#1 tip for buying unopened boxes. Get them at your local card shows. There are card shows here in the Detroit area all the time. It's where I buy 99% of my boxes. It's just flat out cheaper. Get to know the regular dealers that are at all the shows. Rarely can you find a descent deal online. My other comment is that I hate the group breakers. They suck up all the product so that it's harder to get and more expensive for the guys like me that want to buy a box or 2 here and there. So if my dealer that I'm buying from runs out of a certain product he has trouble getting more and the price goes up. That didn't happen a few years ago before group breaks became so big.
I might do a broader video on tips, but this was specific to online retailers. There are other tricks like consignment, bidding sites, etc. I will say I have been disappointed in the card shows I've attended. I feel ppl get ripped off and taken advantage of, and it's like being down at the racetrack with degenerates in bomber jackets. But, I am very disciplined and process oriented, re. my own purchases. I do take your word for it, re. the Detroit area, and certainly relationship building. As for Group Breakers, I am with you 100%. I only participate in mom & pops group breaks, supporting a local card shop, which are awesome. As for chasing and hyper-inflation in the hobby, it is precisely why I have a channel emphasizing affordability, sentimental attachment, and discipline -- as opposed to gaming/gambling.
I hear you on that. My local shop limits most boxes to one/person per day or group breakers would buy everything on release day and it is super hard to get more.
I totally hear you guys. It's almost like a middle man. My biggest qualm with group breakers is the dude-soup culture around it. I think it has precipitated hits-based products, and e.g. SPx being decimated as a product, reduced to four packs with one card per pack. What irks me the most is these are team sports. Yet products and ppl only focus on (covet) the narrowest subset of superstars, and kids are priced out.
So guys, the focus of this video was primarily *online* retailers to buy hockey hobby boxes, as opposed to individual packs or cards (or bidding exchange and consignment sites). Please let me know how you buy your boxes! What have I missed? A few of you mentioned Imaginaire (five locations in Quebec), which is very strong on *singles* packs and blasters, but weak on mid-range boxes to my mind. There is also Pastime Sports and Games in BC. Maple Leaf Sports in Calgary has reasonable prices. And our man Hat Trick commented about how great live card shows can be, especially if you foster relationships. This is true too of relationships on eBay. The drawback for hobby boxes with non mainstream "stores" is ensuring a box came from a fresh case, whereby case hits have not already been pulled. I also like comparison shopping on my phone, even at live events. I'm not particularly paranoid, re. tampering. But, vetting ppl and motives on occasion can be a concern. And, again, I am a major proponent of seasonal sales!
Could you recommend any mom & pop group breaks? I've had luck recently at some mom & pop shops online. While their prices on some newer items are usually inflated, I was able to find some good deals on older boxes. Thanks for the Charm City recommendation, I scored a great price on a premium box. Also, a disclaimer to newbies, if you're located in the US and participate in a group break in Canada, expect to wait a long time for that mail day. Thanks for this video, by the way! It has helped me get my toes wet after being out of the game for a while. Keep the videos coming! #DRYDEN
Before I even start, Dave & Adams, Steel City, have always been extremely good to me and willing to give deals. I don't use them a lot as I usually go with Ebay and do my own searching but, when they have deals I always go nuts there. OK WOW.... I just watched and Im in shock the two places I rate highest are the two you rate the highest. This makes me feel good I can't lie! We have a few Local Card Shops but the problem is, the upcharge rates they do simply for directly buying a card are absolutely insane. I look around Michigan and Ontario and it's frustrating how much people expect you to pay just to instantly have cards in your hand vs waiting 3-7 days to get them online... we're talking about like, a 50% upcharge in most cases, so like $300 for a $200 box, and if you want single hobby packs? Some of these places jab you where it hurts so I would never ever ever buy a single hobby pack in a live store. Great video though for people looking to build their collection!! #Dryden
