Ok Topps haters. Here's a suggestion

I trash 011873 because I don't like him, but he does have a valid point (along with other dealers/case breakers): Topps has mislead and flat out lied to us this year. Their snake oil salesman antics have cost a lot of people (who rely on selling cards to make a living) a crap ton of money.

011873 and others have said they've complained to Topps and their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Topps doesn't give a **** about one card store owner. If one guy stops buying from them, there are 10,000 who will keep buying from them. Complaining and making threats does not affect their bottom line in the grand scheme of things.

So screw Topps. They don't have to answer to you.

Instead, let's complain to someone Topps DOES have to answer to: MLB Properties

I know enough about marketing and licensing arms to know one thing: they care about the image of their product above anything else. This is why fast food companies dole out $50k settlements to some kid who finds a roach in his hamburger. It's better to pay a stupid amount of cash than to tarnish public perception of their brand/product

MLBP is no different. I know for a fact that they've rejected apparel deals with clothing companies because the quality of that company's apparel is subpar. MLBP doesn't want to associate with products that make Major League Baseball look cheap

Topps, as the exclusive card company, is making the MLB look cheap.

Call MLB Properties (212-931-7800) and express your concerns and displeasure about Topps. Let them know what Topps is doing, and how they're hurting card dealers' wellbeing and devaluing their product. Let them know they're giving MLBP a bad name. Question Topps' exclusive license. Let them know that competition leads better products. Tell them due to Topps' antics, you're going to stop buying baseball cards. Tell them you're so turned off by Topps that you're in talks with national news agencies about a wonderful human interest story about how you had to close up shop because of numerous Topps release delays (news outlets LOVE stories like this. Large corporations HATE them. Sob stories suck for big business).

Just do it in a rational, mature manner. MLBP cares way more about their product image than their monetary contract with a baseball card company.

THAT is how you get Topps to listen

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

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No need for a sticky thread. I will merge where I can. Thanks though.

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

This is a specific suggestion that, unlike bitching on a message board or sending an angry email, WILL get things done.

Damn I'm watching Bad Religion and I'm posting on here. My priorities are skewed.

JoshHamilton said:

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

This is a specific suggestion that, unlike bitching on a message board or sending an angry email, WILL get things done.

Damn I'm watching Bad Religion and I'm posting on here. My priorities are skewed.

Click to expand...

Addict.

blanning71 said:

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

No need for a sticky thread. I will merge where I can. Thanks though.

Click to expand...

Brian, please don't merge this thread. That's all I ask

JoshHamilton said:

blanning71 said:

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

No need for a sticky thread. I will merge where I can. Thanks though.

Click to expand...

Brian, please don't merge this thread. That's all I ask

Click to expand...

I take bribes

JoshHamilton said:

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

This is a specific suggestion that, unlike bitching on a message board or sending an angry email, WILL get things done.

Damn I'm watching Bad Religion and I'm posting on here. My priorities are skewed.

Click to expand...

What exactly do you think a message board is? lol

I like your plan, seems like like something we all should do just to stick to Topps.

Great idea.

JoshHamilton said:

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

This is a specific suggestion that, unlike bitching on a message board or sending an angry email, WILL get things done.

Damn I'm watching Bad Religion and I'm posting on here. My priorities are skewed.

Click to expand...

What exactly are you watching?

are you all kidding me? you think MLB properties gives a crap? You know how to reach 2500 collections with one
sentence? Facebook! THIS is where collectors are. Topps can't afford negative opinions on the front page
of their FB account.

Forget MLB, forget Clay Lurashi, forget Wally Friss and forget Mark Sapir. Topps has given you the open forum
and if you are smart you can demand answers from them and make them look silly if they don't answer them.

Go and do likewise gents!

ethanbryer said:

My Suggestion: we have 1 Sticky Thread dedicated to the topps haters. Too many have been made lately. I'm tired of it.

Click to expand...

I'd worry more about the fact you spelled your signature banner wrong, which I think is HILARIOUS.

I'm sure all the licensing bodies know exactly how the hobby and Topps is doing. Actually, I'd be very surprised if there weren't representatives of the different licensing bodies already on this and other boards.

I'd love to know exactly what Topps' different licenses say. Does anyone know where this information may be found online?

Been there done that, along with many others.

But it is a good idea, anything to get the word out to the masses.

