Any reports from Philly?

[bbcard1]

Just curious on how the Saturday went. I would like to see this show take root.

[forazzurri2axz]

just talked to someone there--says it's dead

[Frank A]

I was there on friday. Thought there would be a lot more dealers. Met some good Net 54 members. Just about the only ones with early stuff. No admission to get in. It looked slow. Frank

[bbcard1]

Is it the venue or the collector base in the area? I know they dropped about $10K on advertising...

[Chris D.]

I was there today. For me, it was a waste of time unfortunately. It was dead. Not a lot of buyers. A lot of empty dealer space. I got there when the doors opened and left in less than an hour. Bought nothing. I inquired about a card but the dealer was asking so much above what the card was worth that I didn't bother to make an offer. Oh well.

[Jay Wolt]

Was there yesterday for maybe 5 hours, granted did more socializing then buying. Appreciated the Free admission since I brought the family.
Was great seeing buyers & sellers that I've dealt with in the past. The internet is convenient, but it loses the personal touch.
So the "feel" of the show is great regardless of the outcome of your purchases.

It was good seeing some N54'ers on both sides of the table. Picked up my winnings from the night before from Brian (Sterling auctions)
Gave him some consignments as well, so saved on the shipping on both ends.
Saw John (Wonka) & Dan at their table, they had some great stuff and plenty of stories.
Even went outside w/ John to see his new ride...absolutely sick! He even offered to take me for a spin
but was with my boy and his son, so had to pass.
The grandson turned 6 months old yesterday, so was glad to break him in on a card show, before they come extinct.

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

Is it the venue or the collector base in the area? I know they dropped about $10K on advertising...

I'm not sure what the issue is with this show and why it seems to be going downhill. I don't think it is the venue. The venue is not far from a major highway and is easy to get to from the turnpike as well. It is also only about 5 minutes down the road from the Hunt show. The New Jersey show is a bit more out of the way, yet the last one was packed (though primarily with autograph seekers).

I thought the first Oaks show was great, though a little under attended. Each show since then has seemed to get progressively worse. While I've heard that they have advertised for the show, I'm not sure where. The only advertisements I have seen were the banners on this site and their website. Admittedly, I'm two hours away in NJ so I may be outside their target marketing area. To me it doesn't matter how much money is spent on advertising if it doesn't reach the target population. Can anyone advise where the show has been advertised?

I also think not having either PSA or SGC set up to take submissions hurts. Whether you like grading or not, both services will bring people in the door. I think the show is currently in a negative cycle since attendance is down, dealers are hesitant to come (not to mention needing to decide between the Oaks show and the Hunt show), and with less dealers, customers don't feel its worth coming. I noted yesterday that the following were not setup: Baggers, Huggins and Scott, and William Chappell. Unfortunately, I think if the show continues as it is, it will not last much longer.

dj

[Buythatcard]

I was there this afternoon. It was quite slow. There was actually one table where they were selling computers.

The highlight of the show was that I finally met Ted and Dan. Two real nice guys.

[hammer]

I have been giving this alot of thought and if there is no one coming to the shows anymore to sell because of E-bay and other auctions House as Memorylane, REA, Goodwin, and on and on how are the dealers going to buy fresh material and still keep in business?

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by hammer

if there is no one coming to the shows anymore to sell because of E-bay and other auctions House as Memorylane, REA, Goodwin, and on and on how are the dealers going to buy fresh material and still keep in business?

Dealers will then buy from auction houses and various internet sellers like eBay & dealer websites

[bbcard1]

This one is vexing. I know Marco advertised extensively in the Philadelphia enquirer and the digital bllboards on the highway plus some radio. So far as shows go, of the ones I know of, the national does well as does Chantilly and the Cincy Moeller show at Thanksgiving. What other regional shows (100+ tables) do well anymore?

I do find a lot of show dealers have become museums...they have no real interest in selling at a reasonable retail. Or they have some 1990 Donruss sets. I buy a lot off Net 54 and a little off ebay. I go to shows every chance I get, but I will be the first to admit there is nothing more frustrating than driving four hours to a show and not finding anything to buy.

[eliminator]

I wonder with ebay and the different internet sites how dealers can buy anything and then turn around and sell for a profit when they are competing with potential buyers who are also buying off the internet. It's not like twenty years ago when dealers would travel around to hotels and people would bring in their collections or you would take your collections into cards shops for sale.

I buy exclusively off the internet and when i go to a card show, if i can find pre-war material, it's usually two to three times the price on the internet.

I respect the dealers right to make a profit, however, the internet has really affected the availability and values of cards and made it tough to have a retail facility or sell at card shows, in my opinion.

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

This one is vexing. I know Marco advertised extensively in the Philadelphia enquirer and the digital bllboards on the highway plus some radio. So far as shows go, of the ones I know of, the national does well as does Chantilly and the Cincy Moeller show at Thanksgiving. What other regional shows (100+ tables) do well anymore?

I do find a lot of show dealers have become museums...they have no real interest in selling at a reasonable retail. Or they have some 1990 Donruss sets. I buy a lot off Net 54 and a little off ebay. I go to shows every chance I get, but I will be the first to admit there is nothing more frustrating than driving four hours to a show and not finding anything to buy.

From what I've seen at Strongsville (outside of Cleveland) the past three years, that show, though smaller compared to years past, is strong. The dealers who set up have quality inventory, and more important, they're there to sell. I didn't see any hawking computers or beanie babies.

As for the attendees, I think a dealer I spoke to last week summed it up well when he said that collectors who attend Strongsville are there with a specific purpose in mind; they're looking to buy specific things. As opposed to just wandering around, killing time until the line forms for the autograph guest they came for.