Do you still get Beckett Magazine? (please take the poll)

[bigpapiMA32]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I buy a copy twice a year, once in January and once in July, solely for price guide purposes.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I subscribed back in the day (from 1994-1998) but after that, I stopped due to going to college as well as not collecting for a few years. When I came back to the hobby in 2005, eBay was in full swing, plus I found the tone of the magazine vastly different than what it was almost 10 years prior. On top of that, way too many ads versus amount of articles.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I buy a copy twice a year, once in January and once in July, solely for price guide purposes.

I probably should have put an option for those buy buy on the newsstand probably, but the stats are still glaring.

 

[Old Kentucky Shark]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I let my subscription run out about 2 1/2 years ago because my card shop would get them in a full week and a half before I got mine. I remember an epic thread on BMB where a Beckett guy was trying to blame the post office for all of the late issues, never mind that all of my other subscriptions were always on time.

Since then, I've just been buying them at my shop, but I haven't even bothered to do that for the last two months. I'll pick one up next month to use for a show in February, but I honestly haven't needed one.

 

[HoustonTeams4Me]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Does anyone else find these numbers as astounding as I do?

Well Top, the big loophole to the poll being as blatantly lopsided as it is could be due to the group you are polling (you do realize we are the group that made the mass "exodus" from the BMB)? What other outcome did you expect from the poll, we were evicted from our home over there; I know that had some bearing on "my" decision to continue to financially support thier business! But yes it is astounding in the sense that the price guide has become so irrelevant to today's market place (I'm speaking online, which is probably the leader when it comes to which market place does the most monthly/annual sale's of sports card's as a whole)! I don't put it 100% on them for becoming insignificant as far as keeping up with market value of sport's card's, as it is next to impossible to do so & be 100% accurate at any given moment (but I do blame them for not doing anything about it sooner)!

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Does anyone else find these numbers as astounding as I do?

Well Top, the big loophole to the poll being as blatantly lopsided as it is could be due to the group you are polling (you do realize we are the group that made the mass "exodus" from the BMB)? What other outcome did you expect from the poll, we were evicted from our home over there; I know that had some bearing on "my" decision to continue to financially support thier business! But yes it is astounding in the sense that the price guide has become so irrelevant to today's market place (I'm speaking online, which is probably the leader when it comes to which market place does the most monthly/annual sale's of sports card's as a whole)! I don't put it 100% on them for becoming insignificant as far as keeping up with market value of sport's card's, as it is next to impossible to do so & be 100% accurate at any given moment (but I do blame them for not doing anything about it sooner)!

Ehhh, I can't imagine that not using their site would have made much of a difference if people were happy with their product, especially considering there is really no substitute for the magazine at this point in time, and we are dealing with some of the biggest cardboard crazies (I mean that in the best way ) around.

I think that while a price guide in its current form is useless in a monthly format, there's a lot of information that a magazine could provide to help people price their cards.

 

[HoustonTeams4Me]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Does anyone else find these numbers as astounding as I do?

Well Top, the big loophole to the poll being as blatantly lopsided as it is could be due to the group you are polling (you do realize we are the group that made the mass "exodus" from the BMB)? What other outcome did you expect from the poll, we were evicted from our home over there; I know that had some bearing on "my" decision to continue to financially support thier business! But yes it is astounding in the sense that the price guide has become so irrelevant to today's market place (I'm speaking online, which is probably the leader when it comes to which market place does the most monthly/annual sale's of sports card's as a whole)! I don't put it 100% on them for becoming insignificant as far as keeping up with market value of sport's card's, as it is next to impossible to do so & be 100% accurate at any given moment (but I do blame them for not doing anything about it sooner)!

Ehhh, I can't imagine that not using their site would have made much of a difference if people were happy with their product, especially considering there is really no substitute for the magazine at this point in time, and we are dealing with some of the biggest cardboard crazies (I mean that in the best way ) around.

I know that when I feel that someone has screwed me over, I make it a point not to deal with them/give them business (I doubt I'm the only one that feels this way).

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Ehhh, I can't imagine that not using their site would have made much of a difference if people were happy with their product, especially considering there is really no substitute for the magazine at this point in time, and we are dealing with some of the biggest cardboard crazies (I mean that in the best way ) around.

I know that when I feel that someone has screwed me over, I make it a point not to deal with them/give them business (I doubt I'm the only one that feels this way).[/quote]
I never felt that way which is why I hadn't thought of it, but I imagine you are correct. That said, on a board like this, in a market where it's not like there's any other magazines to grab, the numbers are quite astounding. If this question was posed five years ago on Beckett, I would have guess that well over 50% would have gotten the magazine.

 

[steve-a-reno]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Right after they attempted to put other sports in the monthly and followed with the changes on the web I cancelled and asked for the remaining refund asap. They were extremely easy to deal with in doing this, so I'm assuming tons of people had been doing the same. Haven't bought one since. I have a pretty good memory and am usually very close on knowing bv of the kind of stuff I collect and a good amount of what I don't. I simply look through the new one at my local shop for the cards that are moving in direction and make a mental note.

