Blogging is extremely important in the sports card hobby. Why? It seems to be the only/most effective/purest/best perspective look at what the backbone of this hobby is all about, what we want, what is missing, and the general frustration with the hobby/industry tension. You want a great read on this topic...check out Collector's Crack State of the Blog. The fact is, card companies are so far removed from the hobby base (no, gamblers and speculators are not part of the hobby base) that it's hard to imagine them really caring. You want to know how bad it is, check out this recent post by The Collective Mind. In a capitalistic country and economy, the card manufacturers are chasing the easy, non-sustainable money. Gamblers' and speculators' money is too loud! Card companies have to work through wholesalers, then either group breaking companies or cards shops, and then in many cases the unwanted portions of the products (base cards, non hits) has to work through the speculators and gamblers to get in the hands of the hobbyists. The easy money is to cater to gamblers and speculators. Seems dumb to ignore the group that is your long-term survival net....and a lot of overhead costs passing through all these people that the hobby base doesn't want and hates. It's a weird system and all I can picture is the card bubble bursting at some point and the hobbyists putting our arms around all of the card industry (not just the card companies) and softly saying "I told you so, now let's fix it."
How does all this have to do with your Card Hobby / Card Industry Score? Let me explain really quick. One thing that has been unintentionally creeping into the hobby/industry is groups and entities mispresenting where they stand in the hobby/industry which leads to confusion on what is good about the hobby, what they can do to fix the hobby, and what things they can affect for continued growth. Why is this happening? The main reason, in my opinion, is that people are breaking the proven rule of "Where you sit is where you stand." People are trying to be something they are not and the hobby/industry is letting them, because they are confused about where we all sit. There is no scoring system or visualization to all this. The lines have been blurred. To help clear up this confusion, I built a Card Hobby / Card Industry Scoring System with an explanation of each area. Some might call it irrelevant, not needed, interesting, or even controversial, but I think it is important to know where others stand in this hobby. You are either A) a pure Hobbyist, B) a Pure Industryist, or C) part of the "grey" area in between. In fact, the majority of us are in this grey area.
The bottom line, though, is the further left you are toward an H10 Pure Hobbyist, the stronger and more relevant voice you have within this hobby. Keep blogging. Don't let the gamblers, speculators, eBay, COMC, Card-Grading Companies, Card Shops, Group-Breakers, and Industry ever speak on your behalf. Ask them what their Card Hobby / Card Industry Score is. Tell them what yours is! You are the voice!
Blog Bat A Round: What is one thing you'd correct about this scoring system? What is your Card Hobby / Card Industry Score?
H9 TCDB: One of the best tools for the Hobby Base which relies on crowdsourcing. You can trade, catalogue, sort, blog, discuss, chat, and connect with others. Part of the Hobby Base.
H8 Part-Time Seller for Sustainment: Hobbyists who dabbles in selling part-time to recoup some of their collecting costs. H8s are an important part of the hobby since they are married to the hobby, but dabble enough on the industry side to understand some of the issues. Part of the Hobby Base.
H6 Part-Time Seller for Profit: Hobbyists with more focus selling part-time to sustain and grow their collection via profit. H7s are an important part of the hobby since they are married to the hobby, but participate enough on the industry side to understand the issues. Part of the Hobby Base.
H5 Long-Term Speculator: Collectors who are expecting to make a long-term profit on their cards with an eventual selling of their collections. Speculators are a niche subset of the hobby, but important because in this capitalistic economy, their money currently sustains the industry and keeps the card companies in business.
H4 Gambler / Short-Term Speculator: Collectors who look to make a quick profit through card flipping and participating in online box breaks. Gamblers/Speculators are a niche subset of the hobby, but important because in this capitalistic economy, their money currently sustains the industry and keeps the card companies in business.
H3 Full-Time Dealer: Dealers whose livelihood depends on making a profit buying and selling cards. They are usually very in tune with the hobbyists and gambler/speculators, but are married to the card industrial complex. They are along for the ride with little input to Industry, but can speak somewhat on behalf of the hobbyists and gambler/speculators.
H2 Card-Show Organizer: A person bringing together hobbyists & gamblers/speculators, dealers and industry but is more in tune with dealers and the industry than with hobbyists and gambler/speculators.
H1 Hobby Journalist: A journalist who reports on the state-of-the-hobby, but also brings in Industry topics for a fair perspective. (Best Example: Ryan at Sports Card Radio)
0 Agnostic: My wife
I1 Industry Journalist: A journalist who reports on the state-of-the-industry, but also brings in Hobbyists for a fair perspective (Best Example: Eric from the Fat Packs Podcast)
I2 The National: A group bringing together hobbyists & gamblers/speculators, dealers and industry but is more in tune with dealers and the industry than with hobbyists and gambler/speculators. (Best Example: The National)
I3: COMC/eBay: Another venue to bring together hobbyists, gamblers/speculators & dealers, but focusing on set builders and singles.
