I'm curious what's everyone's true purpose for collecting cards? Is it purely for fun, or for investment?
For instance, is the real thrill of pulling a 1/1 Zeke card the fact that it could probably sell for $2K on ebay?
Or maybe you collect Tom Brady cards for fun today, but do you fully intend to make a profit on them some time down the road?
Definitely just for fun. The only reason I sell cards is to put a little extra money in my paypal account to buy more cards. If you are in it solely for the investment, it's a rough road to turn a profit and would seem more like work than anything.
(04-19-2017, 08:46 PM)bengalsandreds Wrote: [ -> ]If you are in it solely for the investment, it's a rough road to turn a profit and would seem more like work than anything.
Like any investment, the more work you put in the more money you get out. There are plenty of people who do well flipping cards, or buying collections and piecing them out. There are even some people who swear by breaking cases, though they usually do it as soon as a product comes out and is still hot. I think case breaking is one of the hardest ways to make money in cards. Flipping cards is easy if you are patient and take time to become knowledgeable about the cards and players. With flipping it's all about the risk; hot cards have higher risk but can be higher reward, but buying under-priced cards is usually much less riskier but takes more time to find the cards and sometimes patience in waiting for the right moment to put them up for sale.
Personally I am into cards for a mix of reasons. For cards in my PC, there is no investment thoughts behind them. I also buy boxes and enjoy putting sets together. However I also buy and sell random cards, usually to make money or get trade bait, so I can add more cards to me PC. When I buy/sell stuff that isn't for my PC, I definitely take an investment approach.
I do it for fun for the most part. Like others, I sell extras or stuff that I'm not really attached to in order to add cards I do want lol. I have it my head that some of the cards may be an investment, as some cards will sell well in the future should I hit real hard times, or retirement, or whatever. But that's not my focus. That's just a by product.
I started out in the hobby purely for fun and trying to put together complete sets. I had no intention of turning around and selling any of my PC. But that was when buying packs was affordable (late 80s/early 90s) and the market wasn't flooded with hundreds of different sets each year. That was also when I was younger and my collection was just starting out and didn't take up as much space in my house.
Nowadays, I have to admit I'm more of an investor than a collector. It's silly to call anyone an "investor" of cards since it's the least lucrative investment I can think of, but I often choose to buy packs that have potential cards to sell for a profit rather than just to add to my collection.
Some of this is me getting older and not being as interested. But I think fantasy sports has also contributed to this. I don't really root for teams anymore. And sure I may have Trout on my team this year, but next year I may have Harper. So I don't have any real dedication to any one player either. But mostly it's the hobby just getting more expensive and frustrating. Out of the 100+ sets out there every year, how do you choose which ones to collect? It's just too overwhelming now.
(04-19-2017, 08:46 PM)bengalsandreds Wrote: [ -> ]Definitely just for fun. The only reason I sell cards is to put a little extra money in my paypal account to buy more cards. If you are in it solely for the investment, it's a rough road to turn a profit and would seem more like work than anything.
Agree 100%
FOR FUN!
I AM A COLLECTOR 1ST. I RECENTLY GOT INTO SLOWLY BUYING BOXES FOR THE THRILL OF THE PULL. ANYTHING THAT IS NOT PC IS MOSTLY TRADE BAIT. MY GOAL IS TO HAVE AT LEAST 1 BOX FROM EVERY YEAR DATING BACK TO 1990. TRY TO DO A DIFFERENT PRODUCT FOR THE VARIETY. SO FAR I HAVE BOUGHT 93, 95, 96, 13, 15, & 16. SEE IF I CAN PULL THE HOT ROOKIE OF THAT PARTICULAR YEAR. I USE THE BASE ON THESE FOR MONTHLY TEAM TRADE CLUB HERE ON BECKETT.
(ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS. PLENTY OF TEAMS STILL AVAILABLE.) CONTACT TEMPLE SPORTSCARDS
I HAVE 2 BINDERS WITH STARS FROM 90'S TILL TODAY. I TRY AND HAVE AT LEAST 8 CARDS OF THAT PLAYER BASE, PARALLEL, OR INSERT & A RC. I HAVE ANOTHER BINDER WITH RC ORGANIZED BY YEAR BY TEAMS (QUICKER ACCESS). MY GOAL IS TO HAVE AT LEAST EVERY RC FROM DALLAS COWBOYS DATING BACK TO BEGINNING. SOME ALOT HARDER TO ACQUIRE SO LONG TERM PROJECT. WITH MORE PRODUCT NOWADAYS 2 OR 3 RCS OF A PLAYER WITH GOAL TO HAVE AT LEAST 1 BE AN AUTO RC.
IF I DO SELL, IT IS ONLY FOR PACKS, TRADE BAIT MONEY OR MORE PC.
This is definitely NOT an investment for me. I choose 3-4 product per year to rip based on the look of the base cards. If there are inserts, parallels or auto's, I may or may not keep them based on team, player or the look of them.
As I get older I am more picky about what I keep. If I get a great pull, I am just starting to use COMC because it is too tough to trade high end cards. I have over 300 trades but only one of them included a card valued over $50.
Once I no longer enjoy this, I will have a mass sale to some lucky person, but I think I have 20 more years in me before that happens! The magnifying glass will be huge by that time...LOL.
I do this for a host of reasons, but main reason is the fun of trading. I've traded with a lot of folks on multiple sites and met some folks I tend to chew the fat with more often then not, and it's nice to meet some of the folks I dealt with.
Fun. Plain and simple fun. I'm not going to make a crapload off of Steven Jackson unless he comes back, wins a Super Bowl, gets MVP, and retires a HOFer.
But, it could happen, right?