The Topps Chrome craze is upon, but buyer beware. Topps Chrome typically does not sustain value. It is a fun product to open at or shortly after release.

Upon release, I missed finding Topps Chrome at the first Target store I visited, but was able to catch the vendor at the second store. By the time I arrived, the vendor was at the service desk with a Target employee handing out boxes to collectors.

There was a line of six guys in front of me and the store was limiting quantity to one each of Topps Chrome and Panini Chronicles basketball cards. I was able to secure a blaster box, hanger box, and fat pack of Topps Chrome.

The following week I stopped at a Wal-Mart store that appeared to be recently stocked and there was five blasters and eight fat packs (with the pink refractors) of Topps Chrome.

It’s a difficult decision for me deciding which 1980’s Topps design I like better. Is it 1985? Or is it 1987? For the sake of this blog post, today I’m going with the 1985 Topps design, and the inserts in Chrome are beautiful. Here’s the Nico Hoerner rookie from the insert set in Topps Chrome.

Pink or Sepia? Which is your choice? My vote goes to the pink refractors. I just think they have a sharper look than the sepia refractors. I was able to pull a pair of Javier Baez pink refractors.

And a Kris Bryant pink refractor.

Unfortunately, I didn’t pull any Cubs sepia refractors. It seems like the odds are much better in the 2020 Topps Chrome product to pull the black and white negative refractors.

In my haul, I hit on three of them including Jose Altuve and Carlos Santana. But…my favorite is this one…

And finally, I was able to get a base refractor of Anthony Rizzo.

Now, here’s why I love retail over hobby. Again…that’s if you are lucky enough to find retail trading cards instead of empty shelves. My retail buy was six blaster boxes, nine value packs, and one hanger box. My total spend was $240.

A hobby box of 2020 Topps Chrome will run you $275. One hobby box guarantees two autographs and you will receive 96 cards (24 packs with four cards per pack).

My retail spend of $240 netted two autographs (Travis Lakins refractor auto /499 and Logan Allen base auto) and a total of 352 cards.

This week’s release is Topps Archives, and I am really hoping to find some. It’s a really fun product to open.

The hobby has exploded. Baseball cards, football cards, and basketball cards have not been this popular since the waning days of the junk wax era in the early 1990’s.

A lot has changed in the hobby in the past 30 years. What hasn’t changed is certain products get really hot and hard to find. These days that seems like almost every product pumped out by Topps and Panini.

“The next couple weeks are going to be rough. Nine sports card releases are coming out,” my local Excell card vendor recently told me with a look of defeat in his eyes.

Distributors like Excell (Target’s card vendor) and MJ Holdings (Wal-Mart’s card vendor) are making a lot of money. Card companies are making a lot of money. Target and Wal-Mart are making a lot of money. And collectors and flippers that are lucky enough to get these products can turn around and sell….and make a lot of money.

On the day I had my conversation with the card vendor, I had just completed a purchase for some new Panini Chronicles basketball boxes and packs. But…this particular Target store limited quantity, and that was the only reason I was lucky enough to land these cards.

Limited quantity is something this vendor says is on Target management and they made the decision to limit quantity on the basketball cards since the store had less product with a lot of customers already waiting for the vendor to scoop them up.

That particular day I was in search of Topps Chrome baseball cards to rip open myself, but they had already been scooped up as soon as the vendor opened the boxes. My consolation was the basketball cards and for a total of $180 of unopened product, I was able to flip that for $1,000 even in gross sales. Taking out fees and shipping, it was still a net profit of several hundred dollars.

Have you found any of the hot retail packs and boxes this year? If you have, count yourself as lucky. In most stores, if you are not there at the same time the vendor arrives to stock you’ll be out of luck.

Many people have speculated that vendors are making back door deals with flippers. I don’t believe that to be the case at all. What I do believe is happening is Target and Wal-Mart employees have an eye out for the card vendor and alert friends in turn clearing the shelves in quick fashion.