I4 Auction House: Another venue to bring together hobbyists & gamblers/speculators, but focusing on the higher end cards.
I5 Card-Supply Company: Hobby agnostic, for the most part, but a big part of the card industry supplying protective and storage products for cards. The more cards out there, the merrier!
I6 Card-Grading Company: Hobby agnostic, for the most part, but a big part of the card industry supplying a third-party grade and protective case for cards. The more cards out there, the merrier!
I7 Card Shop: In theory, this is a one-stop-shop where you can get all your cards, supplies, reading material, and submit for grading but focusing on set builders and singles. Card shops are a mere allocation extension of the wholesalers. (Best Example: Mike's Stadium Sportscards)
I8 Group-Breaking Company: A mere allocation extension of the wholesaler focusing on higher end cards, hits, and gamblers/speculators. (Best Example: Doug and Dan from MoJo Breaks)
I9 Wholesaler: I get the role of card wholesalers, but in this day and age of the internet and reliable shipping, are they even necessary anymore? A mere allocation extension of the card manufacturer. (Best Example: GTS Distribution)
I10 Pure Industryist: These are the card manufacturers.
H10 is where I put myself as well. I don't ever sell a single card. I spend a ton of time trading, blogging, sorting, updating my numbers on the blog. Only thing I am missing is the TCDB but I do spreadsheets instead online for my two main PC's. Even have them on my phone.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! You have one of the most important voices in the hobby.
DeleteThis is a very interesting concept, and I commend on putting it together, I can't imagine how much time you must've spent on it. As for my place on the scale, honestly, I have no idea anymore where I would fit in - sucky answer, I know... but it's all I've got.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to guess, I’d say you are a high H.
DeleteGreat post! and thanks for the mention.
ReplyDeleteI've got to put myself at about a H9 or 9.5. But the description for H10 suits me pretty well.
I tried setting up at a show once to move some of my extra stuff, but I'm the worst salesman. I didn't sell a single card. Of course, most of my extras are base, inserts and established star cards, which is the opposite of what's popular now to most buyers. The upside, is I don't need to sell, because I'm lucky enough to not really spend a lot of money on anything else. (It's called addiction I think).
This is good post fodder for a Bat Around. I'm on it.
PS: My OCD is still asking what happened to H7? :)
Awesome. Part of the Hobby Base for sure. Nothing naturally fell into H7 so I left it open for now. Let me know when you post, eager to read!
DeletePost will be up Monday morning!
DeleteGreat, I’ll be looking for it!
DeleteI'd be somewhere between H9 and H10. This is a tremendous post. Thanks for putting it all together. Consider printing out a few hundred copies and leaving them at the doorsteps of the Topps and Upper Deck offices.
ReplyDeleteVery high indeed! I think the only way to ever be heard is banding together and a common voice through blogging.
Delete"...0 Agnostic: My wife..." This made me LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm an H10 I think, maybe an H9.85 as I haven't sold a card since the 1980s when I dumped some Ripken rookies to pay some grad school tuition.
Fun read for sure.
A nice high score. What are your thoughts on people trying to speak on behalf of the hobby base that aren’t part of the hobby base?
DeleteAmazing post! The work you put into this chart! I see myself as a hard 8.5 (is that possible?) lol. I spend less on new product every year so see myself moving towards an eventual 10. I have sold on ebay to put dollars back into my hobby wallet. Definitely not for profit! I enjoy collecting immensely but get almost equal gratification giving cards away. I believe licensing is an issue driving the hobby to a breaking point. whichever company put the most money into the wallet of MLB will keep the license. As this amount skyrockets, consumer prices will too. We've complained about worthless inserts and relics. Perhaps Topps did listen. Perhaps they thought making these harder to obtain would create a happier hobby group. "Let's double the amount of base cards, create larger insert sets and spread them across greater odds." Yeah, thanks Topps. That fixed everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie. Part-time selling to sustain your hobby or grow your hobby is definitely part of you base. Doubles need moved, collection focuses change, lifestyles evolve. I love to trade, but also love to sell a few things to help fund new acquisitions. What you don't see on this chart is the I11 (Secret Score). This is the porefssional sports leagues. Ultimately, when you drive your industry to a monopoly, like we have now in all the major sports, you kill competition and the hobby suffers. With respect to baseball, I would argue that the Hobby Base does not want a $60 per box of cards with tons of inserts. This is spread over 3 series (1, 2, and Update) so you are looking at $150-$175 for all three boxes to try and complete a base set which is impossible and forces you to use COMC and eBay It needs to be half that cost with a few things to chase. Topps isn't listening to the Hobby Base, but at least they are printing factory sets still as pretty much the only realistic option.
