General Forum

So I visited one of my favorite card shops today on my road trip from PA to VA and I notice a product on the shelf that I'm familiar with and it's well below current market rate. There's 10 boxes on the shelf and I tell him I'll take them all and asked if he had any more available. He walks away and comes back to say he doesn't have any more in the back, but said somebody called about this product earlier this morning and that he would only sell me half of the boxes. Now I know this is BS because this product came out in 2019 and it appeared to have been sitting on the shelf all this time. Someone just doesn't call about a three year old product shortly before I arrive at the store. He said check back later in the week if the other person bought them but that he could probably order more of the product but it would be at a higher price. Obviously when he went to go look for more product he discovered that the price on the boxes had gone up in value.

I understand that card shops need to make money and I'm all about supporting local card shops however if a product has been sitting on your shelf since 2019 and you don't keep the price up-to-date that is not my concern. Should I be grateful that they didn't pull all of the product away from me or change the price on the spot or is this bad etiquette on the card shop for realizing their goof and pulling the product away from the customer?

I understand you being skeptical but you got 5 boxes at a good price and they could have easily said someone called and wanted all 10 so I wouldn't be too upset about it.

While being happy with getting half of the boxes at a good price, I'd be awfully upset at the shop owner for blatantly lying on the spot like that. That's a bad move, and one that would make me question returning to his store. (I have not returned to some stores for less egregious acts than that.)

So he can raise the price, and potentially have it sit there another 3 years, or he could sell it all to you and get your money.  Seems like a poor businessman.

A bit of a jerk move by the shop owner.  I wonder what the price would be for the remaining 5 boxes if you called back a week later.  A lesson for all of us - wait to ask if they have any more in the back until after having already bought and paid for the underpriced cards that were on display. 

Given time to think about it, which you may not have had, I would have responded.  "All or none, I have money here and now"...his reaction would have been a revelation. 

a) If he says, "all" then you get what you want and for future reference you know he's dishonest.

b) If he says "none", you can change you mind and accept 5.  If he allows it, maybe he's telling the truth.

c) If he says "none" and rejects the offer of 5, you can evaluate whether you want to deal with him in the future.  Sure you lose out,

but there's always another deal another time.

My guess is c) would have been an unlikely outcome.

Maybe this is one of those 'all in' poker situations where someone can get spooked. Instead of going for all of the boxes and more, maybe you should have quietly bought half only to come back later to get the rest. Not that you could have foretold his reaction to your initial request, but I imagine if someone comes in thrilled to spend all that money on old product it probably triggered the owner into thinking he was getting ripped off. Still not good on his part, but I can understand the panic a bit on his part even if it's underhanded.

It depends. In theory, it is possible that someone has called that morning. Remember that you also ask for the same three year old product. On the other hand, if he stretches the rubber band too much, it will slap back in his face. In that case, he will throw the baby out with the bath water, because you won't buy his stuff, he will lose his sale and possibly his reputation if he is getting known in the community for that kind of play.

It's sadly not only shops but anybody who has some product from the last several years . Everyone hoping they can flip and make some sort of greedy killing. I.E. oh look at this $20 retail box on clearance for $13 I buy 5 of them and then offer for sale for $45 or $50 apiece. I try to get 2018 Topps series Walmart  packs / boxes where I can and can not tell you some of the outrageous prices and excuses I have seen for the prices. LOL there is nothing even majorly worth a so called high cost / high return you could pull except an auto  or low #/ed serial stuff and even then would have to be a collector of that player or team. Yeah was poor taste on their part, but also consider the other part of the hobby right now too in the fact that they might possibly think you just might be trying to buy it ALL in order to flip it , hence trying to save some product for any of their other customers just saying.

If he has a price on it then he should be willing to sell at that price no sudden BS because you show interest that oh hmm i'm going to check why he's interested in that much quantity. 

He could save some face by not putting a price and have people come by and ask hi, how much for your 2019 Topps Update boxes?

Ideally, we would see prices and not have to ask but as this business/hobby isn't like going to the grocery store anymore where you used to know what you were going to pay because it actually said it on the packs.

A certain innocence is gone and replaced by investors and prospectors panning for cardboard gold