I personally really like many LCS. But, there is a massive variance in pricing, products, access to them, and conduct. I have been fortunate to do drop-ins in various LCS in LA, NYC, TO, and MTL. Usually my assessment of them is almost immediate re. how they engage me, and whether their pricing and behavior is copacetic or sketchy. Note that prices might be higher than many online stores because big online corporation have economies of scale, and can negotiate lower bulk prices. I have never been to D&A or SCC in person, but it's hard to argue about their appeal, as they are the biggest players along with Miraj. I love the Bullpen in LA because of how I was treated and that they had some rare products I couldn't find anywhere else. In NYC there are almost no options for hockey cards, which is really infuriating given how big NYC is. But Royal in Queens has competitive prices and the owner is very friendly. I find so many LCS have complete know-it-all jerks who allow pack searching and quote wild prices under the assumption they can get away with it. I recently found a new place in MTL called Geek Factory and I love the owner, as he's willing to match Miraj's prices, plus he's an honest guy. I know shops that do group breaks they sell on eBay, whereby they themselves shill up the bids so they make more money. And there are some LCS that never sell case fresh boxes. I love to buy old boxes online from individuals, as it's the online place I can find them, but ppl may bid on their own boxes. And if boxes aren't case fresh then the chance at hitting the key RC might not even exist. What's funny is D&A is now marketing premium boxes whereby you pay more for the guarantee the boxes are case fresh. That's ridiculous. All boxes should be case fresh. What are they implying? They are otherwise selling boxes without the case hits? Conclusion: I believe in building a relationship with an LCS you genuinely like.
@@Fultoncards It definitely depends on the area, how many shops there are, etc. Everything is taking a huge hit right now though, my state just got like 20% inflation in a month from the gas price effecting big businesses, after the entire USA went up 9.1% since the start of the pandemic. Pokemon card ETB's were $40 for years. They went up to $45 for the last 2 years, and in 1 month, Target moved them up to $55. WalMart is $50. I dont buy those anyways but, my point is, everyone is hurting. Card collecting has always been a luxury but, now it's really a luxury, only people with a lot of extra income can really buy cards on say, a weekly basis. Generally local card shops are worth supporting if the prices are within reason. I'll spend $100 instead of $90 and thats not a big deal but when it gets to where Im spending $100 for $60, or less worth? that's when I have to basically write the place off as a ripoff :( Locally the places we have are constantly called out for it to, for basically only catering to rich folks, cause it is a pretty wealthy suburban area. But when there is more competition between shops, and lots of people are buying, then they have to and need to lower prices to stay in business and attract customers. Right now its the opposite, they have to raise prices to stay in business due to the economy and inflation :(
I order online from 401 games in Canada. The pricing is usually fair and they mark down boxes often. They ship everything really well packaged as well. Also if your order is $200+ then you get free shipping which is nice. The one downside is that they can take a few days to ship out your order but I live 1hr outside Toronto and I will typically have it within a week of ordering. Great video. Thank-you.
Karl, great anecdote. I have spoken to the owner of 401 Games on a few occasions. It's a really well run establishment. My qualm with them is if you walk in, you can get ignored because the place is so overrun with gamers. Always buzzing. But usually the female squeegee at the register gets me out of there quick enough.
You: Finds CNC's group breaks loud and obnoxious. Me: Did we just become best friends!? On a serious note, great video, I've heard of several of these but not all of them. Seasonal sales are seriously the best, it honestly might be frustrating this year with the amount of people buying for investing/flipping purposes. Good shout on TheBullpen, I finally visited a few months ago and found a box of 2009-10 SPA and a few other boxes, owner threw in a few loose packs each time. Felt good to find a LCS with a great selection of hockey after some of my childhood stores stopped carrying sports cards entirely.
One more reason to pay attention to Walmart: They don't really know or care about what they're selling. So while current releases tend to be priced higher than what you would see elsewhere, it's not unusual to find older releases, (15/16, 16/17) that were sitting around on some stock shelf for a few years with marked down/sale pricing. I pay attention to them for pretty much that reason alone.