DeleteThis is a very well thought out post. Huge props buddy. This should chart should be included in every Beckett issue... like the card condition guide. My card hobby score? Well... I'm definitely in the blue. And although I don't really sell cards except the occasional flea market bulk dump (but just as much is dropped off at Goodwill), I can see myself one day selling some of my stuff to help fund my hobby. Heck... maybe when I retire I become a card show deal. Anyways... I'd guess that I'm currently somewhere in the H8.5 to H9.5 range.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fuji. H8.5-H9.5 is right up there! I would have pegged you at H10 or H9.5. Industry need a direct link to your blog to get a pulse on the Hobby Base.
DeleteLol. Oh man. Thanks. You're too kind.
DeleteI think I fall under H9. I trade a lot but don't sell a lot . I love the database.
ReplyDeleteThe TCDB is really an excellent resource!
DeleteThis was a very interesting post! I'm an H10, though I might someday go to an H8, I've been spending too much on cards and need some way of paying for all the sets I'm trying to put together!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your question about what I'd correct about your scoring system, let me put on my critique hat for a moment and offer my thoughts! One is that its a bit unclear what metric you are using to differentiate these types of collectors across the spectrum. How do you define those who fall on the "industry" side for example? Is it just the degree of connection to card makers, who are at I10? This doesn't quite seem to be the case since some of the ones categorized as "I" probably have no or little direct connection to card makers. Perhaps then its some quality these share in common with card makers rathe than a direct connection? It would be good to explicitly define the system by which you scored each.
On the "H" side too this is an issue. It seems that the main identifying feature of someone on the "H" side is lack of financial interest in cards, with the pure H10 having zero, and then the "H" score going incrementally down as financial interest increases (H8 dabbling in selling cards, H7 doing the same but for a profit motive, etc). But then at H1 that scale gets thrown completely off because you have hobby journalist in that position, who may or may not have any financial interest at all in the hobby. An H1 person might also be an H10 collector or an H4 gambler at the same time. So that seems to throw the implicit logic of the scoring system you had been building up to until that point off quite a bit.
Also I'm a bit confused about why "dealer" fits in on the H side at H3, while "card shop" fits in quite high on the I side at I7. Aren't card shops run by dealers, making these two the same people?
I think a lot of us move between H8 and H10 over time. I try to pass on all my extras through trading, giving away, or selling.
DeleteAlso, I really appreciate the feedback and questions. Hopefully I can help clarify, but I think you basically pointed it out. The left side / Card Hobby side is the level one is connected to the Hobby Base. My argument is that the Hobby Base is where the long term sustainment, collecting demands (as in supply and demand), and hobby requirements and desires should be generated. The further one is away from being an H10, the lesser voice they have in defining and voicing those. The right side / Industry side is the level one is connected to the Industry Base and is driven by the Industry. The closer one is to an I10, the more their actions are influenced by and governed by the Card Companies.
The scoring system is designed to identify the context of the role someone is playing at a particular time. It isn't, nor should it, define someone with multiple roles, but rather define the specific hats they might wear at different times. The H1 scenario you point out is exactly why we need a scoring system like this. The ideal H1 journalist should be reporting on the facts in their H1 role. In their H10 role, they need to recuse themselves from being a journalist. You hit exactly my point with the lines being blurred and not knowing where they sit. For example, I don't want a card shop defining what the Hobby Base wants.
Good question on card shop versus dealer. I picture the card shop as a brick-and-mortar store or online retailer selling cards, supplies, etc. I picture the dealer as someone working around the card show circuit or selling on eBay. My interactions with the guys at Blowout and Mike' Stadium Cards in VA and CO is much different than a dealer at a card show or online which is why I have put them where they are at.
Thanks again for taking the time to read and for the feedback.
That's tough, I'd say I flip flop between 0 and H4. 0 because I'm pretty apathetic to EVERYTHING that doesn't fall into my niche wants (also I do not like or enjoy the act of sorting or cataloging to be honest lol). H4, not because I'm looking to flip anything, but because I just want to accumulate autographs quickly and move onto other autographs I want quickly :P.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where this would fall on your scale but I guess maybe I'm an addict who doesn't know when to quit? I'll be brutally honest and admit that that's pretty much where I'm at lol.
Cool, thanks for the honesty. I think autos are an important part of the hobby, just not in the instantiation we currently have.
DeleteGreat post. The card industry and hobby is a complicated world. I'm H9 or maybe H8. I've sold an average of 1 to 2 cards a year. For me it is a hobby and I enjoy blogging and the breaking open of packs hoping to pull personal collection guys. Everyone has their niche/motivations for what they do and I'm good with that. I definitely agree we should all be heard so that only one or two perspectives aren't driving the hobby. Good stuff and thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteI think most in the blogging community are high "Hs", but you are absolutely right...it is a necessary and complicated world between hobby and industry. By the way, I am your 27th follower...and 27 is my lucky number!
DeleteSweet. Great when cool coincidences happen like that.
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