The National

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I am going to my first National next month, and I have a general question. Are the vintage card dealers willing to deal? I mean, I know what cards go for on ebay and other auction sites. Will I find better buys at the National, or will I find higher prices? I would appreciate any words of wisdom from experienced National-goers.

[darkhorse9]

Most national dealers are reasonable and easy to work with. But remember most of them do this full time, what they don't sell at the national, they can sell at the next show so they won't take huge hits just to make a sale.

I find you csn haggle more at smaller shows with dealers who only set up four or five times a year.

[savedfrommyspokes]

In my experience at the Natl, the more you buy from one dealer, the better a discount they are willing to offer. Buy just a few cards from their table, and you are not likely to see any type of discount or willingness to negotiate. When I inquired, some dealers explained their discount structure before I began looking through their inventory, while others had this information posted.

[SMPEP]

I've always found ... the prices were ridiculously high ... until the last 4 hours of the show.

The reason to go is to get what you can't find elsewhere. If you want bargains, go late or don't go at all.

Just my two cents. (You won't find anything there for that price though.)
Patrick

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Thanks for the responses thus far. What you guys have said was sort of what I expected. Basically, I am going nuts right now. There is a vintage card I really want, but I have (at least for now) decided not to purchase because I am going to be at the National for 3 days, and I don't want to be there not being able to buy much. So, if I pass on the card I will have flexibility at the National. Of course, I really hate passing on the current card. Oh, the fun of collecting!!

[Exhibitman]

I've been to 13 or 14 Nationals [this year will be my 11th in a row]. It depends on what you want. If you are looking for postwar mainstream cards the show is a great opportunity to score great deals. It just requires spending all of the allotted time on the floor prospecting. If you think Levi Bleam is going to drop his prices 50% for PSA cards in his showcases, though, you are dreaming. The key to having a good show is flexibility--take the deals as they pop up. I have a giant want list I take covering baseball, boxing, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, tennis, surfing, track and field, and nonsport, so I can react to whatever I come across. I usually come home with a stack of cards that I didn't necessarily want but that were such good deals I could not pass them up. One other thing: if you see something great the first day, buy it! I haven't always followed that rule and I have regretted it every time.