When it comes to shopping for cards online... COMC's fall has led to the ascension of Sportlots (at least for me). They've always served different purposes. Sportlots helped me complete sets with their affordable commons, while COMC filled gaps in my player and team collections.
Since I've always tried to get the most bang for my buck, I avoided paying 20¢ for commons and preferred to find pricier cards over on COMC. However their decision to restructure their shipping rates forced me to drain my balance, start using Sportlots more, and focus on card projects that have been collecting dust for quite some time.
1984 Topps Glossy All-Stars #10
1986 Topps Glossy All-Stars #7
1990 Topps Glossy All-Stars #8
Last week, I started shopping for some 80's Leaf Dave Stieb cards... which led me to plugging some holes in my 1984 to 1991 Topps Glossy All-Star project which was missing the entire 1986 set. Well, I found one vendor with almost the entire set:
While shopping for those Stieb cards, I completed another set sitting in my office:
Last week, I showed of this 1987 Leaf card of Dave Stieb that Adam over at Thoughts & Sox sent me:
I mentioned that I might chase down his other three Leaf cards from that era. Two down, 1988 to go.
1990-91 Pro Set Hockey Set
Back in early April, Stuart over at S.R. '75 Cards sent me this set. I'm a huge fan of early Pro Set sets and was happy to add their inaugural hockey set to my collection. While flipping through the set, I noticed it was missing one card:
1990-91 Pro Set #298
No biggie. That's what Sportlots is for. If you're not familiar with this set, here's a quick peek:
Pro Set included everyone from draft picks to coaches to officials. They even included a card for the puck.
They also honored the all-stars, award winners, and stat leaders. Plus a ton of guys who would eventually make the Hockey Hall of Fame:
Speaking of future hall of famers, the 1990-91 rookie card class was full of them:
Jaromir Jagr is the lone player to not receive the honor. But that's because he hasn't officially announced his retirement. He last skated in the NHL in 2017, but was playing professionally in the Czech Republic up to last season.
Thank you Stuart for generously gifting me with this awesome set.
Let's wrap this post up with the two cards that inspired this Sportlots order:
1985 Leaf #54
1986 Leaf #68
1987 Leaf #72
Like the Topps Glossy All-Stars... I'll target this card in a few weeks when I have more free time on my hands.
Until then, here is today's question of the day:
Where do you shop for cards online? COMC? Sportlots? eBay? Other?
If I were to break down the numbers, eBay and their vendors get most of my money. However my purchases usually involve single cards or smaller sets/lots. Sportlots is a distant second, but that might change this summer.
I look forward to reading and responding to your comments. I apologize that I haven't replied to comments on my recent posts. It's on my list of things to do this weekend. Stay tuned.
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
24 comments:
I was killing it with COMC after selling off a bunch of stuff and basically swapping for stuff I wanted. But like you said, the shipping rates make most purchases way overpriced. So my second choice is SportLots, but the interface it so terrible, it takes forever to dig out a decent order from a few sellers. I've had 40+ cards in my cart for a month, but it's just so tedious to find the max for each seller's shipping rate, that I may not pull the trigger. The other choices are local shops, but the prices aren't the best for the commons I want. TCDB trades have become my best source - and they're basically free since I swap extra stuff for them, but they just trickle in a few handfuls at a time. It's getting harder as time goes by.
Sportlots was my go-to for a long time, but I don't buy online anymore. Trading, especially through TCDB, has covered almost all my needs.
ebay, 100% (well, most) of the time.
Good Job! 👍
I'm completely gone from ComC, and Sport Lots albeit their recent changes is still a go to for common Braves cards. I've been doing a good bit on Ebay lately.....again.
Cardbarrel for baseball.
I was buying through COMC for football, basketball, and hockey. But I haven't done so in a while. (before the shipping charge change)
I'm not a frequent online buyer though.
I used COMC once a year or two but with rumors it was going to be folded, I had tried to get my cards delivered, except for one card bought after shipment, using funds refunded to my account because of a mistake, where another card was not shipped due.
I used Sportlots for odds and ends pick ups over the past 10 years - but the last times I was using the site, seller shipping crept up fast for even just 1-2 cards at a time, where it’s harder to cobble together smaller orders from different sellers.
I believe I have the Gwynn you need. I’ll check and let you know.
It’s funny that you needed that Lidster card because I got a handful of hockey cards about 30 years ago, and had 2 cards from that set, some referee who I forget the name, and the Lidster. Not sure if I still have it or not, but glad you found one for your set.
I may be partial - but I appreciate all of the Dave Stieb cards in this post!
1) I've always liked those Topps glossies and buy the sets when I see them.
2) Always use ebay now, though you've got to be careful with the shipping rates.
"...But that's because [Jagr] hasn't officially announced his retirement." I remember Jagr congratulating Ovechkin for passing him on the ACTIVE goal scoring list.
