[yankeeempire]

In recent days I have noticed that trading has dropped from this site drastically...Although I have made about 10 trades thus far and purchased well over $150 in cards on here i am beginning to wonder if it is just better to buy the cards you want/need then to try and trade on here. I remember trading on here every night like a stockbroker, Now it seems trading has declined. A little bit ago i had my collection stolen from me (We know who it is but fled to a different state) It broke my heart to lose cards that i may never see again. I have replaced a few but i am finding it difficult to locate certain cards...The cards i know i'll never get back is all my printing plates. I caught the trading bug again and i wanted to rebuild my card empire that i once had. It's a little heart breaking to see trading is down and to see the old traders have packed up and left shop. Does anyone else feel the same way?

[shivelycore]

Yes I've had a HORRIFIC time getting trades done. The rare trades I get done are awesome but you have to beg and plead for trades unless you have a RC Auto Refractor Parallel for trade. I have to buy almost any card I'm hunting for including set fillers.

[yankeeempire]

Yes I've had a HORRIFIC time getting trades done. The rare trades I get done are awesome but you have to beg and plead for trades unless you have a RC Auto Refractor Parallel for trade. I have to buy almost any card I'm hunting for including set fillers.

I never bought into that hype...I rather have established players or HOFers....Look at Strasburg lmao!!!...I remember you couldn't even touch his auto on here let alone have the trade bait for it...Now you can buy one pretty cheap....Prospects is a gamble and it usually don't pay off

[radarblip]

When speculation got stared 7-10 years ago I wondered how it was going to hurt Collecting. Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here's what I see

95-8% of all cards produced are trashed by speculation. People only want the top 2% of cards and the speculation on Rookies dies quicker each year. A typical rookie prospect cards have a life of about 3 months and if they aren't very short prints, they never sell at all.

There is now little return on investment so the Speculators are gone leaving nothing but dust. After the Scamers and Thieves culled all they could, it has left a bad taste in the mouths real collectors....JMO

[yankees_pride]

Bro, I feel the same way as does many on here. But you have had 10 trades in the short time you have been back that is GOOD. I cant get 10 trades in 2 months. I, like you, remember when everynight was like getting my fix, what trade can I do next.
I want to trade just as bad as others but there are a few things that hinder it
1) This site SUCKS!!!!! It is bogged down and full of errors. I wish they would listen to the people. I hate how I have to jump threw hoops just to get to your trade page, then when I do half the time its messed up. Either cards are out of order or the cards have already been traded.,

2)Prospecting is slowly killing the "collector". Everyone wants to guess the next greatest star and hype up the 1st auto of that guy. Why on earth would an unproven players auto be worth more than proven (maybe HOF) vets???? Its beyond me, but hey C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me - Wu Tang Clan)

3) I aint got time for that....... and money for that matter. LOL I sold 15 items on ebay last week and it cost me over $30 in postage and time. If I am going to trade I want it to be worth my while. Not 1 for 1 unless it is something I really need or you really need

JUST MY 2 PENNIES TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

[jtysver1]

Speculation started a lot more than 7 or 8 years ago.
It really hit the scene in the mid-80s with Dwight Gooden and Don Mattingly Rookies.
That being said, if you look at a price guide from 1990, you will see a lot of older cards haven't really risen too much in value.
What has happened is the older cards have gotten slabbed and graded and those have retained and increased some in value based upon demand and in some cases rarity.
Once a new card hits the market, the value is determined awfully quick. It seems to not go down or up much.

[ceocards]

Well I've managed 30+ trades in the last month.

The traders are there, but I don't think people are as actively posting to the boards - you sorta have to go looking for them.

Part of it is site issues, but a lot of it is that it's the off season. Wait a month or two til spring training is in full swing and there's 3 or 4 more new 2014 releases and I'm sure things will pick back up again.

[shivelycore]

Speculation started a lot more than 7 or 8 years ago.
It really hit the scene in the mid-80s with Dwight Gooden and Don Mattingly Rookies.
That being said, if you look at a price guide from 1990, you will see a lot of older cards haven't really risen too much in value.
What has happened is the older cards have gotten slabbed and graded and those have retained and increased some in value based upon demand and in some cases rarity.
Once a new card hits the market, the value is determined awfully quick. It seems to not go down or up much.

Yes but this speculation has spiraled beyond any hobby growth and is now eroding the collector base. I'll be glad when this bubble burst and we get back to general rookie collectors driving that side.

[bscook86]

My biggest issue with finding trades is getting people to respond to them. i like to trade, most times for the sake of trading. I love swapping trade bait amongst other members. Its unfortunate that so many guys will only trade for one type of card. or they will only trade for their needs, and nothing else. Kinda kills the trading aspect for me. And i wish people who are inactive for super long periods of time, beckett would take their cards off the trade market (keep it in system just not up for trade), nothing kills you buzz of finding a card you want like realizing the member hasnt logged in since 2009...

I have like 50+ open offers right now. i send 5-10 every day, sometimes more. Just to try to get people to work a deal for trades, or even respond. I have made 30 trades in the last month. Some have been with the same members, making multiple trades.

I know some of you are top notch collectors, so adding cards to your pc is a top priority. I just feel like some have forgotten how fun it is to trade just to build a relationship with another member. When guys make a trade with me, i will literally go out of my way to pick things up for them when i see them. But when all i get is shutdown because i dont offer up Derek Jeter autos only for other things, i find myself avoiding that member all together. And that sucks, because they could be a very prominent part of this community.

Just my .02

[bunk27]

I'd look for trades but the C2C thing is useless if i have to search card by card. The tool should show me everyone that has something ive marked for trade. Only reason im still around is for the price guide. Starting to think i dont need that. Ive got my Dunn checklists printed and transferred so i can leave at any time.