To fill you in, at past conferences, Judy Heeter (then head of mlbpa) would get constant complaints about the companies from us dealers in person, face to face in front of the entire room. And no, at that time, its wasnt all Topps, it was UD.

Nothing was done, well, except the axing of Donruss. That lead to the confrontation in 2006 between the dealers and her. I can tell you, she was one of the most disliked people in the Hobby by us dealers, at least all that I am/ were friendly with.

But then THE best of the best, the icing on the cake. It was about five years ago when she stood on her "mountain", looked down on us dealers and TOLD US to
tell our customers NOT TO BUY BOWMAN PRODUCTS! She continued to "TELL US" that Bowman collectors are a "dying breed" and were at the bottom of the food chain pyramid.

I cant tell you how the room erupted into laughter and noise....which then turned into anger.

I thought that with her departure, things would get better. well somehowe they are worse.

So basically, I have no faith in mlbpa either and any dealer who experienced years of what I did sould feel the same way.

011873 said:

But then THE best of the best, the icing on the cake. It was about five years ago when she stood on her "mountain", looked down on us dealers and TOLD US to
tell our customers NOT TO BUY BOWMAN PRODUCTS! She continued to "TELL US" that Bowman collectors are a "dying breed" and were at the bottom of the food chain pyramid.

I cant tell you how the room erupted into laughter and noise....which then turned into anger.

I thought that with her departure, things would get better. well somehowe they are worse.

So basically, I have no faith in mlbpa either and any dealer who experienced years of what I did sould feel the same way.

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Why the heck would you or anyone else think the MLBPA or a representative of the MLBPA would ever begin to think of endorsing minor league players in MLB products...?!

uniquebaseballcards said:

011873 said:

But then THE best of the best, the icing on the cake. It was about five years ago when she stood on her "mountain", looked down on us dealers and TOLD US to
tell our customers NOT TO BUY BOWMAN PRODUCTS! She continued to "TELL US" that Bowman collectors are a "dying breed" and were at the bottom of the food chain pyramid.

I cant tell you how the room erupted into laughter and noise....which then turned into anger.

I thought that with her departure, things would get better. well somehowe they are worse.

So basically, I have no faith in mlbpa either and any dealer who experienced years of what I did sould feel the same way.

Click to expand...

Why the heck would you or anyone else think the MLBPA or a representative of the MLBPA would ever begin to think of endorsing minor league players in MLB products...?!

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She TOLD US, as if we were her little kids, to tell our customers not to buy it. T-O-L-D U-S. She then added insane junk I listed above, pure fantasy lies.

I understand what her job was, but you dont do it the way she did. Theres easier, less confrontational ways and frankly, she thought we were all mindless sheep who would bow down to her greatness.

"I understand that Bowman products are good money makers for you guys and have a big following but as head of mlbpa, I cant endorse it."

"Obviously, its your store and your customers but I suggest you sell mlbpa licnesed products rather than Bowman"

Bingo! Say it that way and its fine, totally understandable and I wouldnt blame her.

011873 said:

She TOLD US, as if we were her little kids, to tell our customers not to buy it. T-O-L-D U-S. She then added insane junk I listed above, pure fantasy lies.

I understand what her job was, but you dont do it the way she did. Theres easier, less confrontational ways and frankly, she thought we were all mindless sheep who would bow down to her greatness.

"I understand that Bowman products are good money makers for you guys and have a big following but as head of mlbpa, I cant endorse it."

"Obviously, its your store and your customers but I suggest you sell mlbpa licnesed products rather than Bowman"

Bingo! Say it that way and its fine, totally understandable and I wouldnt blame her.

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While I completely understand what you're saying, I can see why she probably lost her cool. From her POV someone who didn't know, forgot or didn't care about a group's professional status may seem kinda childish, especially when it involved her job and when the reality of a player's status should be blatantly obvious.

But to be sure, there's a better compromise here in all of this that hasn't been tried in Bowman, MiLB players could still be represented more accurately and still show their MLB affiliate.

So this is the aftermath of Razor disappearing.

Card Magnet said:

So this is the aftermath of Razor disappearing.

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Unbelievable! Somebody noticed that Razor at least made a big enough wave to force Topps to produce with better quality. Ah, good ol' 2008! What a BDP set! Thanks BG!