9 Comments

Nice play by Topps…Very Nice

Playoff and even Pacific used to do this and it really sucks in the long term. The value of the retail cards is almost always significantly lower than the hobby counterpart. At least they made the card stock thinner to help differentiate it, but it would be nicer if they did something to actually mark the cards differently (like Playoff used to do with EXP vs SSD).

While I would agree with the differences in distribution and pack odds for retail vs hobby, I don’t like the distinctly different differences with the product itself, such as the different card stock and similar but different parallel cards. All this serves to do is confuse the buying public, especially for the casual consumer who does not know the industry enough to follow it and examine the differences.

Not the first time companies will do this and not the last. While I don’t necessarily mind the products haveing a different look/thickness/etc, there’s really no way to know that you are buying a significantly different product at the retail store. I bought one of those jumbo packs at my local Target a week ago and I thought: “boy, I’m not really that impressed” Now, if I had gone to a card store or a card show and seen a box of Topps Prime, I probably would’ve thought back to my jumbo pack and passed on it, not knowing that the hobby product is really better overall quality-wise (not just odds-wise). I think most everyone realizes that the odds are better in hobby boxes compared to retail.

Rg3 card looks better in retail ….

About 30% of my customers have told me they don’t like 2012 Topps Prime Football. When I asked why, they mentioned they tried it at Target/Walmart and did not like the way it looked. When I showed them examples of the hobby product, they decided to give HOBBY a try. I am sure Topps Prime Hobby sales are down because people tried retail and decided they did not like Prime. This is another problem caused when the Retail product hits retail shelves before the Hobby product.

There is a valuable place in the hobby for retail products with lower price points. It brings new customers into the hobby. And when these new customers come into my store, I don’t mind explaining the differences when they ask, “Why are your prices so much higher than Target/Walmart.” (I am sure a number of people new to the hobby don’t ask and go away thinking it is more cost effective to buy from retail.) However, there is way too much confusion for collectors when they try to buy, sell or trade singles fairly. And, too many customers rush to judgement on the Hobby Product, if they don’t like the Retail Product.

Whenever Topps/Panini/Upper Deck makes a product line with differences between hobby and retail they should mark the “product title” an identifier (RP for Retail Partners, for example). If they were to do this on the retail product, the hobby product would NOT need a separate identifier.

A strong way to increase sales. Now, there are twice as many cards of a player that collectors will need to chase to complete their collection. It also gives retail breakers a distinct product that they can trade, since retail cards are different from hobby.

Thanks for the article – as someone who collects base card team sets, I am often unaware of the unannounced differences between retail and hobby versions of some sets. It’s nice to know things like this so that when chasing after cards for a team set, I don’t get the two different versions mixed up. I love the look of the Prime base cards and will probably chase down a hobby team set, plus pick up the retail versions of the RCs.

I don’t mind the differences in product. I do favor the hobby over the retail. I like cards with the thicker card stock and having different pics for the RCs is cool too. To me, it makes it all the more exciting to try and get both versions of your favorite Rookies.