@@Fultoncards These pharmacies are littered all over the Toronto area. They will typically have a display at the end of an isle somewhere in the store that features MAGIC and YUGIO cards. They usually have a couple of drop boxes of current season OPC and Series1/2 though the prices for these are always high. What I like are the repacks. The packs appear to be broken out of blasters and repackaged individually to be sold at $1.29 each. Packs are usually older OPC and MVP as well as Series 1/2 from years that aren't necessarily popular, although I do pick up packs of 15/16 Series 2 from there often. On the rare occasion you'll find older Panini and Pacific type packs. A great way to slowly build lower-end sets the way I used to as a kid. Just a few cheap packs now and then. :)
I can see them having Panini Score, but it would be cool if they had Panini Prizm etc. Sadly, even boxes of 15/16 UDS2 are now going up, with this bizarre pandemic inflation. In a sense, getting loose packs at Shoppers is the purest form of collecting, as it's a corner store. That is absolutely how I collected OPC has a kid. The gum helped as well.
401 games is thriving! They have two stores now, one downtown (they moved to a bigger location no longer at 401 young) and one near the 407 and Dufferin.
Great to hear. They are also benefactors of a central location, as teens hang on Yonge and at the Eaton Centre. A lot of card places are in strip malls in the middle of nowhere. I don't find them especially knowledgable in hockey. But, they really are a Toronto staple.
This video was actually really informative. I only go to my local hobby shop and walmart. I never bought cards online because I couldn't find a good site. Now I know which sites are the best for buying.
Well, I'm happy it was helpful. It's a bit subjective. But part of the fun is window shopping online, as often the prices are more competitive than your local shop.
Hey Brian. I'm not 100% sure. Most info re. customs is anecdotal. I remember ordering from Dacardworld to MTL and when the box arrived at my door they charged me an extra CAD $50, on perhaps a $500 purchase. There are some online calculators, you can do the math with just in case. I've never been charged customs in the US, though. This said, it might be worth it if you buy during a real good sale. Whenever I've enquired with US retailers they've equally said ppl's experiences were inconsistent, i.e. some ppl get nailed and other don't.
@@drwoo007 Its not a customs charge but a border handling charge that the couriers will apply for bringing anything over the border. It is a scam and you can refuse to pay it and they will typically drop the charge if you question them on it. The best is to ask the company to ship your order into Canada using USPS as there will not be a border handling charge. I hope this helps. Cheers
Thanks Fultoncards...I love hobby related tutorial videos. It's very informative and I'm glad U made some Canadian references. Imaginaire is another that I heard of. Keep safe & TY 4 sharing'
Thanks Victor. Imaginaire seems exceptional for single packs. I find their website a bit confusing and deceiving, as they depict boxes with pack not box prices. Like, 19/20 SPx is US $36, but that's for a pack. A box is US $136 which is exorbitant. And they hardly have any mid-range boxes. But it is singles pack heaven, and solid on blasters. They def deserve a mention, given their five locations in Quebec. I just wish they were on the island of Montreal!
Brooklyn!!!! I mostly use Blowout Cards if I can't find a deal on ebay. They sponsored my favorite sport MMA for years! As far as 20/21 releases I can't wait for Troy Gamble Series 2 and Upper Deck Peter Popovic Allure.
Fantastic video!!! This is very informative. Wish I knew about this when re-entering the hobby back in November. I had to discover this on my own through lots of internet browsing. Funny enough, I did discover a lot of these retailers through eBay! As I am based in Australia, my options are fairly limited. The authorised retailers can ship overseas whereas some of the tertiary sites aren't willing to ship outside of North America. Also the shipping costs are quite expensive too. I have shopped from Big Boi! Discovered them on eBay at first but found it much better to order direct from them on their website. Haven't had a good experience with Grizzly. Contacted them to see if they would ship to Australia and they just ignored me and never responded. Love using DA Card World! They ship expedited to Aus, hence I can get the products relatively quickly. The main shop I rely on is definitely Steel City. They've been very responsive to my initial enquiries and they have a great variety too. Also ships by FedEx, so that comes in handy! I find it handy to subscribe to the newsletters since DACW and SCC likes to send out notices of their big sales.
