More than just a hobby?

Let me start by saying this is not intended to be a stab at anyone or meant to be insulting, more of just to get a pulse on people and their collecting.
On another forum I received a post about a guy having 3 of my set needs, I think maybe one sp. Since I worked 7 days a week the last three weeks I've been slow on anything to do with cards. I get a PM that seemed a little angry. I'm paraphrasing here but something along the lines of if you're not serious about trading you shouldn't post anything. I replied with a message about how I have a lot going on and it's only a hobby for free time, when I don't have the time I don't mess with my cards. He replies with "well to a lot of us this is more than a hobby". I left it at that because I see no need to reply but I wondered if this guy is in the minority or majority? I have fun set building and breaking a random box every month or so but I never thought of it anymore than a hobby. Obviously for some people its a business and maybe that was the case with this guy but is it a number 1 priority? I put family, work and the gym (in that order) as my top 3 but cards come way after that stuff. Thoughts?

I think of it as a hobby and that's where the fun in it comes from. Once you start looking at it as a business and not for fun, then that's where the hobby dies.

I look at it purely as a hobby. As a HOF patch/relic collector - I know that I will never get the money back that I've spent on my collection and I'm 100% ok with that. I accept that part of the money I spend is for the joy of the hobby and for me there's a little bit of history involved, it's pretty damn cool to me to have a piece of jersey worn by Babe Ruth (for example). The second that making money becomes the main objective for me is the second that collecting will not be fun any longer. The other thing that excites me is the chase; a lot of the patches/relics are very rare and only come up from time to time and tracking them down is very difficult and prying them out of other PC's is even more difficult, and that's another part of it that excites me.

I get the same messages from time to time, mostly on SCF or previously by the dump truck load on BO. Everyone wants an instant answer.

If I'm on a site for an hour an I get burnt out replying, posting or browsing, I turn the computer off, because, as others have said, it's a HOBBY. If someone is in it for money, 1) I hope to God I don't have to deal with them and B ) the person with the cards should post in their posts about first come, first serve, they're all about the Benjamin's and 3) in posts that you or anyone else with a busy life, weather it be work, taking care of elderly or just plain traveling a lot, should say, I'll get back to the person as soon as I can, but take into consideration your schedule.

Again, no slight against anyone, but that's just my way of thinking, since everyone is in our hobby for different reasons. Just make it known that, "Hey, I'm looking for xxxxx, but am busting ass 7 days a week, working 60+ (or w/e # it is) hours and will get back to everyone as soon as I have an available moment".

Good to know people are in the same boat as I. That's the reason I like this board, it's a lot more laid back and people are friendly.

I'm not in it for the money per say, tho I do enjoy searching for cards I can flip. Ill
allways be buying and selling. These past couple months of finding some great stuff allowed me to
upgrade my PC and make money on the side. I do not get upset though like the guy you mentioned, I try to sell just on eBay to avoid some hassle( damn npb!)

Joey_peapod said:

I'm not in it for the money per say, tho I do enjoy searching for cards I can flip. Ill
allways be buying and selling. These past couple months of finding some great stuff allowed me to
upgrade my PC and make money on the side. I do not get upset though like the guy you mentioned, I try to sell just on eBay to avoid some hassle( damn npb!)

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I'm not really caught up in the money stuff, more of how serious he was taking cards. I mean really? At the end of the day it's all cardboard with a picture

I have dealt with this type many times. A-holes, business or hobby, these people need to learn how to treat others. They try to intimidate or play some power game to get what they want. It's the same group that offers $50 on a card that is consistently selling for $200. They are a joke and if more people would tell them to get lost, maybe as small % would get lost or learn how to treat people.

To answer your question, to me, it's part both. I use the business side to grow the hobby side, as many others do. But being great at the business side, is all about relationships and how one treats others. There are sellers on ebay, that will list the same card as others in auction. Their card will sell for 30, while the other sells for 19. It's because they are trusted and take care of people.

After being a big part of ebay sports cards for 10+ years, selling 115K a year, I quit and left the hobby for 4-5 years, to spend more time with my kids. It was health issues, with myself and my daughter that brought me back. Docs told me I needed a hobby or I was going to drive myself nuts with stress. I literally, need this to be a fun hobby, or I need to find a new one.

People need to relax, stop being a-holes, and have some fun, business or not.

Much like you (OP) this is a FUN hobby for me. I thoroughly enjoy baseball cards. Also, much like you, I am extremely busy 7 days a week. Between working 6 days a week, wife, 8 kids, life...there's not a whole lot of time for making sure I keep updating my hobby posts eery hour. I try to be quick about replying, but sometimes it is a few hours before I can get back.

Like a lot of folks, I drove in both sides of it. However, I only sell to fund my PC. I don't use paycheck money, for my hobby. So eery penny I make off a card, goes back toward cards. Technically, it's just trading. At least that's how I justify it to my wife lol.

