[wendelclark]

Sorry for posting this here mods, but I have a couple of concerns regarding the two LCS's that I know of in my area, and I want to know how I find a good one to deal with.

I'm relatively new to card collecting, having bought my first hobby box just last September. Thanks to an email friend from the States who also collects baseball cards and has an account on here (they don't post in the forums or anything; they simply have their account to keep inventory and monitor card values) I was able to find out the values of cards that I wanted to buy off of eBay before I even put a bid in. This friend told me how to bid properly so as not to pay too much.

I've spent a good chunk of money putting together my collection, and decided that it was time to check out the two LCS's in my area to see what they have.

Over the past two weeks, I've gone to each shop and acted like I knew nothing about baseball cards. I did this because I wanted to see if the people were honest (I've read several posts on here about LCS's ripping people off.) Sadly, both places appear to be run by greedy, heartless people.

So my question is; how do I find a good card shop to deal with? I want a shop that isn't going to try to charge me $100.00 for a $100.00 card. I want a shop where I'm not going to be given the runaround. Do such places even exist???

For the record, I live about 45 minutes from Hamilton, Ontario and 90 minutes from Toronto. I'm hoping someone from Southern Ontario reads this and can direct me to a good card shop!!!

[zmhower2469]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at your lcs. But don't be discouraged by one trip to the store. What someone asks for their card is their right and you can't change that. If they want to ask for more than its worth than let them, they probably won't sell it though. If your buying single cards your best bet is eBay, they will always have the cheapest prices. Your lcs is best for when you have the itch to bust wax right away and to hang out and talk about the hobby. Once you build a repor with the store owner and you visit them on a regular basis they will become more comfortable with you and give you better deals on cards. I hope this helps.

[Haze28]

I do google searches on all of the LCS's that are near me to see if I can find any feedback from customers. After a few visits to each of them I have found out which ones are good for certain things. One shop has good prices on boxes, one has good prices on supplies, and the other has a gigantic selection of singles both new and vintage. So when I decide to make a run to a shop I go to which ever shop has the best deals on what I need.

[grandam1697]

I'm from Burlington so close to both Hamilton and Toronto. Only LCS I deal with is From Hockey to Hollywood (downtown Toronto). I've been going there for years when they first opened up as Legends of the game. I know the owner and there is a bunch of us local collectors that go there and meet up every so often. Other than them I do not go to any other shops. Prices are very reasonable for Boxes and Packs considering being in Canada and in the heart of the city. As for singles they run their prices to match book price, again they have a lot of cards and some nice hard to find pieces too. I find this to be fair and they do not try and rip anyone off.

If you want to wait for products than always another bet is going to the Expo up at the Airport twice a year. Tons of dealers but Baseball is harder to find there as it's mainly a Hockey show.

In addtion to cards they have Auto's on balls, bats, pictures, jerseys and pretty much anything else you can think of. You can certainly spend a lot of time there looking around.

BTW: Curious as to which shops you visted recently that weren't that great.

Hope this helps.

[radarblip]

This is a general idea for people looking for an LCS.

If you are fortunate enough to live close to a shop, there are some DON'Ts:

Don't say "I'm just looking"...This sets the mood for you not being worth the time to deal with. Give them an answer, ie, "Hi! my name is so-snd-so and Griffey is my favorite player". This will give them something to do and set them at ease while you look around.

DON'T "Pack Search" open boxes, Lol, they have probably already done that anyway.

Don't dress like a BUM. The Grunge look is fine but it says 'I'm broke as Hell'.

Don't act like a "Thief"!!..Maybe walk in and pick up some Sleeves (their cheap and you need them anyway). Tell them I'd like these and would like to look around a little. Make that sound like a question?

You would be surprised how helpful an owner can be when they sense that you are a real collector and are actually looking for something.

EXPECTATIONS: If you go in thinking 'I just want the best', then you are going to be disappointed at every turn. Be flexible, You could pick up some GEMS at a really good price even though it may not be exactly be what you were looking for when you started looking.

Maybe even take something with you to trade. Real dealers are always looking for new items. Don't be afraid to "Haggle" but don't be insulting with your offer(s).

If you are looking to "SELL" you have to remember the they have bills to pay to own a Walk-In business. If you can't agree, its OK. Dealers know what their local collectors are looking for and you might not have anything they can really use. Lol, its hard to sell Dodgers cards in Baltimore.

Anyway, go to have some Fun and Adventure. If its a long drive, treat yourself to some Mickey Ds on the way home. Then wait a couple days to rate your venture.

Good Luck!

[TheHammer417]

I do google searches on all of the LCS's that are near me to see if I can find any feedback from customers. After a few visits to each of them I have found out which ones are good for certain things. One shop has good prices on boxes, one has good prices on supplies, and the other has a gigantic selection of singles both new and vintage. So when I decide to make a run to a shop I go to which ever shop has the best deals on what I need.

What did you think about the one over in Orland? Where you got the Lineage boxes from I think? They've always been awesome to me, given me a few free cards/packs before and the best deal ever on a box of A&G.