Like I said before, I have only been collecting for around 8 months, but it's not hard to notice the card manufacuterers (Topps, UpperDeck, Donruss) neglect toward the well being of the consumer. It seems like they are more worried about making money than creating a positive impact on the card collecting community. Many decisions they make show this such as, making many useless products, Event-Used Items, and Insane Prices.
I am first going to touch on companies making various, useless and valueless products. Let's start with Bowman Sterling. This product wouldn't be so horribly shitty if it weren't for the price. Lets go over what you get. For a $200 box of 2008 Bowman Sterling Football, you receive: 2 Rookie Autographed Relics (Which will sell for $15 each if you're lucky), 4 Rookie Autographs (3 will be no name rookies who's auto will never sell for more than $6), 12 Relic Cards (6 Event Used Rookie, and 6 Game-Worn Veteran), and 2 other random autographs. At $200 thats a shit load of hits, but if you were to sell every card you got out of the box, you would be lucky to make $120. I am not going to go over low end Topps, Upper Deck, and Score too much, because everyone knows Topps Kickoff, Upperdeck 1st Edition, and practically all Score products are useless to the hobby, offering no guaranteed hits per box. A lot of people have beef with Sage, but I am not going to give them crap for putting out hundred dollar boxes for 4 crappy designed cards per pack, horrible looking foil autos, no game used, and no resell value whatsoever. Donruss could cut back a couple of it's products (Threads or Elite could easily be taken out), but I am going to refrain from ragging on them because they have consitently decent products (besides those dreaded Event-Used).
Knock Knock! Hello? You're not fooling anyone assholes. Event-Used items have just recently sprouted up the last few years (especially in football) and I think they are killing the hobby. You might be fooling kids in thinking, "Cool JUMBO PATCH!". Not cool, what people don't understand is most "Event-Worn" items have been worn by your favorite player for 20-30 minutes, cut up into huge peices to make you think your getting more. I would rather get a dime sized game used jersey over a jumbo event worn patch ANY DAY!
Insane Prices. I don't mean to pick on SP Rookie Threads, but I am going to have to for this segment. SP Rookie Threads are a great example of raping prices. I really dig the look of the cards this year, (and I will probably be picking myself up a box or two) but it's $230 for a couple autographs and a bunch of event worn jerseys. Theres not much more to it, because it's pretty easy to see we are getting way over charged on half the products out there, (*cough* Upper Deck *cough* Topps).
Sorry if this is a bit much to read, I just figured a rant would be an easy way to start off a blog!
Thanks for Reading.
P.S.
Don't get me wrong. Just because I rag on the products and companies, doesn't mean I am boycotting them or anything. I will still continue to work my ass off for money, to spend on overly priced sports cards. It's probably people like me who give the companies the idea that it's okay to rape your pocket through sports cards.
