Any reports from Philly?

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.