And Twins! (The Twins talk and pick-up thread).

[TGutta]

TG, who do you need for your diamond set?

I was working on it but I decided to stop, so I have a ton of leftover cards I could send you.

Still need a bunch of Series 2 but I'm close on Series 1. Here's a complete list:

Series 1
44, 50, 57, 138, 226, 254, 282

Series 2
331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 340, 346, 348, 349, 354, 356, 363, 365, 373, 375, 376, 380, 382, 384, 386, 388, 390, 396, 397, 398, 399

400, 401, 405, 406, 408, 410, 416, 418, 419, 421, 424, 425, 432, 433, 435, 437, 440, 448, 451, 452, 453, 454, 460, 461, 466, 471, 473, 474, 475, 476, 478, 480, 482, 484, 490, 494, 495, 496

500, 501, 503, 504, 511, 514, 515, 516, 522, 526, 528, 532, 536, 537, 540, 542, 545, 552, 561, 564, 565, 568, 570, 573, 576, 582, 585, 587, 591, 592, 593, 595, 599

602, 606, 612, 615, 616, 622, 623, 628, 629, 630, 637, 640, 644, 650, 653

 

[Mudpuddlehuddle]

Got this in the mail today. Waited long enough for the price to come down so I think I got a pretty good deal on it considering where they were selling at before.

Oswaldo Arcia 2011 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor /50

Also have to say that I had a pretty poor experience the other day at Three Stars Sportscards. I haven't been there in a couple months and I had only been there a couple times but I heard a couple discouraging things that kept me away for a little bit. Well I went in there yesterday looking to pick up some supplies and hopefully get a little closer on the 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary set that I've been working on. Well I brought in some Twins extras that I had that I figured I could use to trade in for them, 31 total cards including 15 Cognac Diamond Parallels. Well I'm going through and I pick out 15 Diamond cards that I need (note that the only star was Longoria). I proceed to ask the main person there what he was looking to get on them, figuring it wouldn't be too much since I was trading in more Twins players of the same set. Well he spends about 20 minutes looking up each individual card online and proceeds to ask $25 for only 15 cards saying that some of them are $3-$4, basically asking full BV for them. He seemed pretty surprised when I told him that I wouldn't pay anything near that for them. IMO it seemed to me like he thought I was just some uneducated kid that he could pull a fast one on. Well all I've got to say is that it clearly turned me off from ever going back there again. I'll likely stick to buying/trading for individual set needs online and picking up supplies from Shinders in Minnetonka. There was one guy in there who was nice enough to offer me leaving him a list of stuff I need since he goes to shows, about the only positive thing that came from going there. Just thought I would share my 2 cents.

Dan the guy who does trade in and decides values of cards has been on "interesting" as of late and I don't really want to flame him on these boards but I understand totally what your saying. The guy that said he goes to shows if he was slightly graying and in his 40-50's then thats Ed and he is who I would definitely recommend doing business with. If the guy was a young guy his name is Travis and he is a good guy too. Hollar back at Ed since he does a crapton of Topps and Bowman product so he'd be a good guy to contact. If you want I can pass a long your list to him so he can bring some to the Valley West show this weekend. Let me know, -Mike

PS: I'm going for Mauer/Morneau more out of tradition and to shoot the **** with the guys I was in line with last year.

 

[TwinsWin]

Well I want to try and get them but I'd rather see more of TwinsFest this year. I was wondering because with the players lost I bet those two lines will be huge.

 

[jtrinaldi]

I plan on going for Mauer for sure, probably not Morneau, really need Molitor,Carew,Bert (if he will sign 16's this year). And BJ Hermsen for the game jersey I have of him.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

Gift from my grandpa. I am going to try to have it bookplated. I may find a Killebrew sig to put in there too, I don't know.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

TG, who do you need for your diamond set?

I was working on it but I decided to stop, so I have a ton of leftover cards I could send you.

Still need a bunch of Series 2 but I'm close on Series 1. Here's a complete list:

Series 1
44, 50, 57, 138, 226, 254, 282

Series 2
331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 340, 346, 348, 349, 354, 356, 363, 365, 373, 375, 376, 380, 382, 384, 386, 388, 390, 396, 397, 398, 399

400, 401, 405, 406, 408, 410, 416, 418, 419, 421, 424, 425, 432, 433, 435, 437, 440, 448, 451, 452, 453, 454, 460, 461, 466, 471, 473, 474, 475, 476, 478, 480, 482, 484, 490, 494, 495, 496

500, 501, 503, 504, 511, 514, 515, 516, 522, 526, 528, 532, 536, 537, 540, 542, 545, 552, 561, 564, 565, 568, 570, 573, 576, 582, 585, 587, 591, 592, 593, 595, 599

602, 606, 612, 615, 616, 622, 623, 628, 629, 630, 637, 640, 644, 650, 653

I will see what I have. Are you doing Update too? I just pulled one and I can send it your way if you need it...

