Results 21 to 30 of 39
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02-20-2006, 02:28 PM #21
Ya, well said. I have always had mostly nice stores by me. It turns out, the card store Id been going to since I was 3, was the meanest guy Ik. Hes the only one who doesnt know me by name, yet the guys Ive been going to for almost 3-4 years, knew me in less than a month. The nicest store around me, the owner was so nice, he went under. For my birthday, he gave me 2 MVP Bron RCs, and a few packs of cards. I was quite suprised, as I dont get that all the time. He ended up being too nice, and going under. He was such a nice guy too. As for stores appeasing there customers, I see where your coming from. My stepdad owns a computer store, in which weve made it as friendly as possible. If the people dropping in there comps want to wait and watch, they can do so. We have chairs for them. We put in a couch, and a tv with cable if they wish to wait. Magazines, etc, are everywhere. We only hire people who know there stuff, and are friendly. Weve been open almost a year now, and people come back whenever they need help. Its definitely because of our service and friendliness, or they wouldnt be back.
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02-20-2006, 02:52 PM #22
I find that most card store owners aren't very nice at all. That's not to say all, but more are sirley than nice.
That said, lots of people say the internet as the downfall to shops. While that does have an impact, the fact that a lot of these owners are non people persons as well as not very good business men are probably the main factors as to why they can't make money. Again, that's not to say all. I've just seen my fair share of knuckleheads try to start shops and don't really have a clue. They just know they like cards.
m
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02-20-2006, 03:02 PM #23
The card shop by me the owner is awesome along with all their employees, as son as you walk in they ask hey how is it going you need help finding anything. So i love to give them my buisness, and because of that I am a regular. I pulled a couple nice cards out of the packs i bought their. I went back a week later to get supplies the guy stil remembered me and congratulated me on my pulls again. They have a very nice inviroment, their boxes are preatty cheap and they sell their singles at decent prices. This is the kind of card shop I am sure a lot of people would like to have, I know i do, unlike some places where i walk in they dont say anything most likely because I am a kid, a grown up walks in, they say hey hows it going , so i just left, and have stayed at the card shop i have mentioned first.. NOTE TO CARD SHOP OWNERS, first impressions make everything, and welcome kids too because if they collect thats where all their money goes to, thanks for the long read
Matt
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02-20-2006, 07:39 PM #24
There is not a "card shop" in my area. However, there is a hobby store that offers all kinds of sports cards. Almost like a card store within a hobby store. I do not know how he treats the rest of his customers, but he treats me great. He knows what I like, and all I have to do is let him know what I am interested in and he will get it and place it before me. As far as prices his general rule is the more you buy the more you save. He will budge on anything with the exception of Hall of Fame autographs and Hall of Fame game used which he usually prices below BV but not that much.
As some others have mentioned I prefer buying in person as opposed to ebay. I can go to the hobby store and pick up a single I need or like for .1-.25 without s/h. However, when buying on ebay I end up spending what I saved on BV on the s/h prices.
-Lewis
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02-24-2006, 06:35 PM #25
As a shop owner, I'll give you this advice. Do NOT bring up the word Ebay. I can't tell you how tiring that is. That defensive attitude is exactly what you will get from most owners. Personally I try to stay positive, no matter how annoying the individual might be. Realize that we have to hear about Ebay ALL THE TIME.
Ebay allows most of the collectors to buy products for around what we pay to stock them. That is not a pretty situation. Of course, the large card whoring operations sell direct to the public at wholesale prices as well. One such company is hugely popular here on the forum. Many shops have closed because they lost all their "whales" to these type of outfits.
This is one of the few businesses where a legitimate wholesale/retail relationship does not exist. Just about anybody can buy the products for the same or pretty damn close to what we pay. It's a challenge we put up with on a daily basis.
As far as the rude shop owner, absolutely no excuse for that. I don't care what biz you're in, you need to have decent customer service skills. If you get the feeling the owners/employees don't care whether you shop there or not, certainly find somewhere that does.
It always makes me cringe to hear the negative perceptions that exist about us shop owners on this forum. I can't tell you how frustrating and embarassing it is to have a customer tell me he can buy a product for "x" when "x" represents about $3 over my cost. It's not an accident that shops are dropping like flies. We fight these battles every day.
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02-24-2006, 06:54 PM #26
Amen to that tomkatt but there is good news... The manufactors are supposed to be starting to act out at the people selling boxes at or below cost on ebay.. This sellers, distributors are in danger of losing their ordering rights.. 2 iv heard that were selling the 06 topps sets on ebay have already had their HTA rights removed.
Selling items at cost on ebay is what drives down the value of individual cards and their sets.
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02-24-2006, 07:13 PM #27
Great discussion...
My thoughts as a collector: I go to the shops that treat me the best. The shop I go to in Cincinnati is great because they treat everyone that comes in like they want them there. The shop owner has always put an emphasis on children as well, and I think that is key. He actually treats the hobby like a hobby, not just as a business.
His prices end up usually being higher than most other places, but not unfair by any means. I would rather buy 100 boxes from him and pay more than buy one box at cost from most of the other places I've been to.
The things that tend to drive me away from a card shop are:
1) Owners treating their customers like idiots
2) Owners who don't have time for my questions
3) Owners who don't do anything for kids at the shop (giveaways, trade nights, etc.)
4) Owners who don't present themselves professionally (this is a big one for me)
On that last one...there is a shop not two minutes from where I work, but after having gone in there several times I will never go in again. Typically the person working is on the phone and dressed like a slob. Hey, I'm not saying you need to wear a suit and tie, but at least do some laundry. They allow some of the regulars who dress/smell the same to just hang out in there. These people often tend to make rude comments about women, other ethnicities, etc. that make me not want to step foot in their shop again. The bad thing about it is that the owner himself isn't a bad guy at all, but his other workers/lingering patrons make his shop way less appealing.
Anyway, I really believe that those who are into this hobby for the hobby (not just for investing, making $, etc.) probably feel obligated to their local shop because when you find a good owner and a good shop, it makes collecting fun. You can enjoy those bad box breaks from time to time because you are collecting, not investing.
And I second buying the Becketts at the shop...support your local shop!
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02-24-2006, 07:23 PM #28
The few shops that I go to are rather high compared to ebay(and they know this but arent bitter about it), they have great customer service and I do pay a bit more overall for their stuff because I know the staff rather well. Of course they also rely heavily on non sports and a cafe attached to one of them to help pay the bills. one advantage of them going by bv alone is if a card is selling for more than bv you can get steals, nabbed me a card for 40 that sells for well over a 120 consistently every time its on ebay :)
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02-24-2006, 08:22 PM #29
The shop I go to here in Alaska is a small shop owned by a guy that is real nice. The pack/box prices are a little higher at times tham the larger store /chain here but I don't just go there for the price. I decided a while ago to give him 99% of my business. The thing I like about the shop is you can go in & talk to him & shoot the #$@% about cards & sports in general. Sometimes myself & a co-worker will pick up lunch somewhere & just go there for our lunch hour just to hang out. You won't find that on ebay. + have you ever got an itch to just go buy some packs or whatever & headed down to the local guy & Bam, in hand & busted. I buy 80% of my cards by the pack, I would never trust someone on ebay for buying packs. Too easy to search them anymore.
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02-24-2006, 10:47 PM #30
Originally Posted by Dr. Clyde
This is my point exactly.
Opening a few packs at a card shop is eons above opening up a few packs from Target by yourself in your car/in the john/at home. That is, when you have a shop you can trust and treats you right, and where you feel like you can go to just chill.
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