Player Collector Question, GU Cards

[miguelcabrera]

I have a question for the hardcore player collectors. Where do you buy the cheap GU cards of your player. For Miggy and tons of others players, there are tons of these cards. I only own 3 of these because I hate paying 99 cents plus 3 shipping for each one on ebay. My question is where do you buy yours of your player? Is there anywhere you can get a "lot" of cheap GU cards of your player where the average cost is under 4 dlvd/per card? How much on average do you pay for your GU cards? I know 4 dollars may not seem like a lot but when you need to get hundreds of these cards it really adds up.

Thanks for any help

 

[markakis8]

in all honesty, $4 per g/u card isn't that bad if you are a "die hard player collector"...which i interpret as you collect every card you can. If that is the case, you are going to be spending thousands upon thousands anyway.

I don't think you will find any seller that throw 25 Miguel Cabrera game used cards together.

There will be auctions from time to time on ebay that have 3-5...maybe up to 10. But I'm sure you search him everyday and have yet to find those.

Good luck though.

 

[WoundedDuck]

for most basic GU cards I try to trade for them.

 

[LWMM]

You could also try emailing sellers, explaining the circumstances and asking if they would either accept an SASE for shipment or ship it in a white envelope for a reduced shipping cost. I have had around a 50/50 success rate with sellers agreeing to this. If you explain that it is otherwise too expensive to pursue the hundreds of Cabrera cards then many will probably be willing to do it.

It might also be worth telling the seller that you would assume responsibility should the card be damaged in transit. At the same time, however, this is unlikely if you include a thick toploader and a card sleeve with the SASE.

 

[BunchOBull]

I am a completionist, but there are too many high end and '90s items I want/need for my collection for me to dedicate too many funds to cheap GU cards. I tend to pick them up in lots and trades, or from sellers who have mass listed them and offer shipping discounts.

If I'm going to spend substantial funds, I want it to be on the stuff I really want...I fill in the rest as it becomes easily available.

 

[jarcar]

try checkoutmycards.com You can pick up a bunch of cards and only pay one shipping cost for the total cards. It may help.

 

[theplasticman]

Card shows.

 

[gracecollector]

You are going to have a hard time finding a seller that has a large lot (10+) of GU of one player. But since you are just starting on GU cards, it's easier and now is the time to buy in bulk. Shipping and Handling are the biggest drawback as you've figured out. Best bet would be to try the big sellers on eBay, Beckett Marketplace and SportsBuy. Search by seller and see if you can find a lot of cards you need from one seller, thus saving shipping and handling. Don't just check out and pay listed price. Make a list of the cards you want, email them to the seller and ask if they would take a reduced price for the bunch. I usually ask for 20%-40% off, depending on how much I'd be buying and the fairness of the asking price. Worst they can do is say "No."

Also try websites like collectorrevolution.com, checkoutmycards.com and sportlots.com for bargains.

 

[ronfromfresno]

Mostly E-Bay, some times in lots.

 

[cubfan131]

try checkoutmycards.com You can pick up a bunch of cards and only pay one shipping cost for the total cards. It may help.

+1

I just bought 150 Sammys I needed. Only cost me about $2 per card. Sometimes the GU are a little higher but if you buy a bunch some sellers will give you a deal.

 

[Card Magnet]

If you can get to a card show at a mall or whatever, always check the bargain bin. I can't count the number of times I've seen stuff of the guys I collect in there for $1-2. Sometimes when they just sit around, dealers throw them in cheap just to get rid of them rather than wait for the $5+.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

I usually do one of two things:

1. Wait for a seller with $1.50-$2.00 shipping costs instead of $3.
3. Wait for a seller to have other cards that I need and combines shipping. I try and buy from the case breakers so they usually have all the base, a couple game used, and a few parallels I need from each new set.

 

[nevermore]

I am a completionist, but I have given up pursuing GU and patch cards actively. They don't really excite me and fall pretty low on my priority scale. I will only buy them I can get a steal. I'd rather save my PayPal for autos and inserts I need.

My recommendation is that you get these GU from shows, trades, or trade forums for $1-2 a piece. eBay is only worthwhile if you find these GU in lots or with free shipping.