Dude, this is amazeballs feedback. I didn't mention AUS - even though I know I have some AUS viewers - because I don't know how the hell ppl get hockey cards out there. I have responded to enquiries from Australians, and it's tough. True too of Europeans or Asian. Ppl always ask me as if I have some special sauce. Like you, I learned by trial and error. My dad's place in MTL is close to Big Boi Cards, so I do visit in person on occasion, and they treat me like a king. I wish you could visit. They often even have more than what is online. It's like being a kid in a candy store. For me the benefit of DACW and SCC is the speed, as I'm geographically close. DACW is especially good for new releases. I'm not sure what Grizzly's deal is re. responsiveness. But I have yet to have a bad experience. Do you have to pay customs in AUS when you order from the US?
@@Fultoncards It's amazing that you get to go to Big Boi Cards and visit in person. I find their range to be quite good and the prices to be very competitive. I can imagine it would be fun field day in that warehouse! Perhaps next time I get a chance to visit home, I'll have to make a trip to the Montreal area. DACW and SCC have been pretty good with new releases and I tend to tack on other items to ship together just to save on shipping fees. DACW relies on UPS, while SCC uses FedEx. I find that items via UPS arrives in Australia a little quicker than FedEx for some reason. Orders under $1000 AUD, I don't need to pay customs or tax. I definitely keep my orders under that threshold.
Thanks for turning me onto Grizzly! Crazy to see how much prices have gone up everywhere since the recording of this video though. If only I'd gotten back into collecting a few years earlier! #DRYDEN
It's great that you care about the hobby and give valuable tips to others. In Finland this hobby is almost fadeaway and that's sad to see. I used to be more active when it bloomed in mid 90s' after our first World Championship. Still enjoy it tho. #DRYDEN
That was very informative especially for people like me residing in Europe! Thank you so much. I'm checking out that Czech site right now! I really appreciate this video! #DRYDEN
#Dryden I know it's not always the cheapest place, nor do they always have the greatest selection (depending where people live) But that was pretty cool to reaffirm in people that it's always good to support your local LCS.. Great video
Thanks Dave! You know, I think one of the reasons I love LCS is the feeling I get when I walk in the door. And it's a shame so many card places - and ppl! - only exist online now, mostly on eBay.
I get my boxes mainly at my LCS.I buy into a lot of the owners breaks and he knows me well so I get a great price always.He gave me 30% off my first 2020-21 series 1 box I bought. Great shop and great owner. Mavericks Sports and collectibles down here in Newfoundland is the best play for me but if I'm doing online I go with Zephyr Epic.
All the Hit Parade items at Dave and Adams are made “in house”. They push this stuff so hard because they make tremendous profit on these boxes. To be honest, I have bought a bunch of the Hit Parade boxes and the value is just not there. They may have one or two big money items in the run, but everything else is pretty underwhelming. Just an fyi.
Walmart and Target will have retail only (often overpriced). I did a Top 10 list of online stores, primarily for hobby: ua-cam.com/video/VxPxvNbjNCE/v-deo.htmlsi=8SiClyL--RxeXzYl. It may be a bit outdated, as Big Boy in Canada is now called Miraj. There are also some others in the comment section under the vid. Otherwise, only local card shops (LCS) which you find on Google Maps carry hobby. But, if you don't know the shop, you can call in advance to ensure they carry hockey cards, or the product you want. Here in NYC, most of the hobby stores are out in the suburbs, and many don't carry hockey at all. But that's because the US is more focused on the other major sports.
