Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

[spartanservitto]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I totally agree. I never will buy (rarely) in order to turn profit. Its impossible. You really got to love the hobby to continue to purchase items.

-Tony

[mariner_gamers]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

It is being seen in almost every facet of collecting. The new generations, folks under 30, are really not interested in collecting things. They see collections as a burden to have to tend to and are more interested in technology and not being tethered to things. Add a weak economy and a glut of product and you are seeing what we have now. I believe we are entering a new golden age for game used collectors. We will be able to acquire more items at lower prices. I have already witnessed the beginnings of this the past few years. I have recently, for the first time in 14 years of collecting, started dealing with a direct source rather than middlemen. Players are also a lot easier to approach with their game items than 5 or 10 years ago. If you invest good luck as always, if you collect things are just getting interesting!!!

My .02

[Nnunnari]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

The market is flooded, people don't trust anything to be authentic anymore and players today are issued so many bats that a lot of them end up being passed down to minor leaguers/college kids to use. I agree that today's generation isn't as interested in collecting sports memorabilia as a hobby, plus the fact that baseball has clearly taken a back seat to football in this country has hurt the baseball value.

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

Let me tell you a story last year and the year before I bought alot of MLB Authenticated baseball bats of major stars, all star, mvp, hof type guys and as you probably have seen I decided to sell the bulk of my collection a few months ago and let me tell you on every single bat I lost money. In many cases 2/3rds or more of what I spent in a relatively short period of time. And the players were still playing at a high level so it is not like I was selling items of players that did not have many fans. I took the loss because I can afford to and I thought that as the players age, retire and fade from view and more of their stuff gets on the market I won't even get what I am being offered now.

If your buying as an investment I strongly urge you to reconsider. Put your money in secruities there is a lot of money to be made in the market or real estate which is absurdably cheap now. GU stuff will be worth much less than you paid for it in the long term future and flipping on a regular basis is a risky strategy as even a great deal of a buy you may not make money on. Sure here and there you may get lucky but overall your losses will outweigh your wins. If you buy buy players you like for personal enjoyment and you can never lose. With the stuff I have kept I kept it because I enjoy looking at it and unless I have an unexpected financial tsuamini I will never sell them.

[stlbats]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I dont ever buy items for resale or investment. I just add items to my personal collection. I do however, every now and then need to sell something to help make another purchase or something like that. I just hate to think that every item you buy is more than likely going to take a huge loss in the future. I have no problem buying a quality item for a decent reasonable price. All the items that I have decided to sell up until recently, I have always gotten at least what I paid for them and didnt really try to get more than that. Now you cant even get what you paid. It would be nice if the professional teams realized that they're prices are way over market value, but I guess they are getting those prices for the items.

Jason

stlbats@bellsouth.net

[Klattsy]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I agree with Davis.

I think there needs to be a separation between "collecting" which you do for the love of and "dealing" which you would do for a profit. I think that GU "collecting" is strong and evidenced by this community, however "dealing", like trading cards, would be very difficult to do for a business.

As a relatively younger collector, plus someone on low-middle income, IMHO, the hobby is still not affordable as people make out. I am lucky that my collection is based on minor stars and items are affordable, however any new collectors who would be interested in GU items will more than likely be wanting the "superstar" items, which I think are still costly.

So from a collectors POV (and thats what we all are isn't it?), I think it's great. However if I was dealer, not so great.

IMHO.

Mark.

[kudu]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I agree with Davis.

I think there needs to be a separation between "collecting" which you do for the love of and "dealing" which you would do for a profit. I think that GU "collecting" is strong and evidenced by this community, however "dealing", like trading cards, would be very difficult to do for a business.

As a relatively younger collector, plus someone on low-middle income, IMHO, the hobby is still not affordable as people make out. I am lucky that my collection is based on minor stars and items are affordable, however any new collectors who would be interested in GU items will more than likely be wanting the "superstar" items, which I think are still costly.

So from a collectors POV (and thats what we all are isn't it?), I think it's great. However if I was dealer, not so great.

IMHO.

Mark.

Hey Mark, do you know what the market is like in Australia with regards to gameused cricket, footy, rugby, etc. stuff? Is it easy/tuff to get that kind of stuff down there? Are the prices reasonable or ridiculous? Just curious.

Kurt

[redoctober]

Re: Our Stuff is Worthless(Mostly)

If you want to invest for a return game used is not the way to go.

Physical gold/silver/platinum is where it is at.

I was buying gold at 750 and ounce and have almost doubled my return and will for sure double it in the near future.

You have already doubled your investment and "WILL FOR SURE DOUBLE IT (AGAIN) IN THE NEAR FUTURE".

OK. Good luck on that guarantee.

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

On the posts earlier in the thread about dealers not buying. It may just be the case of any of the following:

1. The dealer has his money tied up in his current inventory and cannot acquire more until he sells some of it. There is a finite amount any business will invest in inventory.

2. The dealer lacks the knowledge and experience to decipher between real and bogus GU stuff and does not want to get taken. Which may have happened with Swoboda's guy, I got from the post that he runs a sporting goods store and has autograph signings which is a far cry from GU stuff.

3. Even at a cheap price the dealer does not think he can resell the item for much of a profit or the item may be hard to resell at all. I.e. It is from a player who is long retired and forgotten or is a current no name player.

Dealers

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I think the real problem is the oversupply rather than dealers not buying. Companies like JO, Meigray, Steiner and the teams, leagues and smaller companies in some ways have really been a great benefit to the hobby, they have let us acquire stuff we otherwise could never have gotten BUT they also hurt the hobby in that they introduce a steady source of new material into the market regularly which reduces the values of the stuff already in the market. For example, say JO or MEIgray sells me a jersey for $1,500 from a player on one of the teams in their team partnerships and a few months later I decide to sell it. I advertise it at $1,500 or above I am likely to find no buyers. The buyers know that they can get one from JO or MeiGray at the same price I paid so why buy from me? Even if they are out of stock people are willing to wait until the next season where absent unsual circumstances like the player coming off an amazing year the price is likely to be similar as it was the previous year. So to sell mine I have to drastically lower the price.

