Wow, has it been quiet when it comes to new card news since the holidays. I know it's only Tuesday after a holiday week, but I would expect that to be the perfect time to start hyping up the New Year.

Instead, it's been pretty quiet. There are some releases scheduled to be kicked out this week – Playoff Contenders Football and SP Authentic Basketball among them. I hope to get some box breaks of these online soon in the Bustin' Wax blog, as we've been pretty quiet in that area, as well.

Of course, the card business hasn't been that great for dealers in 2008. Our division also produces a trade magazine call Card Trade (genius, eh?), an article in there doesn't show a real positive outlook by dealers.

Here are some snippets from the article:

At the hobby shop level, the majority of retailers surveyed by Card Trade magazine this month are reporting their sales were down for the year, with some reporting declines of as much as 50 percent compared to 2007.

“Another a year like this, and I think I’m going to close,” said Ralph Brierly of Maine-ly Sports Cards in Solon, Maine. He estimated his sales were down 30 percent from last year and said he’s not optimistic the economy is going to turn around any time soon.

Dean Katz of Charm City Cards in Timonium, Md., said his sales were down for a fourth consecutive year and says the industry needs to restructure its product offerings. “There’s too much supply and not enough demand,” Katz said. “Plus, the average box of cards is now around $80. The whole climate of business has changed these last four to five years.”

Rob Vandorick of All-Star Baseball Cards in Las Vegas said his 2007 sales were down 27 percent from a year ago, and added it might have been worse had it not been for some aggressive end-of-year promotions. He also believes the best way to get collectors to increase their spending in the coming year is with more focus on lower-priced cards.

“If any new product lines are coming for 2009, we need lower SRPs,” Vandorick said. “People are only buying what they can afford and are not going after the glitz and glam.”


So what do you folks think? Are they right in what you want, do you feel big-time changes need to be made in 2009 or will everything turn out all right once the economic fortunes of the country rebound?