Flips has good stuff but I won’t go there. Breaks are scams. 401 has toploaders Retailers can’t send new product to the us until a year after. Dollarama products
#1 tip for buying unopened boxes. Get them at your local card shows. There are card shows here in the Detroit area all the time. It's where I buy 99% of my boxes. It's just flat out cheaper. Get to know the regular dealers that are at all the shows. Rarely can you find a descent deal online. My other comment is that I hate the group breakers. They suck up all the product so that it's harder to get and more expensive for the guys like me that want to buy a box or 2 here and there. So if my dealer that I'm buying from runs out of a certain product he has trouble getting more and the price goes up. That didn't happen a few years ago before group breaks became so big.
I might do a broader video on tips, but this was specific to online retailers. There are other tricks like consignment, bidding sites, etc. I will say I have been disappointed in the card shows I've attended. I feel ppl get ripped off and taken advantage of, and it's like being down at the racetrack with degenerates in bomber jackets. But, I am very disciplined and process oriented, re. my own purchases. I do take your word for it, re. the Detroit area, and certainly relationship building. As for Group Breakers, I am with you 100%. I only participate in mom & pops group breaks, supporting a local card shop, which are awesome. As for chasing and hyper-inflation in the hobby, it is precisely why I have a channel emphasizing affordability, sentimental attachment, and discipline -- as opposed to gaming/gambling.
I hear you on that. My local shop limits most boxes to one/person per day or group breakers would buy everything on release day and it is super hard to get more.
I totally hear you guys. It's almost like a middle man. My biggest qualm with group breakers is the dude-soup culture around it. I think it has precipitated hits-based products, and e.g. SPx being decimated as a product, reduced to four packs with one card per pack. What irks me the most is these are team sports. Yet products and ppl only focus on (covet) the narrowest subset of superstars, and kids are priced out.
So guys, the focus of this video was primarily *online* retailers to buy hockey hobby boxes, as opposed to individual packs or cards (or bidding exchange and consignment sites). Please let me know how you buy your boxes! What have I missed? A few of you mentioned Imaginaire (five locations in Quebec), which is very strong on *singles* packs and blasters, but weak on mid-range boxes to my mind. There is also Pastime Sports and Games in BC. Maple Leaf Sports in Calgary has reasonable prices. And our man Hat Trick commented about how great live card shows can be, especially if you foster relationships. This is true too of relationships on eBay. The drawback for hobby boxes with non mainstream "stores" is ensuring a box came from a fresh case, whereby case hits have not already been pulled. I also like comparison shopping on my phone, even at live events. I'm not particularly paranoid, re. tampering. But, vetting ppl and motives on occasion can be a concern. And, again, I am a major proponent of seasonal sales!
Could you recommend any mom & pop group breaks? I've had luck recently at some mom & pop shops online. While their prices on some newer items are usually inflated, I was able to find some good deals on older boxes. Thanks for the Charm City recommendation, I scored a great price on a premium box. Also, a disclaimer to newbies, if you're located in the US and participate in a group break in Canada, expect to wait a long time for that mail day. Thanks for this video, by the way! It has helped me get my toes wet after being out of the game for a while. Keep the videos coming! #DRYDEN
Before I even start, Dave & Adams, Steel City, have always been extremely good to me and willing to give deals. I don't use them a lot as I usually go with Ebay and do my own searching but, when they have deals I always go nuts there.
