[BTAsoxfan]

in my dreams i dont spend that much and i always get the "big" pulls but hey its not a perfect world but i can dream

[sportsitupcards]

TMakAct7 Wrote:Well, first off, I agree when it comes to we all need to set our limits and try to control our collections. Personally, for me I recently got frustrated when it comes to my cards. I didn't know what exactly I wanted to collect besides Spurs cards. So, I sat down and made a list of which players and what type of cards I wanted to collect of those players. The other cards I'm giving to a children's charity and give some of the cards to my boys. My family comes first before my collecting. Right now, my finances are rough, so I have to hold off on buy cards, but I'm still really into the hobby following beckett, the card companys, and fellow collectors on this site. I believe there will always be cards out there that I want and need, but my 1/1 are my wife, and my two boys. They can't be replace and there will never be another family like mine. I'm working on passing down my hobby to my boys, and so far they're really getting into it. My oldest takes his binder to bed looking at all of his cards. Just to show you the hobby isn't dead, and won't die. Here's a picture of my boys and their cousin.

That picture is priceless!!!
I've also got my kids into collecting and they love it. I recently bought some binders, one for me and each of them and we all had a good time. BTW, they bring the binders to their beds as well, so yes, the hobby is alive and well. Bought them some Panini blaster boxes for them to experiment with and they had a blast!!! I couldn't be happier seing them opening the boxes.... My eldest pulled the autograph of some player I never even heard of, but he felt soooo lucky and happy to pull an autographed card. It's really nice that you're getting your kids involved, it's a very special thing to share with them, and it gives them a great hobby to get into....
Great pic man, love the baby on floor looking through the binder
Thanks for sharing that!

[rayallenchallenge]

Opening packs is really a form of gambling, many people get addicted to the adrenaline rush.
I also have a card organizing compulsion, I think of it as a form of meditation, occupying my hands so my mind can be free. My cards are the only part of my house, possesions, or life that are organized.

I think as long as you are vigilant about evaluating the cost/benefit ratio of your purchases the hobby will remain rewarding. Buying out of habit (i.e.blasters at retail) or buying every product that comes out seems to be a losing proposition.

Lately I have found buying singles to be more enjoyable than breaking Panini products. You don't get the extreme highs of a great pull, but you don't get the shame and dissapointment of paying a hundred dollars for fifteen dollars worth of cards.

Having unattainable collecting goals is the quickest way to drain the fun out of the hobby. Also, don't forget to visit your old cards trapped in their boxes, it can be more fun than buying new ones.

[will23c1982]

RayAllenChallenge Wrote:
Lately I have found buying singles to be more enjoyable than breaking Panini products. You don't get the extreme highs of a great pull, but you don't get the shame and dissapointment of paying a hundred dollars for fifteen dollars worth of cards.

Agreed. I don't buy many boxes because of the huge import costs but, if I did, I just couldn't live with myself if I spent $100 (plus postage) on a box that contained autographs of DeMarre Carroll and Jermaine Taylor. That would be soul destroying.

Quote:Having unattainable collecting goals is the quickest way to drain the fun out of the hobby. Also, don't forget to visit your old cards trapped in their boxes, it can be more fun than buying new ones.

Great suggestion.

[rj88]

RayAllenChallenge Wrote:I think as long as you are vigilant about evaluating the cost/benefit ratio of your purchases the hobby will remain rewarding. Buying out of habit (i.e.blasters at retail) or buying every product that comes out seems to be a losing proposition.

I am huuuuge on this. I think part of the reason I obsess over this is because it not only keeps me from spending so much but also gives me another aspect of the hobby to occupy my time on.... just carefully analyzing what I can get for $20, $50, $100 this week, etc.
A couple things people have mentioned that I feel the need to way in on:
$ SPENT: This site has been a HUGE savior on my wallet. Not only can my collection trade from day to day for no more than the cost of shipping, but I can jump on the forums every day and see OTHER people's box breaks, mail days, purchases, etc. This is huge for me as I have someone to share the hobby with. Up here (hour outside of Chicago) I have 2 weak LCS's and they don't even sell basketball! And I don't know anyone other than my 8 year old who collects as well.
EBAY: The killer... when I first got back into collecting about 5 years ago, I went nuts on eBay. This is where the compulsions come in... so easy to just throw in a bid for $10 and click that mouse. Next thing you know you are winning 30 auctions for $10 apiece. What I do? I never bid on anything I find anymore. Now, I add it to my watch list.... then the next day I go back in and evaluate my watch list when it comes down to 1 day left. So rather than having 20 cards that I regret bidding on, I now have a huge watch list that I am not committed to if I don't have the money. Another piece of advise, if you want to buy on eBay, gotta sell first. Sell some cards to build up your PayPal account and then use that $ for buying on eBay.
ORGANIZING: I also obsess a little bit over organizing... as a kid, this was what was fun for me too. I remember breaking a box of 92-93 fleer and putting the cards in order by # to see if I completed a set. I remember my whole bedroom floor being covered with cards when I was 10, 11 years old and spending HOURS cleaning them up and organizing them. I love the organization because this is another cost free way to spend time on the hobby. I have all of my cards stored in those 3 row and 5 row boxes. I have 1 5 row, and 3 - 3 rows. I recently just bought the big box for $5... and I spent HOURS re-organizing. I now had room for my sleeves, top loaders, graded cards. I unscrewed all my old screwdown cases and put these in top loaders. I go through once in awhile with a new pack of penny sleeves and see what cards need a sleeve... same thing with top loaders. I have a huge collection of modern RC's that I like to go through every year and look for new breakout stars that were nobodies when I first pulled them (a la Rondo). I'm a very organizational person... but to me, organizing my cards is the best part. I love "playing" with my cards as my wife calls it, lol. And I'm now taking this to the next level and adding all my PC's one by one to My Org on Beckett.com. I love going in and seeing the value of my collection increase. And this is a huge job. But definitely one that will keep me busy for free!

[will23c1982]

RJ88 Wrote:
Another piece of advise, if you want to buy on eBay, gotta sell first. Sell some cards to build up your PayPal account and then use that $ for buying on eBay.

That's another excellent idea that I plan to utilise. I've got the next 6 weeks off work so I plan to sell some cards on eBay. I think I will set myself the challenge of only buying new cards for the rest of this year with funds raised from selling old cards. Keeping track of the money in my PayPal account is a great way of doing this. Thanks.

[rj88]

I'm actually doing this with the goal of building up enough to buy myself a box of Crown Royale. This past wekeend I had 2 singles and a lot sell for about $20-$25 total. So I'm well on my way to my goal!
My recommendation Will - list things on Sunday night for a one week auction. Most people jump on to the site on Sunday night, end of the weekend getting caught up on mail etc., which is when the new listing pops up. This also means that people will be on there as your auction is ending and be more prone to bid. I took this advice from a friend of mine who was selling all sorts of stuff on eBay... it's done very well for me since.

[will23c1982]

That's good advice, but difficult for me because I live in the UK so it would mean getting up at about 3am on Monday morning!

[rj88]

Ooooooh yeah that's right. Well scratch that idea then.
Basically you should just avoid your auction ending on a Friday or Saturday night then, if at all possible. That's when people are least likely to be online and bidding.

[rayallenchallenge]

RJ88 Wrote:I'm actually doing this with the goal of building up enough to buy myself a box of Crown Royale.

I am doing the same.

Will- It would be worth it to pay the .15 cents, or whatever it is, to Ebay to start your auctions on Sunday evening East coast time. Way more buyers at those hours, can really make a difference in sale price.