Are you allowed to purchase hobby/retail boxes straight from the Upper Deck Website?

[cjb]

Hard to find a straight answer on their web site

I'm pretty sure they are an american company so if you were allowed to purchase straight from the company's website, you would have to pay in US$ and the large shipping costs.

[Rraincock]

Yes and no.


Upper Deck does (from time to time) offer “direct to customer sales”.... but this is an absolute joke. Their prices are MUCH higher than you would ever get at a hobby shop.


So, what I think you are really asking about is how you buy UD products wholesale. If you are Canadian, here is how we do it:

1) Apply to Revenue Canada for a business number and a GST number.

2) Open a brick and mortar shop. Stay open at least 5 days a week with regular hours. A phone number and email also helps.

3) Stay open for a few months selling what you can from the secondary market or wax that is 6+ months old (this will become important later). I use Dynamic Distribution out of Calgary. I was floating about $10k-$30k worth of stock, $5k worth of display cases, and $2k for advertising on day 1. You build up your stock... 75% of my stuff was already in my collection. I was the only worker (16 hour days in the mall, 1 hour with the then GF, 7 days a week). You can buy collections as they come in. You can expand into framed memorabilia (Frozen Pond, Frameworth, Photofile, etc).

4) Apply to Grosnor (Eastern Canada) or Universal (both Eastern and Western Canada) for a wholesale account. I am in Red Deer, so my shop did most of its business with Universal.

5) through Grosnor/Universal, apply to Upper Deck for a Diamond Dealer account. If approved, this allows you to buy/prebuy UD product from Grosnor and/or Universal. Applications sometimes take a while. You have to show them credit information, Revenue Canada information, and photos of your shop.

6) if approved, you get the PRIVELAGE of buying a box of UD Series 1 for about $75-$85 (plus bulk shipping and tax) so that you can sell it for $110-$130. Keep in mind you still have to pay rent, insurance, shrink (theft), and fraud. You can only sell in person, in Canada. If you want to sell online, you have to apply for another type of account with UD. I do not know of any cross boarder Diamond Dealers.

Cost per box: $90
Profit per box$25

Rent: $1000+
Insurance: $150+
Advertisements: $$$$$$


So ya.... that is 90% of why I don’t have a card shop. I think anyone who wants to open a shop to sell new wax is either a genius who has figured out some new way to do it... or has super cheap rent and a LOT of customers ready to buy their PC stuff until the new wax comes in.


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[kallipolis]

You can do anything you put your mind to, son...except purchase cards easily off of Upper Deck's website if you live in Canada. Prices would be in US dollars, so subject to shipping and potential duties/import taxes as well. Link below is where to buy off of their site, although you're probably better off purchasing from a local retailer/shipper in Canada.

https://upperdeckstore.com/trading-cards.html

[Rraincock]

You can do anything you put your mind to, son...except purchase cards easily off of Upper Deck's website if you live in Canada. Prices would be in US dollars, so subject to shipping and potential duties/import taxes as well. Link below is where to buy off of their site, although you're probably better off purchasing from a local retailer/shipper in Canada.

https://upperdeckstore.com/trading-cards.html

$82.99 US + shipping and tX for a retail box?! *barf*


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[kallipolis]

$82.99 US + shipping and tX for a retail box?! *barf*


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Yeah, exactly. Even with some of the good deals that were going on for Black Friday/Cyber Monday in the U.S., once you factor in the exchange rate, taxes and shipping, it doesn't really make it worth it.

[cjb]

still cheaper than ebay