 

[bouwob]

Could be worse, I am lucky to get a very common gameused card for less than $12. I usually look for sellers who have a bunch up in different auctions with good combo shipping discounts and buy them all up.

 

[jarcar]

try checkoutmycards.com You can pick up a bunch of cards and only pay one shipping cost for the total cards. It may help.

+1

I just bought 150 Sammys I needed. Only cost me about $2 per card. Sometimes the GU are a little higher but if you buy a bunch some sellers will give you a deal.

Further to this, I always put money into my checkoutmycards account so I can make offers for cards I want. You often can get the cards for 1/3 (or more) less than what they are listed at on the site. But the only way to make offers is to have money in your account.

 

[Triple Threads]

i would get them if i liked the way the card looked, plus i would try to trade for them manily

 

[wolfmanalfredo]

For Puckett I usually pay 5-15 for basic GU I don't already have. Also there is a huge market for Twins players in MN, but I've pretty much got everything I need from 01-Now.

You said you're tired of paying .99 for a card and 3.00 for shipping. But you said you're willing to pay 4.00 per GU. You're really contradicting yourself. 3.99 is less that 4.00 bucks in my book, and any .99 win for my pc is a steal in my book even if its a base card. I'll pay 5-10X SV as long as I can get it for my PC. You should adapt the same rules if you're going to player collect as apposed to investment collect.

IMO

Everything said and done, I hjave almost every Pucket JSY card made! However I have 1/6th of every bat card made because I'm not a huge fan of GU bat cards.

 

[predatorkj]

I see what you are saying about the price but let me ease your suffering a bit.You are in for a long journey.One you may never complete.Before you buy anything else of Miggy...try to wrap your mind around that thought.

My advice to you is to buy what you can when you can.I am lucky to get a Bagwell for $4.I have around 230(or whatever the count is in my sig) different GU cards but it didn't come all at once.I have been buying his stuff for a little over two years solid now.There may be months that go by without me buying a single GU card at all.And 6 months may go by before I add another auto.My thinking is that these cards can really add up and its very hard to not only pay for them but to have enough money readily available to stay competitive when bidding.A Bagwell auto can run me anywhere from $20-$100 depending on what it is.A 1/1 can run anywhere form $50 on up to you name the price.Gu are usually anywhere from around $4 -you name the price(for higher end patches and whatnot).I can't always afford that.And...on the other hand...I can buy a nice chunk(even with shipping) of the other cards I still need that are cheaper.If I am doing what I am, which is trying to get them all, then in my mind there is no quality>quantity.Any card I buy has nothing to do with the quality.Sure I like nice cards but collecting just the nice ones is not my overall goal for Bagwell.

The only thing I can tell you is that you should just keep on trucking and pick cards up here and there.None of us magically got as big of a collection as we did without keeping motivated and focused.I have been lucky as hell to find some people who had nice lots of Bagwell stuff where I was able to nail down maybe 300 cards I needed, maybe 100 or sometimes maybe 50.But it just adds up over time.In all of the lots I have ever purchased or went in halves on...the GU was minimal.Sure I have picked up 10 here or 5 there but it takes time.

So when you see these cards for 99 cents with $3.00 shipping buy the card if you like it.But also see if the seller combines and then check his auctions to see how many more Cabrera cards he has.Sometimes you can find sellers who have 10, 15 or even 20 different cards you need, they combine shipping, and all of a sudden you turned a $4 jersey card into a 99 cent card after you factor in the other cards you got out of the deal.Do this a few times and you start adding like crazy and you may not get a whole lot of GU cards at once but a couple here and couple there and they start to add up and pretty soon you have a good amount.Card shows are really good.Don't just go to a table looking for Miggy stuff...ask the dealer if they have any as well.See what they have.They may have a crapload of his stuff and are trying to move it.

 

[imac220]

Card shows.

What he said.

 

[miguelcabrera]

Card shows.

What he said.

yeah i have only been to one card show in my life, i would love to make it to more but i either dont know when they are or i wake up too late, also living in boston would it be worth the trip as in would there be a lot of miggy cards considering he plays for the tigers?