Some people are just impatient and think their time is more valuable than yours. If they sent a PM, they expect a response within X minutes because that's when their timer goes off. They don't feel it's fair to them that they want something and have to wait on you for it. It really doesn't matter if they are a hobbiest or a businessman, it's usually a personality conflict. Just do what you can and don't let them get to you, do what you enjoy.

I think I'm in the majority now! Thanks for the responses! Its the first time I encountered such an attitude just trying to make a trade

It definitely should be about having fun, connecting to people and a sport we all enjoy.

I will say that the internet does create frustration when people have different expectations and schedules. I think the easiest is to let things be known in advance since waiting around wondering if the other party has forgotten about you is not fun either.

Topnotchsy said:

It definitely should be about having fun, connecting to people and a sport we all enjoy.

I will say that the internet does create frustration when people have different expectations and schedules. I think the easiest is to let things be known in advance since waiting around wondering if the other party has forgotten about you is not fun either.

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I agree that communication is important and does go along way but if someone doesn't reply back quickly I assume they're busy. I've taken well over a month to get even a small trade done and I never got upset, I know life happens. I do get a little annoyed when I buy something and it takes a while, now you're talking about money.

AnthonyCorona said:

Let me start by saying this is not intended to be a stab at anyone or meant to be insulting, more of just to get a pulse on people and their collecting.
On another forum I received a post about a guy having 3 of my set needs, I think maybe one sp. Since I worked 7 days a week the last three weeks I've been slow on anything to do with cards. I get a PM that seemed a little angry. I'm paraphrasing here but something along the lines of if you're not serious about trading you shouldn't post anything. I replied with a message about how I have a lot going on and it's only a hobby for free time, when I don't have the time I don't mess with my cards. He replies with "well to a lot of us this is more than a hobby". I left it at that because I see no need to reply but I wondered if this guy is in the minority or majority? I have fun set building and breaking a random box every month or so but I never thought of it anymore than a hobby. Obviously for some people its a business and maybe that was the case with this guy but is it a number 1 priority? I put family, work and the gym (in that order) as my top 3 but cards come way after that stuff. Thoughts?

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As somebody who has done a lot of trading online, I'm not sure of the timing on how long it took you to get back to somebody, and whether you made an initial wantlist post or were replying to a post made by the angry guy, but there are definitely situations where I might get a bit annoyed. Of course not so annoyed that I'd actually express my annoyance, because this stuff just happens, it's part of trading online, not a big deal.

If somebody makes a wantlist post and I respond that I have three of their wants and they never get back to me, I'll be a bit annoyed. There's a length of time there where the cards are sort of in limbo because maybe I've proposed a trade as part of the response, or I don't want to be annoying and trade the cards away before you respond to me. Usually that really doesn't matter but if it's stuff that other people are interested in it gets complicated.

If the angry guy made a post and you responded that you wanted a few of his cards then never followed up, I'd consider that kind of rude. I have plenty of obligations, and somewhere on that list is not leaving somebody hanging on a card trade. Personally it makes me upset to do that, but in general I'm way overly considerate of others so I'm probably not the best person to ask on the subject.

I completely agree on people being impatient, though. That's why I won't trade on message boards that seem to have a younger userbase. No patience.

Both a business and a hobby for me. I absolutely LOVE the hobby side of things (my pacific collection). The business side is just that, business. I work with everyone on payments and do my best to build a purchase that a person will enjoy. That being said, if you request something, I take my time to find those items, and then you don't respond in a timely manner (I see that you read my message on Facebook or you have logged in and haven't sent me any type of response) then I put your cards back in the box and go on my merry way.

I consider this as a hobby/teaching tool for my daughter. To me, I enjoy locking myself up in my basement just fiddling with my collection and everytime I pickup something big, my daughter is always with me interviewing me as to why drop a large chunk of change on this specific card....this is when the history lesson about said player kicks in.

Enfuego79 said:

I consider this as a hobby/teaching tool for my daughter. To me, I enjoy locking myself up in my basement just fiddling with my collection and everytime I pickup something big, my daughter is always with me interviewing me as to why drop a large chunk of change on this specific card....this is when the history lesson about said player kicks in.

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That's awesome! Being interviewed over a card purchase is great!

onionring9 said:

Some people are just impatient and think their time is more valuable than yours.

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Ding, ding, we have a Winner!

They put their expectations on other people and are ticked off when that falls through...

Interesting article from SCD about the business side of the Hobby for dealers, involving the IRS and courts...

http://www.businessmanagementdaily....ss-or-a-hobby-the-9-factors-courts-consider#_

That guy was an idiot to even THINK he could claim his expenses as deductions? He had NO INCOME!

I have shown loses MANY years, but I also have income from my sales.

2013 was the first year since I've started filing schedule C that I have shown a profit. I must be doing SOMETHING right.