COMC - accepting the reality

[30ranfordfan]

COMC notes condition issues with cards. Dinged corners, etc. It's not a perfect system.... I'm sure there's been things they've missed... but I've never bought a card there, and had a problem with condition (and I have purchased 100s of cards there)

If you're a COMC user, and an eBay user - I've posted this a few times.... you are FAR better off buying the card on COMC. When COMC users run sales, those discounts are not reflected on the eBay prices. You can often see the same card on COMC for half the asking price on eBay. Even if there is no sale - if you sell your COMC card on eBay (or Amazon) you only get 80% of the sale price. Know what that means? If I'm trying to sell a card for $10.... and I'm willing to accept $8 for it (by agreeing to sell on eBay) I'm probably willing to sell it to you directly for $8 as well.

[jcharles66]

It's certainly true you can use scans to judge quality on most cards. Just keep in mind that COMC uses stock images for many of the ePack cards. Here's their response to me on 2/28/17 when I noticed the same images were being used for certain cards:

"Thank you for contacting us. All items that are consigned through COMC receive their own unique scan. That being said, ePack items are treated a little differently as they are not considered consigned items when they are transferred from the ePack service to their owner's COMC account. It is true that we do use stock images for some Upper Deck ePack items. When we receive ePack products from Upper Deck, we receive clear directive from UD as to which items are to receive unique scans and which are to be processed using stock images. While this directive varies from set to set, generally what we have seen is that the majority of non-serial numbered, non-autographed, non-memorabilia base cards are processed using stock images. There are a few circumstances where this is not the case however, such as the non-serial numbered Young Guns cards which are a part of the base set checklist."

Happy collecting!

[Leafsman]

Said it once, probably said it a thousand times, will probably say it a thousand more times....If you're in this HOBBY to make MONEY, it's not a HOBBY! If we as collectors need to blame anyone, don't blame the card companies, don't blame the NHLPA ( Yes, I've even seen comments about the poor state of the HOBBY because the PA gave Upper Deck exclusivity! ). We as collectors need to blame ourselves! If the so called HOBBYISTS stopped searching for the next big player every year, and/ or stopped " collecting"only as a means to turn a profit, maybe there wouldn't be a rush to flood COMC with non existent cards?
I remember when this HOBBY was about being a kid who spent his allowance buying waxpacks because it was cool to collect, and do schoolyard trading. Never once was I offered cash for my cards back then. Now, I see a story about a kid who won't go back on epacks, because he (or she) got bullied by some "HOBBYIST" in the chat room! Why? Because the kid wouldn't swing a deal that was so obviously one sided, and the so called adult started name calling!
Is that what the hobby has come to? All I can say is, if you're buying cards hoping to turn a profit, seriously, stop! You are part of the problem! Do I know what my cards are worth? Roughly. Do I care? Not really. I TRADE because it's fun, not because I have to make a profit!
Remember, when our time comes, nobody will care who has the most Auston Matthews Young Guns!

I love this statement so much. This is a hobby, first and foremost. Those who buy cards hoping to make a profit would be better off putting their money into an investment fund where there is a high probability of a return on their investment.

I have seen cards on ebay from COMC and ebay sellers alike, and prices on some of the cards are ridiculous. This is the flaw in ebay sellers...they expect that their copy of a card will sell for the same amount as other copies have sold for. When it doesn't fetch what they thought it would, they get upset. This hobby is made up of cardboard, ink, and fabric.

I stay away from COMC. My situation is difficult because I don't have PayPal or a credit card, and I have no intention of getting either of those. Even with my situation, I have gotten some nice deals through ebay thanks to some understanding sellers.

I collect for fun. The difficulty is that I collect BGS 9.5 rookie cards. My reason for collecting those is not for profit. I collect those because I have cerebral palsy and as a result, I don't like handling my cards because I have full use of one arm and I tend to damage the cards if I have to transfer them to toploaders, for example. I collect graded cards because I know the cards are guaranteed to be in the condition stated on the label. If I do drop them, they rarely break.

Tony

[SenatorCollector]

I love this statement so much. This is a hobby, first and foremost. Those who buy cards hoping to make a profit would be better off putting their money into an investment fund where there is a high probability of a return on their investment.

