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There was a time when people had different reactions knowing someone works in the trading card industry. They used to retort with weird expressions, asking does the industry still exists?
With questions like why work there to do collectibles even a business today, the sports cards industry all of a sudden caught on fire.
But this doesn’t happen on a single night! Like you wake up the next day knowing the sports cards industry set new records. The process took time and then all of a sudden hit by a storm of investors.
Frankly, the sports cards industry has always been there. But the boom recently witnessed is something never seen before. In fact, the trading card industry never dreamt of such sensational demand. But does that demand be supported with proper supply? We would answer that later in the blog.
Sports Cards Industry in Past and Present
The first time any sports card got printed and shared with the world was somewhere between the 1880s. It was American tobacco businesses that started printing different sports cards and inserting them in their cigarette packaging. The idea was somehow to support the stars by giving them some share of the royalty. And also protect the cigarettes from breaking in a flimsy packet.
Later in the 1930s interest in the sports industry boomed, a little. The reason was giving something extra in the packaging to attract attention. To sell sports cards, businesses started including bubble gums in the packet. Due to this reason, many individuals especially the kids started liking the product. It was incentivization that provoked the sales. Getting a piece of bubble gum along with some interesting sports players cards.
The 1930s was a phase to lure, however, the 1980s was a stage where general awareness and likeness of the product was already established. The feeling of nostalgia was associated with the product, hyping the sales simultaneously. Whether it was kids or elders, they desired to get their hands on their favorite sports player. It was a matter of affection, love, and respect.
Since then, the trading card industry saw success and thrived. Businesses started printing packs of sports cards. It’s important to note that it was part of a hobby. However, it was the pandemic that caught the sports card industry on fire. The demand escalated to new heights, where managing the supply became interesting.
During the pandemic, people were forced to stay at home. Businesses were closed, shops were locked, and the whole world was restricted from leaving their homes. In such a stance where boredom was at its peak, some people remembered their childhood passion. Sports cards collection! Now either it is Nolan Ryan baseball cards or Michael Jordan basketball cards, people are longing to get these at all cost.
Pandemic Changing the Future of Sports Cards Industry
At the beginning of the pandemic during the lockdown, everyone started searching for a new hobby. After all, being confined in a space for an indefinite time is stressful and depressing.
To fight the urge of going out, some people started playing online games. While others seek for new recipes and became home chefs, and so on. However, there was a group of people who found their lost hobby of collecting sports cards. Parents searched for their oldies while others looked on the internet.
They shared the sports cards with their kids and discussed how glorious their star sports players were. This caused a disruption in the industry when the kids started looking for them as well.
For a while, the trading cards industry started getting off. Businesses thought they might go in severe losses but were surprised to see some increased interest. But what happened next was shocking, awe-inspiring, and took the sports industry by storm.
The investors who were also stuck at home analyzed the sudden interest in the sports card industry. Instead of letting it go, they thought to capitalize on the chance and turn it into a golden opportunity.
They saw the investment gap and hence started buying the bulk of sports cards. This caused an immense surge in trading sports cards sale.
Investors started purchasing rare and hard-to-find cards and began to look for ways to resell them. Through this way, a card that was once sold for a few hundred bucks got sold for thousands of dollars. Similarly, a rare card worth some thousand crossed the benchmark of 1 million dollars.
This was exciting as well as entertaining for all. The sports cards industry caught on the fire, resulting in exceptional sales volume. Everyone started looking for different cards to buy, sell, and trade. They found this as a way to keep on earning even during the lockdown.
The Ongoing Craze
You would be astonished to know that the sports cards industry is still on fire! The pandemic is better and people are getting out of their homes and doing regular business. However, still, the passion, thrill, and enthusiasm the sports cards industry built is unmatchable.
To date, people are going gaga over these and trying to acquire the rarest for themselves. Some resell them for higher prices, while others keep them framed in their homes. That’s what love looks like!
However, there is a drawback as well. This drawback was observed right at the start of the pandemic and still, businesses are unable to get over it. The sports cards industry never knew that the demand for different hobby boxes may reach this height. Like ever! But once it did, businesses ran out of stock.
The demand was way too high to meet with the supply. This caused the shortage, leaving many potential investors annoyed and dishearten.
Many businesses are still trying to cope with the supply and match it with the demand. But the sudden surge is hard to match. But there is one thing for sure! The pandemic literally made the sports cards industry a much-loving and investable field for all.