At a card show earlier this year a dealer that was set up was bragging to another dealer that he “has connections” at several Wal-Mart stores and “pays them well.” So, yes that happens.

Collectors also track vendor routines. For the most part, the vendors do not have a concrete schedule, and it varies store-by-store and by vendors. But, in some cases they do stock the same store on the same day around the same time.

If you spot a vendor stocking, check back the following week on the same day around the same time and you may find it is part of their stocking schedule. That has largely been the case with stores near me. And with the large increase of people actively searching for cards and the vendor…

There is some competition out there. If your local Target and Wal-Mart are never stocked with cards…chances are collectors got to the vendor quickly and wiped the shelves. What are your thoughts on the scarcity of cards at retail? Drop a comment below.

Ebay rolled out its Managed Payments platform last year to a test audience. That roll out continues, and it will likely be in effect for all eBay sellers by the end of the year.

Managed Payments was very concerning to me based on the types of items I sell in my eBay Store. A majority of my items for sale are low dollar cards (less than $5) that are shipped (free) using plain white envelopes (PWE).

You may be wondering how I can make any profit selling dollar cards with all the fees. I transitioned my PayPal account to a micropayments account where the fees are 5% of the gross sale plus $0.05. The standard PayPal fees are 2.9% of the gross sale plus $0.30 per transaction. That thirty cents is a killer on $1 and $2 sales.

With eBay’s Managed Payments everything fees related is on one platform. The fee structure is the standard final value fee (in my case for sports cards – 11.5%) plus a $0.30 transaction fee.

That transaction fee scared me based on many of my items listed for $0.99 with free shipping. On a single $0.99 sale I am paying $0.41 in fees plus the cost of envelope, stamp, and top loader/penny sleeve. On average, my net profit on a single 99-cent sale is 15 cents ($0.41 in fees, $0.38 in stamps, and roughly $0.05 for top loader/penny sleeve). This article outlines how I am paying 38 cents on stamps and a PWE.

My goal isn’t to make 100 separate 99-cent transactions. It is to capture repeat buyers that will grab multiple 99-cent items and that increases my margins.

Before signing up for eBay Managed Payments in July, I ran the numbers for a one-month time frame and showed me roughly an equal amount in fees between micropayments and Managed Payments. My Managed Payments account went live on July 28, and now I have 13 full days of numbers to study.

I was shocked by the results.

Before I show the cold hard numbers, allow me to lay out what sold in this snap shot in time. This represents 320 transactions over the 13-day period. Of those 320 transactions, 116 of them were single 99-cent sales. The average transaction was $6.48.

In just 13 days, I saved $119.45 in fees using eBay Managed Payments over PayPal’s Micropayments. The savings is bigger under the standard PayPal account – $155.87.

How Does eBay Managed Payments Work?

You must have a bank account set up in your eBay account to use Managed Payments. That was annoying at first, because I wanted to keep my incoming card money separate from my checking account. I opened up a separate checking account, and it has been smooth. Your money no longer goes into your PayPal account. You will have to set up your bank account associated with Managed Payments to transfer from bank to PayPal.

Can You Still Use PayPal?

Yes. Your payments from sales will not go to PayPal. You will have to transfer from bank to PayPal. Can you use PayPal as a buyer, still? Yes. Managed Payments accepts PayPal, bank account, credit cards, etc.

Is My Money Available Right Away?

No. This is the biggest drawback to eBay Managed Payments. It takes about 24 to 36 hours to clear in your account. Then it is transferred to your bank account the next business day. Monday through Thursday it’s typically available the next day, but anything sold Friday through Sunday will not be in your bank account until Monday or Tuesday.

Can I Pay For Postage From Managed Payments?

Yes. You actually can choose between your Managed Payments account or PayPal to buy postage for the items you sell.