I have seen cards on ebay from COMC and ebay sellers alike, and prices on some of the cards are ridiculous. This is the flaw in ebay sellers...they expect that their copy of a card will sell for the same amount as other copies have sold for. When it doesn't fetch what they thought it would, they get upset. This hobby is made up of cardboard, ink, and fabric.

I stay away from COMC. My situation is difficult because I don't have PayPal or a credit card, and I have no intention of getting either of those. Even with my situation, I have gotten some nice deals through ebay thanks to some understanding sellers.

I collect for fun. The difficulty is that I collect BGS 9.5 rookie cards. My reason for collecting those is not for profit. I collect those because I have cerebral palsy and as a result, I don't like handling my cards because I have full use of one arm and I tend to damage the cards if I have to transfer them to toploaders, for example. I collect graded cards because I know the cards are guaranteed to be in the condition stated on the label. If I do drop them, they rarely break.

Tony

+1Tony! To add further fuel, I myself recently packed pulled an Auston Matthews RC (16/17 OPC Platinum) and a non collector friend asked what my plans were. Told him I'll probably trade it, because if I do what seems to be the norm lately and offer to sell it, I become the thing I dislike most...A non hobby hobbyist!

[30ranfordfan]

I have no idea the value of the Matthews - but this is what I don't understand about the dislike some have for selling off nice hits:

If you can trade that card for something you'd like for your own collection and it's "give or take" equal value - I think you're doing it the right way. Keeping cash out of the transaction reduces fees, makes things less complicated, easy and a fun way to do it.

What if you can't? And this is a bigger issue the more valuable cards get. Instead of pulling a $25 Matthews (I'm making up a number) what if you pull one that's worth $500 ?? Selling a card for what it's worth, and then spending that money on cards you want - I don't see any shame in that... or how it would make you any less of a hobbyist.

When I buy wax I would always prefer to trade first - but if I can't trade, and I can sell, that's almost as good IMO.

+1Tony! To add further fuel, I myself recently packed pulled an Auston Matthews RC (16/17 OPC Platinum) and a non collector friend asked what my plans were. Told him I'll probably trade it, because if I do what seems to be the norm lately and offer to sell it, I become the thing I dislike most...A non hobby hobbyist!

[subban7677]

To add to the last post, I have a very strict budget right now when it comes to collecting. I can't afford to buy wax because, as many have said in the past, it is a losing proposition. I would end up with 1/3 of my money back, and have a bunch of traders as I only collect Montreal. So I buy singles. I keep some for a while and then move them for $ so I can buy something a little more high end. I lose money on some, make money on some, but overall I break even. Trading just wouldn't work for me. But I figure since my goal is to be in the break even range, I could still be considered a "hobbyist". Well, I consider myself that, anyway.

[Leafsman]

I have no idea the value of the Matthews - but this is what I don't understand about the dislike some have for selling off nice hits:

If you can trade that card for something you'd like for your own collection and it's "give or take" equal value - I think you're doing it the right way. Keeping cash out of the transaction reduces fees, makes things less complicated, easy and a fun way to do it.

What if you can't? And this is a bigger issue the more valuable cards get. Instead of pulling a $25 Matthews (I'm making up a number) what if you pull one that's worth $500 ?? Selling a card for what it's worth, and then spending that money on cards you want - I don't see any shame in that... or how it would make you any less of a hobbyist.

When I buy wax I would always prefer to trade first - but if I can't trade, and I can sell, that's almost as good IMO.

Well, the first thing is, I don't buy boxes/cases because I can't afford it. Therefore, I will probably never pull a $500 card. Even if I did, I would not sell it. I would trade it if I could. If not, I have no problem keeping cards for a while. I don't care if the value of the cards goes down.

That's my point. People come across a high-end card and immediately try to sell it at cost or hope to make a few extra dollars. That rarely works (at least with me - I don't overpay for cards). Like I said previously, those who look to make a profit using COMC or eBay aren't collectors. I call them "profiteers".

