Night #2 of The National Week
Buying is a whole lot of fun.
Early bird gets the worm.
Our guys at Indy Card Exchange were able to get everything set up yesterday, so they planned on getting to the show at 10am this morning (the showroom opened at 8am). We decided to get a jumpstart on the day and get in there at 8:30 and see who all was set up. Now customers were not allowed into the show until 3:30 today, so only dealers were able to go around and buy beforehand. I would say probably only 10% of all dealers were set up/close to being ready when we got there. Know that I am not judging one bit - we obviously weren't setting up that early either! We were hoping to snag some pickups before we got to our booth at 10, and we are PUMPED about what we were able to make happen.
We started out with picking up those beauties from 4 different tables (including our good friends over at Meelypops). We also picked up about 70 cards that will be more than solid for next week's $4.99 auctions.
We felt really good about these deals. We got back to the booth and got everything prepped and ready to go. Our entire booth was ready by noon. As soon as the rush to appease my OCD with all of the organization and pricing had ended, I headed to the restroom. Before I left I told Andy that we were done making big buys for a while - time to sell.
But then I walked by this beauty....
Yep. I had to buy that one. As referenced in my recent Peyton Manning PC video this is definitely one of those "Me or Mike" cards! I love it.
2022 National Black Box
Andy took one for the team and went over to the Panini booth to settle up on some redemptions. One of them was a 2021 Impeccable Triple Auto /15 of Justin Jefferson, Randy Moss, and Cris Carter. Honestly, I really wanted that card, but as we close in on a year of waiting, I was ready to get something we could turn into cash.
Just so ya know, you have to have an "appointment" through their email/website to be able to turn your redemptions into anything.
Typical Wednesday
We always get so excited to tackle the week when the doors open at 3:30. However, Wednesdays have rarely been a big sales day. There are still a lot of dealer-type customers who are looking to buy way under comps, which few other dealers want to oblige. From talking to a lot of our friends on the same side of the table we are on, there was a significant amount of people asking to trade.
Just so ya know, dealers like to trade, but that is not our goal at big shows like this. The hard truth is that it is expensive to be a dealer at The National and we value our table space and its availability to as many customers as possible. Many times, the well-intended trade conversations end up with no significant deals made and several minutes of our table space being closed off to potential buyers. Personally, I am going to try to be better at saying "no" tomorrow when people ask if I am looking to trade. Trading is a very fun part of the hobby, but big shows like this do require a business strategy.
Shoutouts!
One of our favorite parts of The National is meeting so many customers from over the years. Today, we were able to meet Todd Allen who has been a longtime brother in cards through social media. We have been sharing our Pack Plus Program and breaks with him for a long time! So good to put a face with a name. Todd, if you're reading this, cheers!
Indy Card Exchange owner, Andy Albert, had an incredible moment with a long lost BANGER that he pulled back in 2003. He also had a massive trade for a BIG Jayson Tatum! For a great feel-good story, hop on over to their Instagram @ballcardxchange
We made a great deal with fellow hoosier and former teacher Bryce Joyner. I love seeing Bryce at all of the Indiana shows and trade nights. He has an incredible inventory, so be on the lookout for him this week!
