I've been reading a lot lately about gas prices affected attendance at card and memorabilia shows. If you're driving a few hours to a show, are you checking the prices at the pumps?
To me, the gas prices are not the determining factor on if I'm going to a card show, but maybe I'm the only one. If gas prices are $2.00 or $2.50 a gallon, does that really matter if you're driving to show were you're going to pay $5-$10 to get in, spend $10-$20 on food/drink, buy a box/pack, buy a few single cards, and pay $$ for autographs?
Is that extra 50 cents per gallon of gas keeping collectors away from the shows? Or are dealers using that as an excuse?
4 comments:
For me it is not the cost of gas that is my concern, but the time of the entire trip. With the closest show 30 minutes from my house, 1 hour is already taken up just for transit time. With so many things to juggle over the course of a weekend, including 2 young sons wanting my attention, it is harder and harder to carve out the 2.5 to 3 hours needed to attend a show.
It may for some depending on the type of show. Whenever I post up cost of a card or box or whatever I include the cost and the tax (if any) and shipping (if ebay). That is it.
The other expenses like gas, food drink I file under entertainment. It is likely I would be driving somewhere else or stuffing my face elsewhere if I wasn't at the show.
Hell if I don't get my head out of the dime box, going to a card show might be the cheapest thing I do all month.
What card shows? The closest one is 30 minutes away and the last time I went half the dealers didn't have any prices on their stuff and the other half thought it was still 1990 and they could charge beckett or over.
I think if the tables are there and the autograph guests (if any) are decent, then people will show up. I budget a couple of shows each year... next year the National is definitely on my list.
Everyone going to the National?
Post a Comment