Fee Structure

Fees have slightly increased from eBay as far as final value fees, but you are eliminating the 2.9% PayPal fees (or 5% if you used PayPal Micropayments). Most category fees are now 12.35% plus $0.30 transaction fee. In the past that would have been 10% eBay fee plus 2.9% PayPal fee plus $0.30 PayPal transaction fee. If you have a store subscription, eBay managed payments fees are only 11.5% in most categories. Here is the Managed Payments fees breakdown for the different categories. Final value fees for those eBay members with store subscriptions are discounted.

Final Thoughts

Saving money on fees is the biggest plus I have seen from eBay Managed Payments during the first two weeks in the program. Another positive is having all of your fees paid for immediately. No more sitting on eBay fees until the 15th of every month and then being hit with a month-long eBay Fees bill. The biggest drawback is that it can take days before your money reaches your bank account. Overall, I am a big fan of eBay Managed Payments.

Cubs baseball cards trickled in throughout last week, and only one package was delivered over the weekend. It was a minor league issued Orlando Cubs picture pack baseball cards.

On occasion while laying on the couch watching TV, I’ll check out eBay with the search term, “Cubs.” Typically it will be an ending soonest search to see if I can grab any deals.

Orlando Cubs Baseball Cards

One such search found something that doesn’t come up for sale too often. Minor league items are something I enjoy, and a 1996 Orlando Cubs picture pack was up for bid. The starting bid was $2.99 plus $3.99 shipping, and I was able to win the item at that price – $6.98 shipped.

The item arrived and it was exactly what I expected. There were not many big names on the 1996 Orlando Cubs roster, a Double A affiliate. Among names that reached the major leagues you may recognize: Jeremi Gonzalez and Kevin Orie. Those are the biggest names. A few others reached the big leagues like Justin Speier, Chris Petersen, Hector Ortiz, and a few others suited up for just a couple games like Scott Bullett and Steve Trachsel.

Jeremi Gonzalez Orlando Cubs Baseball Card

Jeremi Gonzalez was one of the five players featured in this picture pack. His name was eventually spelled, Geremi, nine years after his MLB debut when he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gonzalez debuted with the Cubs on May 27, 1997, and won 11 games his rookie campaign. He played seven seasons in MLB over nine years with the Cubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Brewers.

Fun fact: Gonzalez was the pitcher on the mound for the Devil Rays in 2003 when Sammy Sosa was found using a corked bat.

Sadly, Gonzalez passed away in 2008 after getting struck by lightning in his native Venezuela.

Hector Ortiz

Hector Ortiz also made the big leagues appearing in just under 100 games for the Kansas City Royals (1998, 2000-01) and Texas Rangers (2002). After his playing career, Ortiz became a coach and spent time in the Rangers and Cleveland Indians minor league system. Ortiz has also served as the big league first base coach for the Texas Rangers.

Jason Maxwell

Jason Maxwell had a cup of coffee with the Chicago Cubs in 1998, making his debut on September 1. He would later play for the Minnesota Twins in 2000 and 2001. Maxwell is now a high school baseball coach in Tennessee.

Mark Kingston

The next name may sound familiar, but it’s likely not from his baseball playing days. Mark Kingston is the head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina where he led the Gamecocks to a NCAA Super Regional in 2018.

Kingston was a catcher in the Cubs minor league system from 1993 through 1996. The 1996 campaign marked his last organized professional baseball season. This past spring would have been Kingston’s third year as head coach at South Carolina. His college head coaching stints also include Illinois State (2010-2014) and South Florida (2015-2017).

Harold Williams

Harold Williams was drafted three times. He was a 31st round pick by the Montreal Expos out of high school in 1989. Williams was taken in the 33rd round in 1992 by the Oakland Athletics, but returned to the University of West Alabama. After his senior season at West Alabama in 1993, Williams was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 26th round.

Williams played his first three full seasons of pro baseball in the White Sox organization, then split the 1996 campaign between the Cubs and White Sox. He reached Triple A with the Iowa Cubs in 1997, and that marked his last year in organized pro baseball.

For those wondering – yes, I do count Chicago Cubs minor league baseball cards toward the quest for one million Cubs cards. The 1996 Orlando Cubs picture pack baseball cards are now included in that count.