Business question about vintage baseball cards

[Mdmtx]

Joe,

I appreciate the feedback. I am hopeful that the collectors of today would be happy to have to have a store in their neighborhood with an owner would spend his hours being the lackey of the customers i.e.searching the online ads, craigslist, flea markets etc... for additions to their collection(s). All the while this person would understand that he or she could purchase cheaper, but would take their time. Time is the only thing in the world you can not replace and I am still unsure if this service of saving time to folks really has a value of any significance. I truly appreciate any and all feedback.

Mark

[drcy]

I think people would be willing to pay a reasonable percentage more when they buy it in person, as it is something they get to inspect in person. It's always chance on what you'll get in the mail when you order online.

[Mdmtx]

Thanks for the feedback DRCY. I agree with you, that is why I see value in this proposition. I just wonder if we are the minority....

Mark

[Deertick]

Mark,
As you already have experience with this you already know that your venture would be entirely dependent on your overhead. IF you were able to obtain a reasonable lease, and IF your cost of customer acquisition is low, and IF you are able to acquire inventory with a high margin, THEN you may have a shot at a decent job. None of the IF's are particularly easy.
You won't get rich, but you may be happier. As the market and technology have changed drastically in the past few decades, a strong and effective online presence would be mandatory regardless.

I too am looking for options (not a card store). I wish the best of luck to both of us!

[Mdmtx]

Deertick,
I too am the son of a sailor and love your signature. Thanks for the feedback!!!

Mark

[barrysloate]

It's going to be hard to keep adding fresh inventory of vintage baseball cards on a regular basis. And if you pay top dollar for them at auction and then mark them up 20%, you might have trouble selling them. A store sounds like a great idea but it will be a challenge to make it succeed. Wish you luck if you go through with it.

[Cfern023]

Go the online store route- anything anyone wants these days they heck online for it. If the price is the same, they go to the brick and mortar.

Undercut the local card shops by not having a store front. Make a home office, scan each card you want to sell that's high end / star players.

Set up at card shows throughout your region, buying a table for x amount of dollars. I know here in South Florida we have a Dania Beach card show every month. My the biggest event- but your name and basic inventory structure gets some face time with the locals. Business cards and a great personality will go a lot farther than hanging out and goings broke in a dying medium for collectors.

Maybe try to set up contracts with Topps or other companies to presell / stock cases of product of new releases to sell on eBay.

A storefront should only be used these days as a warehouse / office/ sales counter for a well established online presence these days.

Kind of hard to do, but a hobby at night while you work your 9-5 can grow in a few years to a full time job with some nurturing and sound decisions.

As a card collector, I buy strictly online and pass by shows once a year when I have some money burning a hole in my pocket and I want some supplies (another idea for you).

Everyone online undercuts the brick and mortars by atleast 50-60% down here. Most store look like relics from a forgotten decade or when stocked with cool inventory an expensive auction house. Most autographed photos in one store down here are faded because of sun damage- and they still want full price.

Pack pulled game used cards from the 2007 season are priced at $35 bucks and sell online for 99 cents.

Vintage cards have such a high premium for "being old" eventually he'll need to display them in a ziplock bag for their degraded ashes when they never sell.

Maybe offer on various online forums to buy game used cards and rare inserts for .50 cents to $1 a card sight unseen.

In short-
keep your day job, (easiest to say for me, hard for you to want to do)
maker the idea a hobby- and maybe even claim the loss on taxes
develop a strong online presence,
set up at multiple card shows and get your face/ stock out there
Sell supplies
Sell cases/ boxes of big current releases online
Look into drop shipping too- might help with modern product sales.

And enjoy yourself. No one is going to get rich these days in this hobby, but you can make a modest living and enjoy it.

Ps: sorry for all the typos and spelling/ grammar mistakes. Didn't think I'd type this much on my iPhone. GoodLuck with whatever you choose and just try to be happy. You don't have to listen to this 27 year old kid, but hopefully I have you some ideas.

[vintagesportscollector]

I would be willing, IF it was ONLY a 10-20% premium I saw in the store. I recently got into cards from years in memorabilia only, and I have yet to come across any brick-mortar store that only had a premium that low. I would think you would need to price higher to pay the bills, unless you can move very very high volume. Best of luck with whatever you pursue.

[MooseDog]

I opened a small general consignment shop in a downtown area of a Northern California (Bay Area) town that was recently listed as #1 based on per-capita income and despite a great lease and low expenses I have not been able to make it and am closing after 2 1/2 years of futility.

Granted, I started with one foot in the grave by not having enough capital (retail requires at least access to large amounts of cash) and hanging on much too long (I don't have many options - companies around here don't hire self employed people).

Brick and mortar retail is dead. Even established retail stores here have noted sales are trending down, and we're talking about the 1% who make up a large part of the population here.

If you have a lot of money you can afford to lose (don't touch any pensions or IRAs for startup capital), and you figure you can make your sales goals by selling 80% online and 20% in the retail store, you can probably make it. But don't count on making a high five figure salary on walk-in sales. Be VERY conservative with your estimates though. Running your own business can be a big headache and time sink, but nothing beats being your own boss.