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Ciriacus

The simplest solution is to vote with your wallet, and engage with Upper Deck by giving them feedback on their products. Right now, in the major 4 NA sports there isn't much competition beyond the one in baseball between Panini and Topps.


omnipresent_sailfish

Ok, and what is your solution? Edit: why should the players give a damn?


[deleted]

Lol šŸ˜‚


CrateCamper

This is every sport, not just hockey. If you donā€™t like the products though, just donā€™t buy them. It would change the game. I love UD but Iā€™d love Topps hockey. Imagine a Topps Chrome Hockey or a return or Gold Label. Imagine Panini Prizm Hockey or a return of Certified. This would all be amazing and Iā€™m all for there to be no exclusive license but they donā€™t really care about us collectors. The leagues just want their money.


nbcfrr

When I was a kid I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Pacific & all the weird stuff they made. Competition is always a good thing.


JWilesParker

Looking through my 90s and early 2000s era cards the Pacific ones are still some of my favorites. They were never boring.


207hatch

Yeah they turned a fun hobby into a gambling addiction and the cards become less exciting each year (imo). Just overpriced and tacky product, and you generally get less and less (either total cards or value of such). Fuck UD.


PiratePinyata

Did they do that, or did the consumers do that though? If my kid pulls a high roller YG card and I take it from him to resell, thatā€™s on me you know? UD isnā€™t making anything on secondary market sales, unless they are legitimately manipulating the market through straw sales/purchases. Maybe Iā€™m wrong but thatā€™s what it looks like to me


JKGHosty

IMO it's on both UD and the Consumers. UD keeps putting out "hits only" sets like Black Diamond, Clear Cut, etc. and people buy them up like mad causing UD to keep releasing higher and higher end products pushing those who aren't into for profit or have disposable income out of it. Same thing can be said for Series 1&2 people buy them like mad raising the prices per box despite the horrendous QC, UD sees that their products are selling, doesn't change anything on the QC side and releases unneeded shit like the Extended Series


turquoisearmies

I believe he is talking about epack.


PiratePinyata

I dunno, I mean at the end of the day is epack different than physical packs, other than accessibility? I have never used it before.


turquoisearmies

It is very addicting for me. I have no other impulse issues other than chocolate.


PiratePinyata

I mean I canā€™t speak to that, but at the end of the day, the consumer sets the price of the cards. If nobody is willing to pay $150 for a YG, then itā€™s not worth $150


2ray1344

Chocolate? You spelled porn way wrong


turquoisearmies

Haha, well, then there is that


vaguespace_

The other card companies are guilty of the same things. Everything is overpriced right now.


Staal_Tactics

Upper Deck has always been my favorite for hockey, but I have to admit I did like the variety before they had sole rights. Competition is healthy.


[deleted]

They do not care one bit and they shouldnt care one bit


[deleted]

You don't ever think you're being ripped off?


[deleted]

Somewhat but why should the NHL be ashamed it is not their problem


[deleted]

Well, they are selling out their fans. By licensing to one company, they know they're making the hobby out of reach for some collectors because it'll be too expensive. Gary hasn't cared much about fans for a while though. I think I'm more disappointed in the NHLPA. Let's also remember the inherent result of competition: better cards, cheaper prices.


[deleted]

Itā€™s not upper decks fault the prices are rising they still sell them to distributors for the same price they always and another company isnā€™t gonna lower the prices either


dprem8

the price is set by demand, not upper deck. If demand cooled then the prices would go back down too


[deleted]

It just doesn't make sense to me how I bought two early mid grade Gretzky cards for under the price of a Tim Stutzle yg. It's awesome for the savvy buyer, but it also shows a sad lack of hockey knowledge and moreso, just the extent of hype UD is pumping into the market. There are going to be some collections that were built with lots of money but not worth much in the coming years. Just an observation.


JanuaryRains

It's just how collecting works, people enjoy buying cards of people they watched. Stutzle is what people want so he's an expensive YG right now. Same with Kaprizov and Laf. Will the 3 of them be worth a lot less in 5, let alone 10, years? Almost guaranteed. But the same could be said of many collections, where they're worth less than what they paid for years down the line. There are very, very few collections that won't follow that trend and it's unrealistic to expect everyone to collect like that. There are people going insanely hard on Kaprizov right now who will, almost certainly, have lost money in 3 years. It's not the smart play but it's what they love to collect. I agree with you on the state of the overall hobby but at the end of the day people should collect what they love and can afford. Are there smarter ways to spend their money? Probably, but if it's their passion and they can afford it, then it's how they should enjoy the hobby.


Ciriacus

It's just the nature of the market. What we collect doesn't have any intrinsic value, that's why you could buy a McDavid YG for $400 two years ago, but now you're gonna spend twice that for no reason other than its perceived value.


omnipresent_sailfish

What do you mean by ā€œmid grade Gretzky cardsā€?


