So I walked into a card store today, and was puzzled by...

[jchcollins]

I would agree that for the few remaining storefront LCS operations, modern in the vast majority of cases is their bread and butter. For the past 2+ years, I've been lucky enough to have an LCS that did both that and vintage well, but with the onset of Covid, I went in one day probably in early June and the vintage was suddenly all gone. The owner had removed all the singles from his cases - citing I guess an increased risk if passing back and forth single cards - and is now "for the time being" (I'm guessing longer...) doing just new product and the breaks and the hobby boxes, etc. I was lucky enough to get some fantastic deals from him on vintage that I was interested in in the past, but the truth is he has more than enough customers that I would guess average in their 20's and early 30's who will come in and loiter for hours at a time, dropping cash left and right on modern and breaking it with him. Just over the last month or so I really kind of tried to plead my case - saying hey, can you look for XYZ for me? He knows what I collect, and has the stuff somewhere - but it's just not worth his time anymore. He of course promised to go hunting for me, but never has. Last week I was told "Sorry, we had 4 new releases this week." Ok. Disappointing, (especially considering the cash I have dropped with him on vintage in the past 2 years...) but I guess I get it. As for me anymore, eBay singles and buying elsewhere online for vintage is simply a ton easier. That's where I'm going to focus my efforts in the future. I'm all for supporting the local little guy, but if he's not interested anymore, then I'm not going to hound him to death forever.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

with the onset of Covid, I went in one day probably in early June and the vintage was suddenly all gone. The owner had removed all the singles from his cases - citing I guess an increased risk if passing back and forth single cards - and is now "for the time being" (I'm guessing longer...) doing just new product and the breaks and the hobby boxes, etc. I was lucky enough to get some fantastic deals from him on vintage that I was interested in in the past, but the truth is he has more than enough customers that I would guess average in their 20's and early 30's who will come in and loiter for hours at a time, dropping cash left and right on modern and breaking it with him.

...which is, ironically, far riskier from a Covid standpoint than handing a vintage card to someone.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by ASF123

...which is, ironically, far riskier from a Covid standpoint than handing a vintage card to someone.

Of course. I would go in, find what I wanted, sometimes spend hundreds of dollars on a single card, and then leave. The guys who do the hobby boxes are ALWAYS in there, no matter if I come in at 10 am or 4:30 pm. They are there when I come in, there when I leave, and there the next week. Sometimes I wonder if they have jobs.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Of course. I would go in, find what I wanted, sometimes spend hundreds of dollars on a single card, and then leave. The guys who do the hobby boxes are ALWAYS in there, no matter if I come in at 10 am or 4:30 pm. They are there when I come in, there when I leave, and there the next week. Sometimes I wonder if they have jobs.

"If I flip two Jasson Dominguezes, I can pay my rent for the year!"

It's difficult to even find a card shop near where I live must less one with any vintage cards. The ones we do have deal in mostly new stuff. Every now and then they'll get a vintage card but it does sit for a long while before it moves. Online sales don't seem to have been affected. I end up bidding high on most of what I want and seems other do as well. He's probably not an internet guy but has been strictly brick and mortar the lifespan of his shop. Even though I'm mostly a vintage collector I have been really digging some of the new tobacco card sized new cards and I still love to open packs.