Nice on the '80s glossies, I'd like to do the same, don't know if I'll get to it.
I quit COMC. It's pretty much ebay for me with occasional stop-overs at sportlots. I can't get the handle of regular TCDB trading. It seems like a time commitment.
I use ebay and Sportlots but not a big fan of COMC. Love seeing those holes being filled in and even though pro-set hockey was over produced the cards were nice with some nice photos. Also liked the addition of the refs and trophies.
Purchasing cards is mostly ebay now due to COMC price and shipping increases. And since I'm building vintage sets more, Sportlots is less useful than it used to be and it's also too time consuming. TCDB gets me some cards, too, and it's most preferred since then I can get rid of extras at the same time.
1990-91 Pro Set is error-filled and wayyy overproduced, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for those colorful borders. The team logo/fact cards are some of my all-time faves.
Sportlots has certainly filled the gap vacated by COMC. I'm up to 99 total orders on SL and plan to make #100 this summer.
Surprised I’m the first one to mention BuySportsCards.com, it’s pretty much Sportlots (which I also use) but I think it has a better interface for Team collectors like me
It’s mainly eBay for me with a bit of sportlots thrown in. Pretty sure I’ve placed my last order with comc but never say never!
Pretty much only eBay, apart from occasionally buying a blaster from Walmart. Occasionally I look at more individual sites--there was The Baseball Card Store, which is out of business, and I also ordered once from Cincy Cards And Supplies, which had some great deals, but they went out of business as well.
gca - i agree with you on sportlots interface. i'm hoping one day to be organized enough to get my tradebait up on tcdb. unfortunately it's just not going to happen anytime soon
batting out of order - seems like a lot of bloggers are on tcdb now. maybe one day i'll join the fun
john sharp - ebay saved searches keep me active over there as well
johnnys trading spot - you're lucky to have some really good shops and shows in your area.
elliptical man - i've used cardbarrel a few times in the past, but it's been awhile. i'll check them out again when i place an order of commons.
laurens - i've noticed that some of the sportlots sellers have high shipping prices too. that's one of the first things i look at after i find cards i need on their site.
jeremya1um - the crazy thing is i've probably owned a few copies of that lidster over the years. there was a time (mid 90's) when hockey cards outnumbered any other sport in my collection.
craziejoe - i appreciate them too. it's not high on my priority list, but one day i'll probably start a binder pc of him.
crocodile - one of my saved ebay searches is reserved for complete sets of those topps all-star glossy cards. it's so much easier and more affordable to just buy the sets complete
cardboredom - ovechkin is amazing. never thought anyone would break gretzky's record
night owl - they look pretty cool all together in a binder.
rr - i really like the 1990 pro set hockey and football designs. i know some of the errors can be worth money, but it's a great set for anyone on a budget.
jeff b - looks like a lot of us have turned away from comc. you'd think that would make them reconsider their shipping policy.
chris - i'm kinda glad its overproduced. it makes it affordable for collectors to add to their collection.
pennsylvania tiger - i'll check buysportscards.com out this summer when i'm targeting more sets/projects
gcrl - don't see myself going back to comc unless they go back to their old shipping rates
brett alan - i loved cincy cards. they sold me some really cool stuff back in the day.
I've had success with buysportscards.com when I get down to the last 5-10 cards to complete a set. It does get a little frustrating when I have to hit that $3 mark and the seller doesn't have anything else I want. I've never used cardbarrel and will definitely check it out.
I try to make trades on TCDB for cards I need whenever I can, because I like helping out other collectors with their needs. But I've had some good success on Sportlots, too. It can take a little time and research, but if you can find a seller who has a bunch of cards you need, the total price can work out pretty nicely.
As of now it's sportlots and eBay. I'd started to buy from sportlots more in recent years and even though the interface is tough I found some ways to make it a little easier.
Like others, the comc shipping increase was the nail in the coffin. If they'd at least allowed buyers to ship cards they'd already bought with the previous price, I'd at least consider buying with them. The comments in this post illuminating. I don't know who's going to keep buying from them so I'm going to cash out - like others I heard rumors but it's gotten much more concerning after reading all the people that have moved away. It's kind of funny - eBay actually made buying cards much better with their eBay envelope while comc went in the opposite direction.
michael d - when i have more free time, i'll try and do a comparison between buysportscards.com and sportlots to see which one is more affordable.
gregory - if i can ever input my collection, set builds, and trade bait into tcdb i'll start trading. the problem is time. maybe when i retire.
steve at 1975baseballcards.com - yup. ebay was smart. comc wasn't :D. it's truly a shame, because i love the concept behind comc. the shipping issue is just too big to overlook though.
You really should try WhatNot. I’ve been finding some great options there and some good lots of cards…
Those 80s glossies hit me in the feels since I started off buying rack packs at ToysRUs. I especially love this year with the team photos.
As for where I buy cards? Sportlots and ebay. And various breaks. COMC is dead to me.
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