I remember around my area (about 25 miles away from Pittsburgh), there were literally like 5-6 shows a month, with 2 or 3 regular monthly shows. Those aren't counting the big one at the Palumbo Center with awesome autograph guests.
There were also stores in the mall and two great stores I used to frequent within 10-15 minutes from my house.
Those were both gone in the early 90s, long before the advent of online auctionhouses and TeleTrade, for that matter. Same with the amount/quality of shows.
There was the card boom of the 80s, then nothing. Sure, the Internet and Auction Houses put the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, but auction houses really didn't catch steam/popularity until a decade or so ago.
Plus, the majority of auction houses don't carry/sell/deal with the kind of items one would find at a normal local show. I know. The stuff at the only bi-monthly show in my area is beyond putrid, with only, literally 2 dealers with quality stuff I would even consider looking at.