Another problem is there are a finite number of collectors willing to pay several grand for the jersey of a particular player. As each one of them obtains such item that further reduces the market.

[Klattsy]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

Hey Mark, do you know what the market is like in Australia with regards to gameused cricket, footy, rugby, etc. stuff? Is it easy/tuff to get that kind of stuff down there? Are the prices reasonable or ridiculous? Just curious.

Kurt

PM sent Kurt...

[Klattsy]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

Hey Mark, do you know what the market is like in Australia with regards to gameused cricket, footy, rugby, etc. stuff? Is it easy/tuff to get that kind of stuff down there? Are the prices reasonable or ridiculous? Just curious.

Kurt

Change of plan...you don't accept PM

There is not much GU down here at all. It's very rare to see GU on eBay of ANY sport in Australia. Rugby League has some auctions/fundraisers during the year - the Breast Cancer (pink jersey's) and Heritage Round jersey's get auctioned by clubs for charity.

To be honest i'm not sure what cricket/football teams do with their gear, weather they have plenty of jerseys or what not during the year. Every now and again you will see some items FS but I am not sure how they are obtained initially. I would have thought you would have to know the player. They certainly don't sell items at team shops.

Most memorabilia down here is non-GU signed items. So like a signed card or ball or jersey.

The stuff that is auctioned off goes for a mint (in my book)...anwhere from $500-$10,000 for some items. Way out of my price range.

Having said that, Brett Roneberg, a baseballer who represented Australian at 2 WBC and 2000 Olympics (plus a strong domestic level and trialed at MLB clubs) recently sold a STACK of his gear on eBay to raise money...his 2009 WBC GU jersey sold for $120. His non worn 2006 WBC jersey sold for $65. I'm am spewing I missed both. However I emailed him and he is sending me a stack of his Australian Baseball League (Brisbane Bandits) gear which is great. However if that was a Rugby League or AFL player, it would have gone for a motsa.

I think there would be a market for the stuff, but just not sure how to get it! Even if there was an availability of stuff, I think people would hold onto the items longer anyways, and there would not be and active secondary sales market.

Plus there is no authentication businesses down here so stuff would be sold on trust I guess.

Hope that answers your question!
Mark.

[zooat2]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

I think the real problem is the oversupply rather than dealers not buying. Companies like JO, Meigray, Steiner and the teams, leagues and smaller companies in some ways have really been a great benefit to the hobby, they have let us acquire stuff we otherwise could never have gotten BUT they also hurt the hobby in that they introduce a steady source of new material into the market regularly which reduces the values of the stuff already in the market. For example, say JO or MEIgray sells me a jersey for $1,500 from a player on one of the teams in their team partnerships and a few months later I decide to sell it. I advertise it at $1,500 or above I am likely to find no buyers. The buyers know that they can get one from JO or MeiGray at the same price I paid so why buy from me? Even if they are out of stock people are willing to wait until the next season where absent unsual circumstances like the player coming off an amazing year the price is likely to be similar as it was the previous year. So to sell mine I have to drastically lower the price.

Another problem is there are a finite number of collectors willing to pay several grand for the jersey of a particular player. As each one of them obtains such item that further reduces the market.

- Totally 100% agree with you. The oversupply is getting worse and worse, I mean if you look at the Steiner site there are SO MANY items on there that they will NEVER be able to sell. I started a post on this a few months back, and it seems like this topic is getting so much more traction that its actually scary that this can be happening to our beloved hobby..

- Even from a collecting standpoint that has to be a point where you stop. For example, in my basement/man cave I am literally running out of room and although there are many items out there that I would want, I cannot but them because I have no space. Anyone else have this issue?

[Neal]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

- Totally 100% agree with you. The oversupply is getting worse and worse, I mean if you look at the Steiner site there are SO MANY items on there that they will NEVER be able to sell. I started a post on this a few months back, and it seems like this topic is getting so much more traction that its actually scary that this can be happening to our beloved hobby..

- Even from a collecting standpoint that has to be a point where you stop. For example, in my basement/man cave I am literally running out of room and although there are many items out there that I would want, I cannot but them because I have no space. Anyone else have this issue?

I am almost at that point in terms of my bat collection. I started to really get into bats about 2 years ago. Finding bats at a fair price is tough enough, and as I find them, I may need to let some other things go for either the room or lack of funds. After careful consideration (and having to return several bats recently that Taube would not authenticate), I decided to simply stick to collecting Phillies bats - easier to stay focused.

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Are GU Items Becoming like BB Cards??

- Totally 100% agree with you. The oversupply is getting worse and worse, I mean if you look at the Steiner site there are SO MANY items on there that they will NEVER be able to sell. I started a post on this a few months back, and it seems like this topic is getting so much more traction that its actually scary that this can be happening to our beloved hobby..

- Even from a collecting standpoint that has to be a point where you stop. For example, in my basement/man cave I am literally running out of room and although there are many items out there that I would want, I cannot but them because I have no space. Anyone else have this issue?

It is part of the reason I sold most of my stuff. I had 30 plus bats, like 20 jerseys, then autographed stuff probably 60 baseballs, maybe 40 full size basketballs, 20 plus football mini helmets, then maybe 20 checks and photos. Then there is the celeb autograph collection which has like 30 checks, a lot of playbills and hardcover books. It got to the point where everywhere I looked there was a game used or autographed item.