Success Rate

[stlcardinalsfan]

out of everything ive sent out only ones i havnt gotten back were

tom pagnozzi
erik bedard
tim lincecum
tommy lasorda


ive sent out 80 and havnt gotten back 4

those were when i very first started doing this as well back in 2009.

[Blargh]

60% up to the latest TTM received.

[Shoremuad]

So how do you decide to send to, to ensure a return?

[indyreds]

Welcome indyreds, your current overall success rate is 90%

To be fair I do not enter emaill successes unless I actually get a returfn and I usually do not take time to enter ST requests into the TTM at all. I really prefer the TTM ST success threads on them due to the quantity I have done a few years.

[Shoremuad]

I don't include email either. Is there anyone here how knows their email success apart from the snail mail?

[cyberer]

I'm baffled by these success rates. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I don't send to "longshots" and I am DEFINITELY below 50%, probably significantly below. I keep a paper record of my returns so I don't feel like tabulating it, but I have page after page of entries with no returns and seemingly only a few returns.

[Shoremuad]

I'm baffled by these success rates. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I don't send to "longshots" and I am DEFINITELY below 50%, probably significantly below. I keep a paper record of my returns so I don't feel like tabulating it, but I have page after page of entries with no returns and seemingly only a few returns.

I agree with you sice i started I peaked at 46%. Maybe the SCF calc. is skewed. Either way I've always been told that 30% is the avg. return with that said. I didn't take long shots until recently.

[Sawks14]

So how do you decide to send to, to ensure a return?

For the most part I strictly send baseball HOF. They have a pretty well established history of addys, techniques, and prices. I usually follow that stuff faithfully. Once in a while I throw one deep and come up with something out of the norm like Koufax or Frank Robinson but for the most part I stick to whats documented and play it safe.

[Shoremuad]

For the most part I strictly send baseball HOF. They have a pretty well established history of addys, techniques, and prices. I usually follow that stuff faithfully. Once in a while I throw one deep and come up with something out of the norm like Koufax or Frank Robinson but for the most part I stick to whats documented and play it safe.

From my experience HOFers usually charge

[djauwerda]

Hey guys, lots of great questions here, I want to explain what I do, and why I think my return rate is as good as it is. This is not a definitive list of why I've had success by any stretch, but I think it will help explain some of my success.

1. Use the TTM. Look players up there, see how they are at returning. If you haven't already, you should also look at Sportscollectors.net. Fantastic resource. These will give you fairly accurate return rates and addresses where people have had success. By no means to I only send to players that are great signers. But using the TTM is a great first step to boost your success rate.

2. I write all my requests by hand. I think it's more personal and legitimate than typing something up that I can cut / paste and regurgitate. If I'm asking for a signature from someone, I think the least I can do is take the time to make the request as personal as possible. Yes, it takes forever, but I think it helps, especially with longshots.

For example, I sent a request to Solly Drake, a former Cubs outfielder from the 1950's who is now a minister in Los Angeles. He does not have a great history of signing, either in person or TTM. I sent him a nice letter, and I also enclosed a $20 donation for his church. My letter was sincere, and I eventually received a return from him, with my donation returned as well. If I had sent a typed request, I think it would have been ignored. Sometimes, it just depends on the mood of the signer, too. This doesn't always work, for example, I tried Lou Johnson (Another former Cub who is a tough signer) in the same manner... haven't seen it come back yet. It's part of the chance.

3. Know if a player charges for a signature or not. Some do, some don't. Some prefer cash, some prefer checks. Do your homework. If you have any doubt, send a few bucks to sweeten the deal. Just remember, don't send more than your comfortable parting with if they don't send back.

4. I seem to get better returns from older players. Guys from the 40's, 50's, & 60's, in my experience, seem to be better signers than the younger players. For my Cubs retro project, I've enjoyed a lot of success. Out of 110 requests sent out over the last year for this project, I've received 98 back. Four of the players I sent to passed away before I received a return, and the other 8 have not responded for whatever reason. I've also had similar success with older Chicago Bears, White Sox, and Blackhawks. Why are the old guys better for me? Who knows. But they have been.

Anyway, that's just my two cents. Hope it helps!