South Bay Baseball Cards staying strong with Super Boxes

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

Imagine opening the perfect box with high-end autographs of some of the best players in baseball history. Imagine getting your money’s worth out a single box.

Every. Single. Time.

Scott Allen, the vice president of South Bay Baseball Cards, thought he could create the ultimate box for their customers. The Super Box features prizes that include jerseys, bats, balls and high-end cards from those such as Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley and many other stars.

“We believed we could build as good as or a better box of cards than was out on the market,” Allen said. “This has become a big ‘thank you’ to our customers. The same customers buy in each time, as well as new customers, referrals, friends of friends and more.”

The Lomita, Calif.-based hobby shop had to find new ways to reach its customer base. With the implementation of eBay a number of years ago, the shop wanted to do something different.

Something that would make them stand out and compete with websites that were pulling customers out of local hobby shops.

They thought the Super Box was the answer and it has been a success since it started in 1998.

The 2010 World Series Super Box is a five-pack box with 13 cards per pack, which costs $100 per box. Each pack has one autographed or memorabilia card and cards from 1909-2010. Every other box has a redemption coupon for an autographed bat, ball, jersey or photo.

The promotion started small, but has gotten bigger every year. They have shipped boxes to more than 45 countries and, at times, have sold out of the promotion in just a matter of days.

Some customers like to get their hands on more than just one. The Super Boxes are just too good to pass up.

“The most we sold was 67 to one family,” Allen said.

This year, South Bay Baseball Cards has sold more than 170 boxes of the 260 that have been made. All the boxes are numbered and include a raffle ticket.

After the boxes are sold out, a grand prize will be given out to a randomly selected box number. One customer will receive a Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig PSA/DNA-approved autographed baseball.

“It’s quite a promotion and a great way for us to say thank you to all of the people who shop with us all year and then new customers who find us,” Allen said. “We are a 25-year-old family run company who believes in giving back to the collecting community.”

Visit South Bay Baseball Cards at www.sbaycards.com.

Susan Lulgjuraj is a contributing editor for Beckett Media. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.