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Major change with Finest

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BBCgalaxee

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
6,475
59
A message from Topps:

Subject: '16 Topps Finest Baseball Distribution



’16 Topps Finest Baseball will be available through two different distribution channels; through Topps MVP direct stores and via Topps.com. All MVP stores will receive their existing orders on the release date of May 18th. Distributors, hobby stores (non-direct and direct), breakers and consumers will be able to purchase ’16 Topps Finest Baseball by the case at a price of $799.89/case plus shipping during a pre-order window from April 27th thru May 9th. Orders will be on a 1st come 1st serve basis while supplies last. These orders will be delivered on the release date.

Starting on May 18th, if there is inventory still available, orders by the box at $99.99 plus shipping as well as by the case at $799.89 each plus shipping will be available to purchase and will be shipped in the order they are received.


Kevin O’Neil
Hobby Sales Manager
The Topps Company-Sports & Entertainment
__________________

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RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
I am sure this will be a trend. I can't see hobby stores/distributors liking this at all. It's basically giving anyone access at distributor pricing. At some point it probably will all go to direct unless Topps offers a price reduction to those who pre-order.

Ryan
 

BBCgalaxee

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
6,475
59
One of the most over priced products yielding the worst returns just got even worse.

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predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
I am sure this will be a trend. I can't see hobby stores/distributors liking this at all. It's basically giving anyone access at distributor pricing. At some point it probably will all go to direct unless Topps offers a price reduction to those who pre-order.

Ryan

I agree. But, with topps having an open pathway to the customer, they'll shed no tears when cutting out the middle men (hobby shops and distributors).
 

TenaciousJDD

New member
I am sure this will be a trend. I can't see hobby stores/distributors liking this at all. It's basically giving anyone access at distributor pricing. At some point it probably will all go to direct unless Topps offers a price reduction to those who pre-order.

Ryan

I wish they were selling it at distributor pricing. This price is about $100 more than most outlets were preselling cases for.

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RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
I wish they were selling it at distributor pricing. This price is about $100 more than most outlets were preselling cases for.

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Maybe I'm misreading the article. So is there a first wave of pre-orders available to some below $799.98, then it opens to the 2nd wave of pre-orders at a higher rate, then the 3rd wave is basically left over still available to anyone as it was in wave 2?

Ryan
 

TenaciousJDD

New member
Maybe I'm misreading the article. So is there a first wave of pre-orders available to some below $799.98, then it opens to the 2nd wave of pre-orders at a higher rate, then the 3rd wave is basically left over still available to anyone as it was in wave 2?

Ryan

I imagine the existing Topps MVP store orders were for less. Otherwise it reads to me that everyone else pays $799.98 per case and after release individual boxes will also be available for $99.99.

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RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
I imagine the existing Topps MVP store orders were for less. Otherwise it reads to me that everyone else pays $799.98 per case and after release individual boxes will also be available for $99.99.

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Yeah, I was lumping the MVP stores in with the Distributors, hobby shops etc. that makes it a lil better for the MVP stores if they are getting the price break, but could hurt their chances at selling to a customer for anything over those prices. Interesting move IMO.

Ryan
 

TenaciousJDD

New member
Yeah, I was lumping the MVP stores in with the Distributors, hobby shops etc. that makes it a lil better for the MVP stores if they are getting the price break, but could hurt their chances at selling to a customer for anything over those prices. Interesting move IMO.

Ryan

Before this dropped the big online retailers were preselling for around $700 with free shipping so unless this is loaded or extremely short printed I don't know of the market ever would've taken it to $800. 2014 and 2015 were good years for Finest and it's still pretty easy to find cases around $700.

Basically Topps has cut out the middleman AND raised the price which is not how cutting out the middleman usually works.

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rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
I suppose this will make the secondary market have better price support and last a lot shorter time? I'm thinking hobby shops, etc. get their boxes, whatever doesn't sell quick on release will remain strong on the secondary market as there won't be much time to sit on shelves waiting to be sold if you can sell it for around $99. Once the secondary market supply quickly dries up, topps.com or whatever venue topps will use becomes the only place you can get boxes.
 
Aug 7, 2008
821
6
Tampa, FL
This moves seems to be a reactionary one by Topps. To what we may never know, but from the release and reaction, it sure seems like Topps was underwhelmed by the number of pre-orders received for the product. This close to release date they may have run the numbers and realized they weren't going to sell out the traditional ways.

By doing this, they not only create extra buzz, but also test how direct to consumer can work for them. This could be a one-off, or we could be talking about this year's from now as when the industry changed. Will be interesting to watch, but a Win Win for Topps.

Thanks,
Jeff
 

hive17

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
21,426
24
I'm betting Correa will be all over this product in an attempt to move it.
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
"If inventory is still available"

Does Finest fail to sell out?

I have a feeling Topps, even though they claim they are print to order, may have to print up a certain amount of product to try to make the numbers work.

They will have pushed out the door the amount of boxes/cases sold to their MVP stores and to the general public in the general public ordering window so it seems Topps feels they will still have some product leftover to try to sell on topps.com after taking care of the first two groups.
 

