OT - Example of why card collecting is dying re: Topps

[kengoldin]

I need to defend Topps here
I was called at my home by the reporter at 9pm at night last night.
After getting the call and doing an interview, I contacted a vp of Topps at home.
I was informed that their e commerce site processes sales for the MBPAA. The item was sold out after his home runs. It is not even a "Topps item".
I am confident they are going to find a Murphy bat and fulfill the order.

[Cozumeleno]

Ken beat me to it, but my guess was that Topps wasn't even fulfilling the orders themselves and that the item could just have sold out due to his recent popularity.

This isn't to say that the kid doesn't have a right to feel cheated since they took the order at the time. But I can't believe that a Murphy bat elsewhere can't be had for $175.00. If I were Topps, I'd find a way to fulfill the order.

As an aside, Topps is actually a really great company in my book. For my first job out of college, I worked at a very small charity for an extremely rare disorder that was a regional branch of a larger 'parent'. We had like three full-time employees, annual revenues of like $100,000, and were complete nobodies.

We had a sports auction every year and without fail, Topps would send us hundreds of unopened packs (newer, but premium stuff like Chrome, etc.). We didn't have any connections or anything - just sent a random letter to them every year. I'm sure other people may have horror stories about them, but I always thought that was a really stand up thing to do.

[kengoldin]

From Topps to me in an email just now

The bat will be delivered and MLBPAA and Topps plan to jointly release the following statement:

“Topps and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association are confirming that the sale of the Daniel Murphy bat will be honored. Topps and MLBPAA apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused and are fully committed to giving baseball fans and its collectors nothing but the best customer experience possible.”

[sportscardpete]

Good to see all is well.. after it gets publicized

[packs]

Yeah I'm happy the kid gets what he wanted in the end, but like was mentioned only after this became a story.

[rjackson44]

Thanks Ken for the good news octavio

[sbfinley]

Not being sarcastic at all (I really don't read him unless it's linked here or else where), but does O'Keeffe ever write a positive story about the hobby? Not that it would push papers, but as the only sports reporter in the nation (sans the occasional KO piece) that regularly covers the hobby I'd assume he is a hobbyist. Some good pub might help said hobby that everyone swears is dying due to Call of Duty kids.

[Rich Klein]

If I remmeber from his Net 54 speech -- he is not an hobbyist but a reporter.

And let's face it --- to pull a previously ordered item is not right --- and the father got some pub and when a child is involved -- great story which sells papers and eyes to web site.

And while not we want to see, on a buisness level -- I understand why that is written about in the papers

Rich

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by kengoldin

I need to defend Topps here
I was called at my home by the reporter at 9pm at night last night.
After getting the call and doing an interview, I contacted a vp of Topps at home.
I was informed that their e commerce site processes sales for the MBPAA. The item was sold out after his home runs. It is not even a "Topps item".
I am confident they are going to find a Murphy bat and fulfill the order.

Nope. Not going to let them off the hook. Doesn't really matter where the screw-up was - Topps had the item on their site. They said it was in stock and took the $$. That makes any problems their responsibility. Period.

[iowadoc77]

Originally Posted by Tabe

Nope. Not going to let them off the hook. Doesn't really matter where the screw-up was - Topps had the item on their site. They said it was in stock and took the $$. That makes any problems their responsibility. Period.

Being a small business owner, I believe that the measure of a business is not if a mistake is made, because mistakes are made, but in the reaction to that mistake. Ultimately that is a testament to the quality and integrity of the business. Topps made a mistake. If they follow through and make it right, then I respect them for that. If not, then the converse is true.

[packs]

I can buy that it was a simple mistake IF the circumstances weren't as they are. The kid had a guarantee that the bat would be delivered by a certain date. That's very specific and goes beyond whether or not something is in stock, because if it's not, then why the guarantee?

Secondly, I sympathize with the father because you can't help but see the offer to remedy the situation as an upsell. 25 % off a $500 Mike Trout bat.

[Laxcat]

Agreed. Sorry we sold that Impala that you preordered but we will give you 25% off this corvette.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by iowadoc77

Being a small business owner, I believe that the measure of a business is not if a mistake is made, because mistakes are made, but in the reaction to that mistake. Ultimately that is a testament to the quality and integrity of the business. Topps made a mistake. If they follow through and make it right, then I respect them for that. If not, then the converse is true.

As another small business owner I agree.^^^

On a positive note I hand out snack size zip lock bags with 10 cards in it to each kid that gets drug along on Saturday mornings to my produce stand. I buy modern GU/Auto lots and include 1 along with some Twins cards and HOFer and star players from the junk era. Only had a few kids say they didn't want them and had a few adults ask for 1.

[obcbobd]

I think the next 10-20 years the vintage card market will be very healthy. As mentioned earlier, in the 70's there was a huge increase in vintage card collectors which resulted in increased prices based on simple supply and demand principles. As that generation, including myself, dies off (tried to come up with a nicer way of saying that, but ...) there may not be an equal number of people taking their place, which could result in a flattening or even decrease in prices. However, I think the hobby will still go on and be relatively strong as long as Baseball is popular, and looking at attendance figures I do not think it is going away anytime soon.

So if you are 20 and just beginning to enter the hobby, I would not advise buying cards as an investment to fund your retirement. Treat it as a hobby and by the time you retire you may be able to pick up some nicer cards relatively cheap, at least by today's standards.

[packs]

I think we'll some massive sell offs all at the same time in the next decade and that will drive prices way down, though maybe only temporarily. I don't think after a big time collector dies that their family will pass everything down. If you've got a T206 set and you're 65 today, in the next 10 years that set will likely hit the market. And there are a lot of 65 year olds with T206 sets.