(I'm really sorry, this is going to be a long post and I hope I don't offend anyone, lol)
Traffic on Beckett.com overall is down from what it used to be a few years ago. This is for a few reasons, most with explanations though many don't agree with the reasoning.
Probably one of the biggest reasons is the increase in OPG prices and the basic charge for unlimited use of Organize. For someone to have unlimited use of Organize, they either have to pay the $20 a year fee OR be subscribed to at least one OPG. Without either, one is limited to 100 items in their Organize, no more. If one went with the yearly fee, it comes out to less than $2 a month. Some find this unacceptable as they say there are comparable products out there that are available. I've explored some of these products and with no bias (swear on my kids) I haven't seen one that comes even close to how great Beckett's system is. Yes, it has it's flaws and they eventually get worked out, but it is a very detailed product. There were many users using the system for free and it wasn't very financially feasible. More users, very large collections require more space and frequent hardware updates/upgrades/replacements to keep up with the processing requirements. They hadn't changed the OPG price in years. Also, there are still many parts of the site that are free, it's not like you have to pay just to walk in the front door; News, Trade, Forums, Price Guide (being able to look up the checklists and set information), card images (when uploaded and approved). You also have to factor in the necessary finances for research and development. From a business standpoint, I completely see the financial changes as necessary. And to my knowledge, while Beckett.com is a part/affiliate of Beckett Media, I believe it is supposed to act as it's own entity which is why whatever profits one part of Beckett Media don't necessarily translate to the other entities.
Another big reason if you ask me is because a lot of people think that Beckett has too many rules. This MAY be so, but I think some don't think of it as Beckett trying to cover theirs and the collector's rears, but they look at it as Beckett trying to be the strict parent. This site, from what I've seen and heard reported, has a lot fewer thefts and bad eggs than many other sites. Part of that reason is all of the rules.
Now, as far as the Basketball forum(s) goes, it seems that everywhere (even on other forums) Basketball can't compete with Football and Baseball, and sometimes Hockey. There are a few reasons and I don't know if any one reason is a bigger reason than another; product (quantity and quality), licensing, rookies, national spotlight, players, etc. However, I think the collectors play a bigger role in it than anything. There are so many different kinds of collectors out there that what one finds interesting, not everyone does. For the most part, it really seems like a majority of the people on where want higher dollar cards. I can't fault them for that, it's their collection. However, when you have such a disparity between low and high end collectors, it's like a high school dance, one set of collectors on one side, the other on the other side. High end collectors put the high end cards they have for trade to get the high end cards they want. Us low end collectors can't really compete. And since we're low end, most of the time we don't have much money to spend.
Another thing, and this is hobby wise, which affects the forums, is those looking for the flip. Panini, UD, Topps and any other company can put out boxes with these few cards for such high prices because there are collectors who will buy them and try to flip them, because they know they have collectors like us sitting back waiting to buy the singles on ebay or other places. We buy them, they make them and make them more expensive. Yes, the players, leagues, licenses and other factors make prices higher, but I truly think it's because we can't say no. So you have people that buy these high end products and the manufacturers will keep doing it, they have no reason not to. They don't care about how many collectors there are, they only care about how many greenbacks go into their pockets, and that's how this country is built. The manufacturers are smart, that's why they are doing what they do.
I don't think there is any one or two things we could do to spice up the boards. It's going to take people willing to spend money for Organize or a Pricing guide, all of us taking the time to show off our collections, people being willing to trade in manors they don't always agree with to help out a fellow collector, etc. There is so much that needs to be done if you ask me.
Again, sorry for the long post.
Traffic on Beckett.com overall is down from what it used to be a few years ago. This is for a few reasons, most with explanations though many don't agree with the reasoning.
Probably one of the biggest reasons is the increase in OPG prices and the basic charge for unlimited use of Organize. For someone to have unlimited use of Organize, they either have to pay the $20 a year fee OR be subscribed to at least one OPG. Without either, one is limited to 100 items in their Organize, no more. If one went with the yearly fee, it comes out to less than $2 a month. Some find this unacceptable as they say there are comparable products out there that are available. I've explored some of these products and with no bias (swear on my kids) I haven't seen one that comes even close to how great Beckett's system is. Yes, it has it's flaws and they eventually get worked out, but it is a very detailed product. There were many users using the system for free and it wasn't very financially feasible. More users, very large collections require more space and frequent hardware updates/upgrades/replacements to keep up with the processing requirements. They hadn't changed the OPG price in years. Also, there are still many parts of the site that are free, it's not like you have to pay just to walk in the front door; News, Trade, Forums, Price Guide (being able to look up the checklists and set information), card images (when uploaded and approved). You also have to factor in the necessary finances for research and development. From a business standpoint, I completely see the financial changes as necessary. And to my knowledge, while Beckett.com is a part/affiliate of Beckett Media, I believe it is supposed to act as it's own entity which is why whatever profits one part of Beckett Media don't necessarily translate to the other entities.
Another big reason if you ask me is because a lot of people think that Beckett has too many rules. This MAY be so, but I think some don't think of it as Beckett trying to cover theirs and the collector's rears, but they look at it as Beckett trying to be the strict parent. This site, from what I've seen and heard reported, has a lot fewer thefts and bad eggs than many other sites. Part of that reason is all of the rules.
Now, as far as the Basketball forum(s) goes, it seems that everywhere (even on other forums) Basketball can't compete with Football and Baseball, and sometimes Hockey. There are a few reasons and I don't know if any one reason is a bigger reason than another; product (quantity and quality), licensing, rookies, national spotlight, players, etc. However, I think the collectors play a bigger role in it than anything. There are so many different kinds of collectors out there that what one finds interesting, not everyone does. For the most part, it really seems like a majority of the people on where want higher dollar cards. I can't fault them for that, it's their collection. However, when you have such a disparity between low and high end collectors, it's like a high school dance, one set of collectors on one side, the other on the other side. High end collectors put the high end cards they have for trade to get the high end cards they want. Us low end collectors can't really compete. And since we're low end, most of the time we don't have much money to spend.
Another thing, and this is hobby wise, which affects the forums, is those looking for the flip. Panini, UD, Topps and any other company can put out boxes with these few cards for such high prices because there are collectors who will buy them and try to flip them, because they know they have collectors like us sitting back waiting to buy the singles on ebay or other places. We buy them, they make them and make them more expensive. Yes, the players, leagues, licenses and other factors make prices higher, but I truly think it's because we can't say no. So you have people that buy these high end products and the manufacturers will keep doing it, they have no reason not to. They don't care about how many collectors there are, they only care about how many greenbacks go into their pockets, and that's how this country is built. The manufacturers are smart, that's why they are doing what they do.
I don't think there is any one or two things we could do to spice up the boards. It's going to take people willing to spend money for Organize or a Pricing guide, all of us taking the time to show off our collections, people being willing to trade in manors they don't always agree with to help out a fellow collector, etc. There is so much that needs to be done if you ask me.
Again, sorry for the long post.
![[Image: Xtreme2sec.gif]](http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu194/XstreamsCollection/Xtreme2sec.gif)
3,850+ diff Pistons cards