[xstreaminsanity]

It's not that we're really surprised by it, I for one am not and was terrified when it was announced. What surprises me is some of the preferences of other collectors.

Here's my analogy...

A lot of people watch TV. TV has different services and packages:

Digital Box (the most basic, BASIC)
Basic Cable/Satellite (a step up, SILVER)
HD Cable/Satellite (a step up, GOLD)
DVR from Cable/Satellite (a step up, PLATINUM)
HD DVR Cable/Satellite (a step up, TITANIUM)
HD DVR Cable/Satellite with movie/sport packages (a step up, DIAMOND)

Comparing that to collecting site options:

Lists/Open Forums (BASIC)
Collection Management System [Organize] <100 cards (SILVER)
Collection Management System [Organize] unlimited (GOLD)
1/2/3 OPG Subscription (PLATINUM)
Total Access OPG Subscription (TITANIUM)
THERE IS NO DIAMOND PACKAGE.

That's my view of it. Now, a lot of people will be ok with Basic because of financial reasons and maybe they have a lot of free time. But I don't have the time to update lists after trades are done especially if it's one of those rare times when I get like 20 trades done in a month. Also, I have to scroll through the lists because I have a lot of cards and find the cards I need to update and make sure I update it properly.

I agree the charges pushed a lot of people away and some may never come back. But I personally think that very serious and very active collectors should not disqualify Beckett as the best possible option for the collection keeping purposes. Are we saying people should only be here and not anywhere else, not even close. But the ability to quickly look up something based on attributes, names, years, etc. is so much better than searching a list. Just today I posted on someone's thread the Pistons RC I had of certain players and did it in 3 minutes when doing it by a list would have taken me 20+ minutes. Now, I'm definitely savvy enough to where I could use Excel and do the same thing probably, but adding in new cards would take a lot longer. I buy a box of a new product, want to put all base up for trade, now I have to type all of that into my lists rather than clicking a couple of check boxes. To me, this site is just so much easier to use and the organize fee is insignificant enough to be overlooked. But I am not trying to debate what is best for who, I'm just stating my opinion. I know others have their own preferences (even though I think they're missing out).

[pingbling23]

exactly xstream that is what this site has to offer for a small fee, but whats it gonna take for the word to get out there and to get people on board. and about the tv analogy, i understand about the packages, but if company A is charging $15 for their basic package, and company B comes along and gives about the same amount of channels, albeit there is no tv guide (kinda like our org lol), and has that service for free, company A is going to have to do something to stay in business.

[xstreaminsanity]

That's why Beckett (Company A) doesn't offer the lowest base service. Yeah, there's forums, and you can post lists, but for you to trade it has to be through Organize/Trade Tools. Beckett only offers the Silver package and up. Most other sites don't even have close to a silver package. If tomorrow I had to go back to using lists, I honestly would probably stop using collection sites all together and go strictly to buying and selling on eBay. It'd be a sad day.

[kellengking]

I'M BACK! I took a long break from collecting...but when I recently started organizing my office, it turned into me organizing all of my cards. I had even more cards than I remembered. Anyway, I cleared out my entire "organize" on here and will be progressively adding cards to it that I am open to trading. Those of you that have D-Rose stuff, I'm always on the prowl.

[xstreaminsanity]

I'M BACK! I took a long break from collecting...but when I recently started organizing my office, it turned into me organizing all of my cards. I had even more cards than I remembered. Anyway, I cleared out my entire "organize" on here and will be progressively adding cards to it that I am open to trading. Those of you that have D-Rose stuff, I'm always on the prowl.

Hopefully that means base too.

[antriarc]

dude, always happens that way. I will start looking through my cards and be like OH SH**..I did not even remember having that! Personally I get twice as excited all over again about collecting!

[jerodc10]

Two simple reasons why there is little traffic here and few BKB collectors in general.

1. Lockout
2. Panini

[got watcha want]

jeroc10- agreed on the fewer BKB collectors in general, but the slow traffic on here is not the case elsewhere.

Xtreme- I totally agree on your list of packages, it sounds like the premiere and VIP packages that I have found on that other place that I believe I have even seen you posting lately.

I am not saying that they have to copy that other forum, but the packages that they sell make sense. You get things like less advertising when browsing the forum, card cash to use in contests among other things, you also get more storage in your inbox and an the privilage to save outgoing messages. All of that is included when you upgrade your membership.

They make money with advertisers on that forum that have nothing to do with sports cards. Why can't beckett use the "FREE" org privilage to drum up traffic and then advertise more than just online auction houses and sports card websites??? If others can do it then Beckett can, right?

My biggest frustration with Beckett is that you have no ability to free text a trade offer and you must have the cards in your ORG to trade. Well that sounds like one more step and inconvienience to myself when I want to post new cards for trade. Others traders that found those other places to post and trade feel the same way now.

I don't see how it being mandatory to add your cards to the organize if trading makes it any safer to trade??? I have seen another trader (on this forum) that lived close by post that he had some of the greatest cards I would have ever seen, but he can't post pics. I then go to meet the guy and guess what?, HE IS FULL OF "stuff".

I can add a Michael Jordan LOGO autograph to my organize, but that doesn't mean that I have it. If a card is in a bucket it doesn't mean that I have it either, but seeing a picture of a card that you claim to own makes it more believable that you have it in your possesion when I am trading with you.

Traders that have left here can see right through Beckett's ploy to force us to use the organize and then charge us for it.

It is what it is -and unfortunately beckett has lost the near monopoly they once had on pricing sports cards, now they want a bigger piece of the pie to get some of that back and collectors aren't buying into it.

If you can't tell by my second rant, I really miss the way things were on this site when the traffic was there and I got to read new threads and trade threads every few hours vs now every few days.

[xstreaminsanity]

I did, and do at times post on that site, but it is more work for me to manage my collection. I agree that you can post any card you want in your org, and I agree pictures are the way to go for proof, hence trade threads and links to photobucket, etc. But that software the other site offers has many holes and other issues I can't mention. I even spoke with the developer about one of the easiest issues, but he said it would take months to fix. They have a silver-lite package, but they are a long way away if you ask me. I can kind of understand people wanting to use lists, but I'd rather have a database and the ability to search by attributes and see with ease what I want and what they want.

I agree that I wish they made enough money on advertisements so org can be free, but I guess right now that isn't the case. And the reason I believe the organize is safer is because it allows easy inventory, trade invoices with Bv, the ability for people to search and see who has the card. It may not ACTUALLY be safer, but I feel it is. I personally wish they would have given a year warning before the charge, but it wasn't so.

[b33rman]

I am here just busy with classes again, And I peek in and see whats going on and dont always reply. Hehe Trying to take a little time and get stuff loaded to trade and reply more. Have a bunch of updates for my UK thread