 

[HoustonTeams4Me]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Ehhh, I can't imagine that not using their site would have made much of a difference if people were happy with their product, especially considering there is really no substitute for the magazine at this point in time, and we are dealing with some of the biggest cardboard crazies (I mean that in the best way ) around.

I know that when I feel that someone has screwed me over, I make it a point not to deal with them/give them business (I doubt I'm the only one that feels this way).

I never felt that way which is why I hadn't thought of it, but I imagine you are correct. That said, on a board like this, in a market where it's not like there's any other magazines to grab, the numbers are quite astounding. If this question was posed five years ago on Beckett, I would have guess that well over 50% would have gotten the magazine.[/quote]

5 year's ago on Beckett this poll would have probably been in the 70% range in favor of Beckett. I see what ya mean though, I actually was not using thier magazine before the exodus (though I was using thier online price guides every so often, I would order it on a whim just to see if anything had moved substantially & then take some time off from it as I used Ebays price's for some stuff & my own evaluation on the newer product as to what I was willing to spend). What do you think will occur with Beckett within the next 3-5 year's (in term's of changing thier method's, closing thier door's, or keeping it as is & crossing thier finger's)?

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

5 year's ago on Beckett this poll would have probably been in the 70% range in favor of Beckett. I see what ya mean though, I actually was not using thier magazine before the exodus (though I was using thier online price guides every so often, I would order it on a whim just to see if anything had moved substantially & then take some time off from it as I used Ebays price's for some stuff & my own evaluation on the newer product as to what I was willing to spend). What do you think will occur with Beckett within the next 3-5 year's (in term's of changing thier method's, closing thier door's, or keeping it as is & crossing thier finger's)?

While I obviously do not have access to any information, so I have no clue what is really going on (as far as subscriptions, advertising etc.) I would find it hard to imagine they'd be able to keep the magazine alive for five years if no significant changes are made. I really hope they do make the needed changes as I'd love to see a well written, aesthetically pleasing publication.

 

[justinmandawg]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

My wife always got me the platinum collectors deal (don't remember the real name) for Christmas. Once the magazine changed, I told her that it no longer existed and that I wasn't going to reup my subscriptions.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Bumping this up for the morning crowd.

 

[BunchOBull]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I had a subscription to Beckett Baseball from the late 1980s until 2002. I only kept the subscription as long as I did because people insisted upon using Beckett as the "Gospel" of sports card pricing. IMO, Beckett lost its appeal in 1997 or so. The content couldn't keep up with the times...eBay was in full swing and was a much better scale of "value." Even before the days of eBay, the pricing in Beckett was fantastical; however, the average collector couldn't see past transactions for the same cards, the majority of stock was isolated from potential buyers, and potential buyers weren't forced to compete with real competition.

 

[promodeltodd]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I do, not that I like it. The magazine has gone the way of the rest of the company, down hill. I still find the Platinum Membership to have its value with the 18 free grades, all the online price guides, and 5 subscriptions. I let a big gap happen this year before I renewed. It is convenient for me to have the OPG for doing my year end donations and eventually will get some PC stuff entered for check list stuff on what I have and need.

 

[matfanofold]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Does anyone else find these numbers as astounding as I do?

Not really....

I mean, lets not forget this board in made almost entirely of BMB ditchers and discards. We are all here because of things we found wrong with BMB, and add to the fact most of us know the wealth of accurate info the Bay provides as per value. Not to mention themag has steadily gone down hill and up in value. It's really a no brainer that the poll would turn out this way here..

 

[Guest]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Never been a subscriber.

Occasionally I would pick one up at Wal*Mart, but I haven't in a few years. Never have I picked one up for card value purposes, but to read everything else that's in the mag.

 

[Guest]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

I buy one probably twice a year to help with trading.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Re: Do you still get Beckett Magazine?

Does anyone else find these numbers as astounding as I do?

Not really....

I mean, lets not forget this board in made almost entirely of BMB ditchers and discards. We are all here because of things we found wrong with BMB, and add to the fact most of us know the wealth of accurate info the Bay provides as per value. Not to mention themag has steadily gone down hill and up in value. It's really a no brainer that the poll would turn out this way here..

I personally don't believe that in an industry where there was really only the single baseball card magazine, that unless people really did not care for it, would the numbers have been close to this high. As for us being "BMB ditchers" I guess I'm in the minority who appreciated the fact that Beckett gave us a free place to convene, and regardless of the fact that it was likely very shortsighted for them to change things and basically take away the boards as we knew it, I definitely don't feel that they "owed" me anything, and has little if anything to do with my decision on the magazine.

Plus, throwing in the fact that this place has some of the biggest diehard cardboard fans in the hobby, and based on the poll over 90% of the people did at one time subscribe to Beckett, the numbers are insane and really strongly show that people are not pleased with the content.

 

[Therion]

Cancelled when they change to multisport. I wasn't happy with them before that because their articles are weak and their pricing is insanely out of date. All of that didn't scare me away though. What really did it for me was the lack of accountability that they put the card companies up against. Topps and UD pull all sorts of obvious BS and Beckett doesn't say word one about it.