US133

 

[Slette]

Also have to say that I had a pretty poor experience the other day at Three Stars Sportscards. I haven't been there in a couple months and I had only been there a couple times but I heard a couple discouraging things that kept me away for a little bit. Well I went in there yesterday looking to pick up some supplies and hopefully get a little closer on the 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary set that I've been working on. Well I brought in some Twins extras that I had that I figured I could use to trade in for them, 31 total cards including 15 Cognac Diamond Parallels. Well I'm going through and I pick out 15 Diamond cards that I need (note that the only star was Longoria). I proceed to ask the main person there what he was looking to get on them, figuring it wouldn't be too much since I was trading in more Twins players of the same set. Well he spends about 20 minutes looking up each individual card online and proceeds to ask $25 for only 15 cards saying that some of them are $3-$4, basically asking full BV for them. He seemed pretty surprised when I told him that I wouldn't pay anything near that for them. IMO it seemed to me like he thought I was just some uneducated kid that he could pull a fast one on. Well all I've got to say is that it clearly turned me off from ever going back there again. I'll likely stick to buying/trading for individual set needs online and picking up supplies from Shinders in Minnetonka. There was one guy in there who was nice enough to offer me leaving him a list of stuff I need since he goes to shows, about the only positive thing that came from going there. Just thought I would share my 2 cents.

I apologize if I missed something, but you're mad that he quoted you a price you didn't like? And you told him you weren't paying anything close to that, instead of proposing a counter-offer?

 

[Mudpuddlehuddle]

Also have to say that I had a pretty poor experience the other day at Three Stars Sportscards. I haven't been there in a couple months and I had only been there a couple times but I heard a couple discouraging things that kept me away for a little bit. Well I went in there yesterday looking to pick up some supplies and hopefully get a little closer on the 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary set that I've been working on. Well I brought in some Twins extras that I had that I figured I could use to trade in for them, 31 total cards including 15 Cognac Diamond Parallels. Well I'm going through and I pick out 15 Diamond cards that I need (note that the only star was Longoria). I proceed to ask the main person there what he was looking to get on them, figuring it wouldn't be too much since I was trading in more Twins players of the same set. Well he spends about 20 minutes looking up each individual card online and proceeds to ask $25 for only 15 cards saying that some of them are $3-$4, basically asking full BV for them. He seemed pretty surprised when I told him that I wouldn't pay anything near that for them. IMO it seemed to me like he thought I was just some uneducated kid that he could pull a fast one on. Well all I've got to say is that it clearly turned me off from ever going back there again. I'll likely stick to buying/trading for individual set needs online and picking up supplies from Shinders in Minnetonka. There was one guy in there who was nice enough to offer me leaving him a list of stuff I need since he goes to shows, about the only positive thing that came from going there. Just thought I would share my 2 cents.

I apologize if I missed something, but you're mad that he quoted you a price you didn't like? And you told him you weren't paying anything close to that, instead of proposing a counter-offer?

He's mad at how high the price was that he was offered and how low of a price he was offered in trade if i'm correct.

 

[Musial Collector]

Mudd and Slette -
You two are in good with the guys at that shop, but by the sounds of it (and from personal experience) they dont seem to cater to "outsiders", so I can see where TG is coming from.
Negotiations work both ways. If TG said no thanks, I wont pay those prices, I would think that the worker (if they wanted to make a trade/sale), would say something like "Im sorry to hear that, what were you thinking in the way of prices?" and then go from there. Simple communication would have solved this, but from my personal experience, that is not their forte. I have mentioned this before, I walked around that shop for 15 minutes and not one of the two workers there ever approached me asking if there was anything they could help with. Not a good way to run a business IMO.

 

[Mudpuddlehuddle]

I understand where TG is coming from. Without flaming them on the boards I've had a few friends that have had rough experiences with 3 stars recently and I've had some questionable experiences with them recently. What i'd tell you though is that all the guys there for the most part are good peoples and i'd recommend doing business with Ed at the Valley West shows most of all. Some of their practices don't promote good business but i've grown to like the guys at the shop. In the business of owning a LCS its not easy to carve out an earning and the people that I think would do the best job are smart enough not to own one in the current market. So you make do with what you got if you want wax on demand. For the most part buying online is always cheapest though and thats what I stick to. The best deals that i've found are cards poorly titled on ebay or sellers not sure what they got after opening wax or at a card show. For card shops to make up their rent and money to pay their employees they need to price stuff a little higher so its usually not the cheapest especially for singles. I'd recommend contacting Ed if you want cheap wax. The best reason to have a LCS is the opportunity to buy the stuff coming in for people looking to make a quick buck and then reselling it online. I'll continue to enjoy the chatter and pack pokering I get from 3 stars simply for entertainment value not because I get the best deal there but for the entertainment value. So thats my .02 cents.

 

[Slette]

I think Dan has also had a lot of look selling Topps stuff through Beckett Marketplace to crazy Topps collectors, so that may be why he had valued his stuff a little higher. I would guess that if TGutta had countered the price, instead of outright saying he wasn't paying that, they would have worked with him. I've been trading/selling there for three years, and I always get less than I would like, but I also understand they have a business to run, and a profit margin to fill. I'm not faulting Gutta for being upset, at all, because I felt the same way at first when I would bring them stuff. But Three Stars will make just as good an offer as any other shop in the Cities, and in most cases, a better one. You're taking a hit in what you could be getting if you sold on eBay, but you also don't have to worry about fees, shipping, crappy buyers, feedback, etc.

But everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Three Stars won't close because of this, and a displeased customer will help keep a place like Shinders going, too. At least Twin Cities residents are lucky enough to have options - a lot of larger cities don't have that luxury any more.

At least you didn't go to Uncommon and have to deal with the owner ignoring you for online poker and Gunsmoke reruns.

 

[Musial Collector]

At least you didn't go to Uncommon and have to deal with the owner ignoring you for online poker and Gunsmoke reruns.

Very true, I have been ignored at both places :lol:

Uncommon = Organized yet ignore you
3 Stars = Unorganized yet ignore you
Shinders = Organized, talk to you, yet waaaaaay over priced

They all have their faults thats for sure

 

[Slette]

There's also Pal's up in Andover. Kind of a nice store, football wax is pretty thin (probably not a concern for the Twins collectors), and singles prices can be really dirt cheap. The wife works there during the day and isn't able to haggle on prices, but the husband seems like a good dude, too. Their inventory is really limited, but it's worth stopping in.

 

[Mudpuddlehuddle]

There's also Pal's up in Andover. Kind of a nice store, football wax is pretty thin (probably not a concern for the Twins collectors), and singles prices can be really dirt cheap. The wife works there during the day and isn't able to haggle on prices, but the husband seems like a good dude, too. Their inventory is really limited, but it's worth stopping in.

Pals can't haggle on much either though even when the hubby is in the shop cause at least half their singles are consignment. No one mentioned Tom Franztens shop but probably for a good reason. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice. Dan told me today they are moving to a new location (in the same mall) so hopefully that will help their organization. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice but like I said the people that would run the best shop in town are smart enough just to do online business and not have the overhead cause it really doesn't pay in this market.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

The only shop I have ever been too in the Metro was a Shinders long ago... I don't even remember which one.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

This arrived from a mystery sender... I really appreciate getting it as I did not have a Carew auto. The pic is bad (scanner is down), but it's a 2005 Ultimate Signature Numbers #'d/29. It's on card and really awesome looking.

 

[Slette]

There's also Pal's up in Andover. Kind of a nice store, football wax is pretty thin (probably not a concern for the Twins collectors), and singles prices can be really dirt cheap. The wife works there during the day and isn't able to haggle on prices, but the husband seems like a good dude, too. Their inventory is really limited, but it's worth stopping in.

Pals can't haggle on much either though even when the hubby is in the shop cause at least half their singles are consignment. No one mentioned Tom Franztens shop but probably for a good reason. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice. Dan told me today they are moving to a new location (in the same mall) so hopefully that will help their organization. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice but like I said the people that would run the best shop in town are smart enough just to do online business and not have the overhead cause it really doesn't pay in this market.

I was in there today, too - around 11. Must have missed ya. I'm looking forward to their new shop - even closer to the liquor store down the mall!

 

[byronscott4ever]

There's also Pal's up in Andover. Kind of a nice store, football wax is pretty thin (probably not a concern for the Twins collectors), and singles prices can be really dirt cheap. The wife works there during the day and isn't able to haggle on prices, but the husband seems like a good dude, too. Their inventory is really limited, but it's worth stopping in.

Pals can't haggle on much either though even when the hubby is in the shop cause at least half their singles are consignment. No one mentioned Tom Franztens shop but probably for a good reason. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice. Dan told me today they are moving to a new location (in the same mall) so hopefully that will help their organization. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice but like I said the people that would run the best shop in town are smart enough just to do online business and not have the overhead cause it really doesn't pay in this market.

I was in there today, too - around 11. Must have missed ya. I'm looking forward to their new shop - even closer to the liquor store down the mall!

Are they moving down by the pizza place?

 

[Mudpuddlehuddle]

There's also Pal's up in Andover. Kind of a nice store, football wax is pretty thin (probably not a concern for the Twins collectors), and singles prices can be really dirt cheap. The wife works there during the day and isn't able to haggle on prices, but the husband seems like a good dude, too. Their inventory is really limited, but it's worth stopping in.

Pals can't haggle on much either though even when the hubby is in the shop cause at least half their singles are consignment. No one mentioned Tom Franztens shop but probably for a good reason. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice. Dan told me today they are moving to a new location (in the same mall) so hopefully that will help their organization. 3 Stars is still my shop of choice but like I said the people that would run the best shop in town are smart enough just to do online business and not have the overhead cause it really doesn't pay in this market.

I was in there today, too - around 11. Must have missed ya. I'm looking forward to their new shop - even closer to the liquor store down the mall!

Ya usually between 2-4 me, Josh, travis, Ed and me and sometimes others Pack Poker something. Should stick around its pretty cheap fun and sometimes big stuff hits. Travis won a Bryce Harper Auto Jersey /50 from Bowman Draft in a pack poker the other day. Thats 300ish payback from a 15$ investment.

 

[Slette]

The length of my stay usually depends on how gabby Tom is feeling that day. If he's in a talking mood, I can usually never get out soon enough.