This is NOT a paid endorsement or advertisement for Columbia Hobby. Simply a Cardboard Gold review of the company and their products from one customer’s view point.
“Is this brand (Cardboard Gold) legitimate?” That’s paraphrasing a tweet I recently read from someone in the hobby that I follow on Twitter. So, I decided to make a Cardboard Gold review.
I provided my opinion on Cardboard Gold, and the company that was selling 500 top loaders with 500 penny sleeves on eBay. The company is Columbia Hobby, and I’ve been a customer for supplies for a few years.
It all began a couple years ago when I was buying used top loaders in bulk. My aim was to pay four cents per top loader shipped in a medium flat rate box. On occasion (pre-COVID) I was able to find deals for flat rate boxes of top loaders for between 2 and 3 cents each shipped. Often, though, people were charging between 5 and 10 cents.
Top loaders became a need and I was unable to find them used at a good price. A little perusing on eBay led me to Columbia Hobby. An entire case of 1,000 top loaders for around $55 shipped. That comes out to 5.5 cents shipped for brand new top loaders. Columbia Hobby found a new customer.
Fast forward to the spring of 2020 and a world struck by a pandemic. Prices of top loaders skyrocketed as the demand far outweighed the now limited supply. Top loaders were now selling for upwards of 20 cents per shipped by most suppliers such as Columbia, BCW, and Ultra Pro.
My sales have increased which has also led to an increased need in top loaders. Fortunately, many of my fellow hobbyists have jumped in and helped me out by giving me deals on used top loaders and offering lots up for trade.
Recently, I have been visiting the aforementioned suppliers on a consistent basis in hopes that a fresh stock of top loaders have arrived. When I went shopping online a couple weeks ago you could order a case of top loaders from BCW…but the estimated ship date was December 31. Yes, more than a three months wait.
Then I saw the tweet with the Cardboard Gold listing. I offered up my seal of approval in tweet form then immediately went to eBay to snag a half case of top loaders from Columbia Hobby. The shipped price for 500 top loaders and 500 penny sleeves was $56.99, so almost exactly double the price of pre-COVID pricing. Still, at 11 cents per top loader it’s the best deal you can find at the moment with no waiting.