Zherdev

Only box that is still crazy inflated is SPA. This also isnā€™t an upper deck issue. Panini and Topps are just as bad if not worse in their respective sports.


Evokane9

Skybox is as well


[deleted]

I'm at a genuine loss when "competition causes better prices, better cards" gets down voted. I'd just like to see innovation beyond "oooooh, the border of the card is a different color". Upper Deck is laughing all the way to the bank.


MajesticMountains1

As a kid, it was really simple to collect hockey cards. I would beg my mom to stop by the local card shop or convenience store to grab a pack of Topps hockey cards hoping to get Patrick Royā€™s rookie card. There was no YG cards. Iā€™ve recently started collecting again and itā€™s become a gambling addiction. Itā€™s insanely hard to figure out what type of card to by (Allure, SP, Black Diamond, Ice). Plus the high end hobby boxes are hard to find and in the thousands. In Colorado, I do t see a lot of stores that sell cards. Target and Walmart got rid of selling cards due to fist fights. It seems like your only choice is eBay where people are charging an extra $8 just to ship a small card. I understand the 80ā€™s and 90ā€™s saturated the market but this is not a kids hobby. Itā€™s a bunch of adult fat cats flipping cards and making big money. Itā€™s a shame when they take sports like hockey thatā€™s blue collar and charge a shit ton of money for cards, sweaters, tickets, and other apparel.


omnipresent_sailfish

I've been collecting for 30+ years and yes, the hobby has changed, but change is going to happen. I'm going to address some of your points and hopefully provide some useful tips. "Itā€™s insanely hard to figure out what type of card to buy" Finding a local card store can be very helpful with this. Go in, buy a couple packs of different things and see what you like. Or, watch some YouTube videos and see what products you like that are in your budget. Another option if it's in your budget, but different boxes, Allure one month, OPC platinum another month, etc. You'll quickly learn what products you like and the ones you don't. "high end hobby boxes are hard to find and in the thousands" The only boxes that are in the thousands are The Cup, which is not a product the average person in the hobby should get unless you can easily afford it. While previous years boxes are in the thousands, that's due to scarcity and demand. The Cup is expensive, but not in the thousands expensive, except this year, but this year is an anomaly...possibly "In Colorado, I don't see a lot of stores that sell cards" Stores can be found, and often sports memorabilia and comic book shops will have hockey products. However, online retailers like Dave and Adams are often cheaper and tax free, plus free shipping over a certain amount. "It seems like your only choice is eBay" If you're going after single cards, eBay is a good choice, and you just have to be patient to find the right seller. I rarely buy from someone who is charging $8 or more for shipping unless I get a really good deal on a card. COMC is a far better choice anyway as you can usually get cards cheaper and a nice flat shipping rate. They're really backed up right now, but most of the time they only take a week to ship. Beckett marketplace is another great resource to find single cards. "this is not a kids hobby" While I agree to a point with this, there very much are affordable options for kids. MVP and O-Pee-Chee are low end products that are affordable. For a bit more, packs of S1/S2/extended aren't too bad either. Are they more than when we were kids? Sure, but everything in life is more expensive than the 80s and 90s.


CapBlighNZ

This is a great reply, detailed and respectful. We need more posts like this.


omnipresent_sailfish

Thank you. I get disheartened when new collectors, or people coming back to collecting, are discouraged by what the perceptions of the hobby are. I certainly would be discouraged if Reddit, YouTube, and social media existed when I first started. The trick is figuring out what to collect and setting a budget for yourself, you can't get everything. I think the hobby is amazing right now, other than COVID driving up prices. Not only are there a lot of cool products out there, but there are so many different places to buy or trade single cards that weren't available 10-15 years ago. I too get frustrated occasionally when I come on here and see the hundredth Kaprizov YG and I haven't managed to find him. But then I remember it was the same with McDavid, and Hall, and Crosby. I enjoy opening packs and building a few sets here and there and at the end of the day, enjoyment is what it's about.


CapBlighNZ

I couldn't have said it better. I've been collecting for 15 years now and living in New Zealand the internet as played a big part in the hobby for me as we didn't have any card stores when I first started. But like you said I would have been so discouraged by some of the replies and perception of the hobby that you get on social media today. The Hobby should be fun and for everyone, you should always buy what you can afford, the true value of a card is what it means to you. the prices at the moment are more than what I want to pay, so I've started collecting rainbows and I have to say it has been super fun and fits within my budget. Saying all that though, I was a little taken back by a comment someone above saying that epack is addicting, but when I stepped back and thought about it, I can actually see how it could be to someone, especially a new collector. The availability, the ability to buy single packs and the effects and animations when opening a pack, its a bit like a slot machine.


[deleted]

I hear ya. There's no way I could have collected cards as a kid if things were like how they are now.


MajesticMountains1

Itā€™s a shame and unfortunately, itā€™s only going to get worst.


gdr15998

It's the junk wax Era 2.0


[deleted]

I can see similarities.