So I will be going to my first card show on Saturday, February 3rd. I have never been to a card show in my 34 years being alive, and I have a few questions. I will BOLDFACE them so they are easy to see.
Here is a link to the show's FB page. From what I can tell, it is at a hotel and starts at 9AM. My main hopes for the show are to find a bunch of dime boxes to go through and hopefully find some guys in my Favorite Player Collection, some refractors/shiny cards, and maybe a relic or two. I have no idea what my budget is going to be, but I'm hoping I can get some deals in the dime boxes and get a bunch of cards.
I have a bunch of cards in my collection right now that I want to get rid of. Mainly manu-patches and some non-baseball Allen & Ginter minis. I don't really know how it works at shows, but I was wondering if I would be able to bring the cards in and offer to trade/sell them to any of the people who have booths set up. I would love to get rid of some of those cards and use them to add cards I really want to my collection.
The next question is probably going to determine how my day is going to be. I figure my wife and 18 month old son will tag along with me. I honestly don't know how my son will be, I assume he will get cranky at some point. I'm almost hoping I can just get in and out really quick, but if I'm digging through dime boxes, I don't know if that will happen. Has anyone ever brought a baby that young to a show? Did it go well? I figure we will bring a stroller, so hopefully he will fall asleep in it, but I really want to take my time digging through boxes, and I think with the baby and my wife with me that they will probably want to leave pretty quick. Are there any tips to digging through dime boxes quickly?
Has anyone haggled after digging through dime boxes? If I have, say 100 cards, is it acceptable to offer like 8 bucks, or is it kind of frowned upon since I'm already looking at the cheapest cards as it is? Do I have to have a certain number of cards from a dime box before I try to haggle?
I think that covers all of the questions I have. I'm hoping to get there as the doors open and hopefully make it until at least lunch. Then head home, sort through my purchases, and hopefully have a post up quickly. Thanks for giving me some answers.
-Jeremy
Here is a link to the show's FB page. From what I can tell, it is at a hotel and starts at 9AM. My main hopes for the show are to find a bunch of dime boxes to go through and hopefully find some guys in my Favorite Player Collection, some refractors/shiny cards, and maybe a relic or two. I have no idea what my budget is going to be, but I'm hoping I can get some deals in the dime boxes and get a bunch of cards.
I have a bunch of cards in my collection right now that I want to get rid of. Mainly manu-patches and some non-baseball Allen & Ginter minis. I don't really know how it works at shows, but I was wondering if I would be able to bring the cards in and offer to trade/sell them to any of the people who have booths set up. I would love to get rid of some of those cards and use them to add cards I really want to my collection.
The next question is probably going to determine how my day is going to be. I figure my wife and 18 month old son will tag along with me. I honestly don't know how my son will be, I assume he will get cranky at some point. I'm almost hoping I can just get in and out really quick, but if I'm digging through dime boxes, I don't know if that will happen. Has anyone ever brought a baby that young to a show? Did it go well? I figure we will bring a stroller, so hopefully he will fall asleep in it, but I really want to take my time digging through boxes, and I think with the baby and my wife with me that they will probably want to leave pretty quick. Are there any tips to digging through dime boxes quickly?
Has anyone haggled after digging through dime boxes? If I have, say 100 cards, is it acceptable to offer like 8 bucks, or is it kind of frowned upon since I'm already looking at the cheapest cards as it is? Do I have to have a certain number of cards from a dime box before I try to haggle?
I think that covers all of the questions I have. I'm hoping to get there as the doors open and hopefully make it until at least lunch. Then head home, sort through my purchases, and hopefully have a post up quickly. Thanks for giving me some answers.
-Jeremy
I find that some dealers will offer me a discounted price when I buy a ton of stuff from the dime boxes without even being asked, but others won't. So nothing wrong with asking. That said, if it matters to you, maybe after you've started and seen that you may buy a lot, ask whether he'd be open to a quantity discount, because if you pick out 100 cards and then ask, either you have no leverage or you may have just wated a lot of time, you know?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it hurts to bring some trade bait to a show, but don't be surprised if the dealer expect you to trade in their favor. I'm not saying they will expect this... but don't be surprised, because they're paying for the cost of set up and as a result you might need to treat it as if you're dealing with a card shop.
ReplyDeleteAs for discounts, It definitely doesn't hurt to ask. Like Brett stated, you might want to ask beforehand.
Have fun at your first show!
Here are a few tips I've picked up:
ReplyDelete-do a quick walkthrough of the room first. If your time is going to be limited, you want to prioritize the tables that will be most likely to have cards you want.
-Don't be afraid to haggle. Particularly on dime cards. Sellers make most of their money off higher ticket items, so they'll usually be happy to knock a couple bucks off. Many of the sellers I buy from will knock a couple dollars off without me even asking.
-While taking tradebait isn't a terrible idea, expect offers that are pennies on the dollar. But if time is limited, I'd say maybe just focus on buying.
-I can't tell you the first thing about kids. But when we lived in Ohio, we would drive about an hour and a half to shows in Dayton. My wife would drop me at the show and then go to some stores in the area that liked. If there's anything in the area that might be fun for her and/or the little one, that might be the way to go. Card shows are pretty dull unless you're buying cards.
-As for digging through dime boxes, I have a technique where I hold a stack in my right hand and using my right thumb shuffle them to my left hand in the same order they were in my right hand. Sort of hard to explain, but I've only ever seen one person flip through boxes faster than me. Even then, going through dime boxes is time consuming, and time flies by.
Most importantly, have fun! Stick to your budget, bring cash, and try not to have any expectations. Shows are a crap shoot. I've been to small shows that had a ton of great tables, and big shows where I walked out spending $5. Good luck! Hope you have a good time and find some cool cards for your collection.
I don't have a kid, but occasionally my wife will go on a road trip with me to a show. I've learned I have more fun when I know she's not waiting on me. She came in once, which I think was to see what it was all about, but I knew she didn't really have any interest in being there. I was more worried about her becoming impatient than anything else to focus on the show and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteShe started reading books in the car, which made things better, but now she finds something else to do (shopping or meeting up with a friend) and we're both pretty happy. I can spend a few hours at the show and not worry about her becoming bored or frustrated with how long I'm roaming the aisles.
I have to imagine having a little one around would only make me worry more. Just something to think about.
Thanks to you all for your answers. I plan to do what you guys said and ask for discounts if I plan to buy alot and haggle. The plan is for my wife and son to drop me off and do stuff with her cousin, so hopefully that will allow me to make the most of my time. I'm hoping my father-in-law or brother-in-law can come along, cause that would make the show a nice time to catch up with the guys without our girls around for a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I think you guys answered my questions and I can't wait to post about the show in a little over a week.