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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Card Shaming

I've been good lately about not getting trapped into buying a card I really didn't want. I'm sure many of you have had that moment when you put in a bid and instantly regret it. Well a couple months back I had one of those.  In the grand scheme of things it wasn't a ton of money, but just enough to get mad at myself.


One of my favorite cards of 2015 was the Series 1 Pirates team card. I wasn't chasing a rainbow, but I made a conscience effort to accumulate the parallels that I enjoy like the silver frame and clear acetate. Well in early December this card popped up.

2015 Topps Mini Pirates Team Card /10

Obviously I like this card, but I've made it kind of an unwritten rule to not go crazy on parallels that aren't the silver and acetate variety. Obviously if I'm showing the card you know how the story ends. I ended up paying over $25 for this card. The price was really not too far out of whack, but it was the lack of discipline that pissed me off. For the most part when a card gets over the price of a blaster I usually stop and ask myself "do I really want this card." Instead of waiting I got sucked into the moment and overpaid for a card in which I could have done without.

This use to be a lot more common occurrence when I was younger and single. Now the goal is to make sure money is going to a card I actually enjoy and not blindly accumulating cards for the hell of it. Lesson Learned.....

Thanks for reading. 

22 comments:

  1. Disregard currency, acquire cards!

    Yeah, we've all been there, but you'll make up for it with a really good deal, or forgoing something else you really don't need.

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    1. Yeah, I made this purchase right at the beginning of December. I took a break pretty much the rest of December on eBay for cards for myself.

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  2. Been there. Done that. Just resell it.

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    1. I'll probably just hold onto it because it does fit in my collection and you never know about those low numbered parallels. I could easily lose money. I'm not a huge fan of selling cards anyway.

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  3. We've all been there, Matt.
    It's just part of the collecting game, brother.

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  4. Know exactly what you mean. Bid on a card earlier in the day not really meaning to win it and came home to find out that I did win it while the one I really wanted got away. Oy vay. Oh well. Collect hard!

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    1. For a long time I was just a straight accumulator of cards. After I started blogging I really make an effort to make sure I was only getting cards that I wanted.

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  5. I did it on three cards from a seller on ebay just last week. There neat cards, but I'm still annoyed with myself. I don't think I overpaid for them, it just feels like I didn't really need them.

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    1. It can be a slippery slope sometimes when that auction is nearing in end. Your brain is telling you to stop but sometimes the finger still clicks the button to bid up even more.

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  6. Right on. Blind accumulation is meant for tradin', not for buyin'.

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    1. Very true! I have no problem busting a box with friends and spreading the contents to the blogosphere.

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  7. This very reason is why I started using a sniping website to do my eBay bids. I would get caught up in wanting a card too much and I wouldn't exercise the discipline not to buy everything. I know some folks hate snipers, but for me, it's my budget setter. I put my top price I'll pay in, and then see what happens. If I get it, great. If not, great -- I didn't "overpay".

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    1. I have no problem with a sniper program. Sometimes you can't be on your phone to check an auction so that is the next best thing. I know a lot of people that use those.

      It always cracks me up when you get excited that you might get a card at an outrageous discount then at the last second it jumps $75. Damn snipers :)

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  8. I have absolutely no clue what you fellas are talking about....NOT.

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    1. hahaha. I just hated doing it because I have been so good about making sure my money is going to cards I like rather than just accumulated Pirates for the hell of it.

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  9. I basically do this with every card, even if I want it and its inexpensive.

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    1. Ha, well if it is under $10 bucks I can usually let it go. Cards like the one above are harder to take.

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  10. Don't feel bad. At least this is for your PC. Two years ago, I bought a 2013 Topps Five Star Clayton Kershaw parallel for $45. Thought it was signed... but it wasn't. Probably my worst purchase ever.

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    1. Yeah those high end parallels can get you. For $45 you were right to think it was an auto.

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  11. Yep been there done that, have the t-shirt and DVD. I recently did a similar thing by getting a card I already had. Fortunately it was in slightly better condition than the previous one. I've mentioned it on both my regular card blog and my Curly W card blog since it was a vintage Senator.

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    1. I have to buy most of my cards online, so the odds are I'm going to slip up. Just wished the card was a little cheaper.

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