Sportsbuy closing down

[RNCoyote]

http://www.sportsbuy.com/

I don't know how many use this site. I'm one who use this site to purchase cards or browse for certain players. Sad they're shutting down the marketplace.

 

[Pine Tar]

formally know as the PIT.COM right?

 

[mredsox89]

formally know as the PIT.COM right?

ThePit is still up and running. This was Naxcom I believe. They may have been associated in the past, I can't remember

 

[Pine Tar]

ThePit is still up and running. This was Naxcom I believe. They may have been associated in the past, I can't remember

yeah that was it i know it was one of them

 

[Brewer Andy]

I've found a few nice cards there over the years but I'm glad I won't have to go there anymore to sit through the world's slowest search function

 

[nyc3]

Who seen this coming besides everyone? And this is what happens to most if not all of the ebay card "alternatives". At least they didn't raise the fees through the roof as most of these flailing companies do prior to bombing.

 

[PadresFan86]

Good riddance

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

[BBCgalaxee]

I used to buy a nice amount from them about ten years ago.

Had really cool guys working there and while the search was always clunky, it worked if you knew how.

Want to see all the Jeter game used?
Sorry, there was no "game used" button to click.

Instead, you had to type "Jeter piece of authentic" and then all Gu would show.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[ChasHawk]

As has been said, found a few cards there from time to time...

...otherwise, horribly slow, and many unrealistic sellers with stupid prices on low-end cards.

 

[predatorkj]

I used to buy quite a bit on there. Finished up plenty of sets. Even though their sellers weren't always the best, it beat paying an extra 8 cents for a base card on sport lots. But...eventually the dead beat sellers became too numerous and I had to call it quits. I never purchased high end stuff there so I don't really have an opinion on it. To me, it was a cheaper and slower sport lots.

 

[sportscardtheory]

Found some good stuff on there throughout the years. Also had to get refunds for about half my purchases because their crappy sellers would just decide to not send.

 

[cgilmo]

This niche makes less and less sense as a business venture every day.

 

[MansGame]

Not surprised


---
Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

 

[ch2423]

I too found a few gems there over the years. I wonder how much longer until COMC meets the same fate. That place is a mess now.

 

[LWMM]

I'm glad for the cards I found on that site---a 2008 DAV (had never seen one before), and a 2006 Bowman Chrome red ref 5/5---but it was only a matter of time before it shut down. Despite a horrible search function (which didn't work a third of the time) and other glitches, they never seemed to try to fix the problems. In particular sometimes I'd have to try to add an item to my cart 5 times before it would work.

If this causes the Sportsbuy sellers to streamline their cards on an existing site that functions better (Sportlots, Beckett, eBay, COMC), then I'd say its a win for collectors.

 

[MansGame]

I too found a few gems there over the years. I wonder how much longer until COMC meets the same fate. That place is a mess now.

I am not sure COMC will meet the same fate for some time but what about Sportlots? Aren't they going under as we speak or they're not paying bills or something? Sounds like a lot of these sites are falling off right now.

 

[tpeichel]

My guess is that with the low price structures at those sites, it became more of a pain than it was worth for many sellers. Great for collectors, but I think their models were just unsustainable. COMC seems to have found the correct balance and is nimble enough that they can make changes quickly. I don't think they are going anywhere. In fact, with their new database, I think they will become the leader in the industry.

 

[LWMM]

COMC is definitely suffering right now, although seemingly from growing pains more than anything. They'll take a while to recover, even after their catalog is working, but unless they find a way to really screw it up (or with Beckett's lawsuit they end up in way over their head), they should ultimately be stronger for this.

Beckett seems much more geared towards dealers with large inventories, and it would be hard to see COMC appealing to them anytime soon. The guys with brick and mortar stores, in particular, have little incentive to send their inventory to someone else. Theoretically, I could see COMC making inroads on these dealers (say via selective submissions, or conversely with deals on bulk submissions). They don't seem to be doing that at the moment, but Beckett obviously feels threatened.

Sportlots' niche is cheap cards with cheap shipping. That said, a lot of their inventory would appear to be transferable to COMC (the $2 to $10 cards, of which there are a decent amount). Sportlots also looks to be in danger of losing its hold on cheap shipping, which used to be so attractive. Remember when you could easily find an 18 cent card for 63 cents of shipping? Now you have to really look for someone that has a s/h price of less than $1, and who doesn't jack it up substantially for multiple cards. COMC isn't particularly appealing to sellers of base cards (spending 25 cents to get the card listed, plus a 20% cashout fee, gives you hardly any margin), but combined shipping makes using it for base cards there more and more appealing for buyers. If anyone else goes, I'd bet it would be Sportlots next.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

The fact that they last this long is shocking enough.

It was unfathomable how they continued to have such a garbage website in this day and age. I'd assume that the money behind it, finally got out whatever they needed from it.

 

[tpeichel]

COMC is definitely suffering right now, although seemingly from growing pains more than anything. They'll take a while to recover, even after their catalog is working, but unless they find a way to really screw it up (or with Beckett's lawsuit they end up in way over their head), they should ultimately be stronger for this.

Beckett seems much more geared towards dealers with large inventories, and it would be hard to see COMC appealing to them anytime soon. The guys with brick and mortar stores, in particular, have little incentive to send their inventory to someone else. Theoretically, I could see COMC making inroads on these dealers (say via selective submissions, or conversely with deals on bulk submissions). They don't seem to be doing that at the moment, but Beckett obviously feels threatened.

Sportlots' niche is cheap cards with cheap shipping. That said, a lot of their inventory would appear to be transferable to COMC (the $2 to $10 cards, of which there are a decent amount). Sportlots also looks to be in danger of losing its hold on cheap shipping, which used to be so attractive. Remember when you could easily find an 18 cent card for 63 cents of shipping? Now you have to really look for someone that has a s/h price of less than $1, and who doesn't jack it up substantially for multiple cards. COMC isn't particularly appealing to sellers of base cards (spending 25 cents to get the card listed, plus a 20% cashout fee, gives you hardly any margin), but combined shipping makes using it for base cards there more and more appealing for buyers. If anyone else goes, I'd bet it would be Sportlots next.

COMC also has an unbelievably supportive community. It amazes me how much free work are putting into the database. I guess there are plenty of people motivated to bury Beckett. It will be interesting to see what they do with all the people who helped build the database when they finally start to monetize it by creating an inventory management, checklisting, or price guide services.