BBCgalaxee

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
6,475
59
By Ryan Cracknell | Hobby Editor

Some major changes have happened to 2016 Topps Finest Baseball and it has nothing to do with the cards. Following weak pre-sales from dealers and distributors, the product has switched to an almost online-only model. And some aren’t happy about the changes and how they were communicated.

Hobby shops that have direct MVP status with the card maker are still having their pre-orders honored. All others, including distributors, have had their orders cancelled. To buy it now, everyone will have to buy it direct from Topps.

“Topps is dedicated to delivering consumers great products. Pre-order volumes were very low making it nearly impossible to deliver a great product using the existing wholesale distribution network,” said Jordan Greenstein, Topps Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing. “Topps MVP Hobby stores will receive the product as usual assuming they placed an order.”

2016 Topps Finest Baseball is now available on the Topps website for $99.99 per box or $799.89 for an eight-box case.

While no numbers were disclosed, Greenstein did say that production was drastically cut compared to last year’s set.

These changes are causing some concern to those who thought they would be selling 2016 Topps Finest Baseball and paid for the product months ago.




“They are leaders in our industry and to pull the rug out from under their partners is disappointing,” said Tom Fish, owner of Blowout Cards, of Topps’ decision. “My frustration is that this product was solicited to its partners on the hobby side like it has for many years. At the twelfth hour they decided to change course after the distributors and their retail partners have already committed product to their customers.”

2016 Topps Finest Baseball Timeline

• Nov 25: Solicited to dealers and distributors.
• Jan 13: Initial pre-sale window closes.
• Apr 22: Topps announced switch to direct distribution.
• Apr 27: Pre-sales launched on Topps website.
• May 18: 2016 Topps Finest Baseball releases.
Fish pointed out that the biggest headache for his company was the added work involved in handling the changes.

“The demand was low but we are going to honor all of the orders that were placed,” he said. “The orders weren’t huge but the time and energy involved was a pain in the neck.” He also noted that Blowout will match the $99.99 price offered through the Topps website.



Pat Moe of Bosco’s in Anchorage, Alaska sees several issues, both direct and indirect. He echoed a similar sentiment as Fish in that if shops didn’t honor pre-orders they risked angering customers and it may lead to them shopping elsewhere.

“Shops that sell Topps products have been put in a no-win situation by the decision to change the distribution of Finest with no warning,” Moe said. “Don’t carry it [and] you lose potential customers and sales. Any decision from a manufacturer on a product that has been designated as a hobby-direct product that drives customers from your store is irresponsible and reckless. The fact that Topps did not honor existing pre-orders with distributors is one hundred percent not acceptable.”

And while the distribution switch didn’t impact pre-sales placed by stores with MVP status, it still has the potential to impact things. Mike Fruitman of Mike’s Stadium Sportscards in Aurora, Colorado is one such store.

“When I first heard that 2016 Finest was going to be released differently than what I expected, my concern went to the three cases I ordered directly. Fortunately, Topps will be honoring orders at cost for any of the 250 MVP stores that ordered like I did,” Fruitman said.

But in the past, he’s been able to sell more than his initial order.

“Next I thought of how I was going to restock it since it is a release that we go through double-digit cases most years. The distributors I restock it from will not be able to offer it this year,” he noted.

“I think of every store in this industry as my brother or sister store and it is really unfortunate that they cannot get the only fully licensed MLB release due in all of May,” Fruitman said. He pointed out how Panini took a similar approach with 2013-14 Panini Titanium Hockey when they made the set a Canadian-exclusive after pre-orders had already been taken. But he couldn’t recall Topps doing something similar.



When 2016 Topps Finest Baseball was originally solicited for pre-sale last November, the cost for dealers was closer to $600 per case. That was the rate they were going off of when determining how much to order and their prices for their own pre-sales. Now that cases are $800 and available to everyone, it makes it more difficult to make a profit. That could change if the product is received well, but it will take a lot to make up the nearly $200 difference in cost per case.

“Trust is lost. Distributors won’t trust Topps. Shops won’t trust Topps and distributors. End users may not trust shops and Topps,” said Moe. “How this affects future Topps pre-orders will be very interesting. I see shops saying they will boycott future Topps products but if MLB is a major part of your sales, this is not realistic.

“And if enough people quit pre-ordering products, then that pushes Topps towards a Finest ordering system as the norm. So if you protest with your wallet now, you may end up with a worse situation later. [You] can’t win.”

Although things were changed up here, it doesn’t mean large-scale changes in distribution are in the works at Topps.

“Topps will always evaluate new ways to reach its tremendously passionate consumer base,” said Greenstein. “As of now, Topps does not plan to use this model for any upcoming releases.”

Even still, Fish sees a changing market that’s establishing new patterns, planned or not.

“Anytime you try something new it’s a test. Is it something that’s going to affect a lot of people? Sure. We’re talking about the shrinking footprint of the hobby,” Fish said. “This is just another step in that direction. People aren’t pre-ordering at the rate they have in the past. The products that take off when they come out are few and far between.”

Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter [MENTION=6139]tradercracks[/MENTION].

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