The Local Card Store Question
by
, 05-15-2013 at 04:39 PM (2177 Views)
Another one of those popular questions that gets asked of us but for some reason it came up several times this past week. Why have so many card shops closed over the years ? This has happened to stores of all sizes over the years and the answer is simple. LACK OF LOYALTY and GREED.
With the intrusion of Ebay, Amazon and other websites the card buyer doesn't have to leave his home to buy what he wants at prices that may be cheaper then what the local card store is willing to do. With flea market vendors and other hacks selling cards without any regard for honesty or building relationships the card buyer can get cards and roll the dice as to whether they are getting a deal or not. This is really a disappointing chain of events because regular card collectors who would support a local store are vastly out numbered by those looking to buy cheap and sell high to make a quick buck or two.
The local card store was where you came to buy your packs and boxes to build your set. Then you came in with your checklist and your doubles and traded for the cards you were missing or bought them. Nowadays the card collector is a fickle crowd dominated by speculators buying rookies, jerseys, autos and so forth of their favourite players and not interested in base set collecting. Strike one for the local card shop.
Strike two was the flea market venues popping up all over and vendors reeling the fish in. For these 'sellers' it was like shooting fish in a barrel. People were knowingly going to flea markets and getting fleeced of their own free will. Now the local card store had competition for the collector's buck because the same thing the store was selling the flea market vendor could sell. The flea market vendor could use his ABC Construction vendor permit to buy the product without a store and without paying sales tax. Of course the flea market guy could sell it cheaper because he paid next to nothing to sell his stuff, he had company write offs for more stuff and he didn't claim the income from the flea market on his income tax anyway.
The final death blow or strike three for the card store owner was the internet and the various vehicles the card collector could buy from. From Ebay to Amazon and everything in between plus online card stores that only exist in the internet world the actual brick and mortar card store was done like dinner. Upper Deck tried to help the real card store owner with their 'Brick & Mortar' program but it has proven to be not worth the paper it is printed on. Our local flea markets have Upper Deck hobby product the same week it comes out as do we. For the record Panini has done nothing to help the real card stores with any seller protection.
The bottom line is the buyers have created the mess that the hobby is in by not supporting their local card store. If the store owner was trustworthy, decent and not greedy why would you go looking to buy elsewhere ? Of course these are the same people who wonder where the local card store went.
For the record I have been in this hobby for over 35 years and opened my first card store in 1990. In June we will be closing our existing card store for the exact reasons I have detailed above