While most of my posts tend to be about sports specifically, this one has to do with something that comes affiliated with them. The hobby of collecting sports cards has been one that has endured for decades. There are times where the hobby is more popular than others, and now is one of those times. If you are a sports card collector, you know that it is next to impossible to get sports cards right now because they are so hot. Entire department stores and hobby shops are sold out of stock within days of putting out their new card shipments. While it is great to see the hobby becoming more popular, it is for what I believe to be the wrong reasons. The biggest one, which is mentioned in the video above, is card scalpers. Scalpers are individuals who wait outside of stores for hours and stalk the card shelves only to buy all or a majority of the product put out. These individuals then either resell the packs for more than they paid for them, open them and sell out the cards in mystery lots, or open these packs in massive youtube openings.

Let’s look at the hobby and my experience. I have been collecting basketball and football cards for the past 7 years and I have never seen a time where cards have been so hard to find. I am all for the hobby growing, and I think it is something great for people to spend their time doing. Sadly, the hobby has become less of a hobby and more of an investment. Many people invest in the cards in the hope to make a profit when the young rookies are famous and at the end of their careers. Some make a living simply reselling the packs at an exorbitant price that most people can’t afford. It is hurting the industry for small-time collectors. I have no issues with people buying cards and opening them on a youtube channel or people buying cards to collect. I have a problem when people buy up all of the stock so no one else has a chance at them, then they take advantage of others that don’t wait outside of a Walmart for hours just to get them.

There aren’t a ton of options for small collectors like myself. You could simply save your money and buy larger boxes that people can’t afford to buy the entire stock of. Another option would be to buy cards individually that interest you. That is the best option if you are looking to build your collection, you won’t have any wasted funds on cards you don’t want.

My recommendation to collectors who still want the thrill of opening packs would be to invest in mystery packs. These are lots of cards sold on eBay for a specific amount of money. Each lot is guaranteed to have a certain number of signature cards and rookies and you have a chance at some big-time cards. These lots can be bought for as low as 20 dollars and can provide an affordable alternative to paying more than double for factory-sealed packs and boxes.

What do you think? Is card collecting a good hobby? Would you want to get involved with it now? Let me know in the comment section what you think.

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