Secondly, the only cards that interest me are rookie cards. Even then, I am only interested in RCs of star players (SP Authentic if possible). I can't stand parallels or inserts. Those are a waste of cardboard to me. I don't like jersey cards either; I am against the dissection of jerseys (even event-used ones) and putting the pieces in cards, especially when the jerseys are of hall of fame players. To me, that's equal to destroying history for profit. Such jerseys should be in museums etc...not sliced up so card companies can make a profit.

[Leafsman]

To add to the last post, I have a very strict budget right now when it comes to collecting. I can't afford to buy wax because, as many have said in the past, it is a losing proposition. I would end up with 1/3 of my money back, and have a bunch of traders as I only collect Montreal. So I buy singles. I keep some for a while and then move them for $ so I can buy something a little more high end. I lose money on some, make money on some, but overall I break even. Trading just wouldn't work for me. But I figure since my goal is to be in the break even range, I could still be considered a "hobbyist". Well, I consider myself that, anyway.

"I can't afford to buy wax because, as many have said in the past, it is a losing proposition. I would end up with 1/3 of my money back..."

I highlight this statement because this is part of the problem with the hobby. People are concerned with the fact that the return on investment is low. The "loss" they endure worries them. It should not matter if they "lose". That's not the point of collecting.

The other part of the problem is that the cost of buying boxes/cases is absurd. It has become a wealthy person's hobby.

All this has to change. Unfortunately it won't. Greed is ever-present and won't go away any time soon.

[SenatorCollector]

Okay, allow me the indulgence of clarifying my stance please, fellow pucknuts!
I'm not against a collector selling a sweet card or 2 in order to raise funds for furthering their personal collections! Far from it! If I choose to sell my Matthews RC, and can raise enough to buy a box or 2, good for me! But if I TRADE that card, and fill a significant number of holes in my PC, even better!
What I'm against is " Collectors" dropping thousands of dollars on a case of cards, selling off the " hits", then posting here on the boards all about how they can't seem to make a decent profit, let alone break even!
When I'm looking to trade my cards for yours, I'm doing so to be mutually beneficial to both of us! So, when I see you've got "rules" for trading, and your list of rules is longer than your trade list, there's a good chance we won't be dealing with each other! As long as what you offer is pretty close in value to what you want from me, ( I'm willing to swing a couple bucks either side of even) then what does it matter if you're sending me 15 base cards for 1 Auto? I don't hold to the whole " base for base, autos for autos, GU for GU" mantra that so many have!
Ultimately, the one thing that matters in the end is this. Am I happy with the deal we made? Are you( my trade partner) happy? Good! Then let's move on!
So again, I'm not against selling. Just really irks me hearing the same people whine about how much they paid versus how much they were paid!

[Leafsman]

Okay, allow me the indulgence of clarifying my stance please, fellow pucknuts!
I'm not against a collector selling a sweet card or 2 in order to raise funds for furthering their personal collections! Far from it! If I choose to sell my Matthews RC, and can raise enough to buy a box or 2, good for me! But if I TRADE that card, and fill a significant number of holes in my PC, even better!
What I'm against is " Collectors" dropping thousands of dollars on a case of cards, selling off the " hits", then posting here on the boards all about how they can't seem to make a decent profit, let alone break even!
When I'm looking to trade my cards for yours, I'm doing so to be mutually beneficial to both of us! So, when I see you've got "rules" for trading, and your list of rules is longer than your trade list, there's a good chance we won't be dealing with each other! As long as what you offer is pretty close in value to what you want from me, ( I'm willing to swing a couple bucks either side of even) then what does it matter if you're sending me 15 base cards for 1 Auto? I don't hold to the whole " base for base, autos for autos, GU for GU" mantra that so many have!
Ultimately, the one thing that matters in the end is this. Am I happy with the deal we made? Are you( my trade partner) happy? Good! Then let's move on!
So again, I'm not against selling. Just really irks me hearing the same people whine about how much they paid versus how much they were paid!

Right! That was the point I tried to convey in my posts. I guess it didn't come across that way.

If I end up with a big card, I would rather trade it than sell. I know I won't sell it on ebay or COMC for what I am hoping to get