OK WOW.... I just watched and Im in shock the two places I rate highest are the two you rate the highest. This makes me feel good I can't lie! We have a few Local Card Shops but the problem is, the upcharge rates they do simply for directly buying a card are absolutely insane. I look around Michigan and Ontario and it's frustrating how much people expect you to pay just to instantly have cards in your hand vs waiting 3-7 days to get them online... we're talking about like, a 50% upcharge in most cases, so like $300 for a $200 box, and if you want single hobby packs? Some of these places jab you where it hurts so I would never ever ever buy a single hobby pack in a live store. Great video though for people looking to build their collection!! #Dryden
I personally really like many LCS. But, there is a massive variance in pricing, products, access to them, and conduct. I have been fortunate to do drop-ins in various LCS in LA, NYC, TO, and MTL. Usually my assessment of them is almost immediate re. how they engage me, and whether their pricing and behavior is copacetic or sketchy. Note that prices might be higher than many online stores because big online corporation have economies of scale, and can negotiate lower bulk prices. I have never been to D&A or SCC in person, but it's hard to argue about their appeal, as they are the biggest players along with Miraj. I love the Bullpen in LA because of how I was treated and that they had some rare products I couldn't find anywhere else. In NYC there are almost no options for hockey cards, which is really infuriating given how big NYC is. But Royal in Queens has competitive prices and the owner is very friendly. I find so many LCS have complete know-it-all jerks who allow pack searching and quote wild prices under the assumption they can get away with it. I recently found a new place in MTL called Geek Factory and I love the owner, as he's willing to match Miraj's prices, plus he's an honest guy. I know shops that do group breaks they sell on eBay, whereby they themselves shill up the bids so they make more money. And there are some LCS that never sell case fresh boxes. I love to buy old boxes online from individuals, as it's the online place I can find them, but ppl may bid on their own boxes. And if boxes aren't case fresh then the chance at hitting the key RC might not even exist. What's funny is D&A is now marketing premium boxes whereby you pay more for the guarantee the boxes are case fresh. That's ridiculous. All boxes should be case fresh. What are they implying? They are otherwise selling boxes without the case hits? Conclusion: I believe in building a relationship with an LCS you genuinely like.
@@Fultoncards It definitely depends on the area, how many shops there are, etc. Everything is taking a huge hit right now though, my state just got like 20% inflation in a month from the gas price effecting big businesses, after the entire USA went up 9.1% since the start of the pandemic. Pokemon card ETB's were $40 for years. They went up to $45 for the last 2 years, and in 1 month, Target moved them up to $55. WalMart is $50. I dont buy those anyways but, my point is, everyone is hurting. Card collecting has always been a luxury but, now it's really a luxury, only people with a lot of extra income can really buy cards on say, a weekly basis. Generally local card shops are worth supporting if the prices are within reason. I'll spend $100 instead of $90 and thats not a big deal but when it gets to where Im spending $100 for $60, or less worth? that's when I have to basically write the place off as a ripoff :( Locally the places we have are constantly called out for it to, for basically only catering to rich folks, cause it is a pretty wealthy suburban area. But when there is more competition between shops, and lots of people are buying, then they have to and need to lower prices to stay in business and attract customers. Right now its the opposite, they have to raise prices to stay in business due to the economy and inflation :(
Great vid @Fultoncards. Love your insight, and knowledge of Ontario card stores and online sites! Keep the vids coming
I order online from 401 games in Canada. The pricing is usually fair and they mark down boxes often. They ship everything really well packaged as well. Also if your order is $200+ then you get free shipping which is nice. The one downside is that they can take a few days to ship out your order but I live 1hr outside Toronto and I will typically have it within a week of ordering. Great video. Thank-you.
Karl, great anecdote. I have spoken to the owner of 401 Games on a few occasions. It's a really well run establishment. My qualm with them is if you walk in, you can get ignored because the place is so overrun with gamers. Always buzzing. But usually the female squeegee at the register gets me out of there quick enough.
It’s the only place I’ve ever dealt with and I’ve only had positive experiences with them. I’ll try out Steel City someday as well.
Nice video thanks for the update on where to get stuff
You: Finds CNC's group breaks loud and obnoxious.
Me: Did we just become best friends!?
On a serious note, great video, I've heard of several of these but not all of them. Seasonal sales are seriously the best, it honestly might be frustrating this year with the amount of people buying for investing/flipping purposes. Good shout on TheBullpen, I finally visited a few months ago and found a box of 2009-10 SPA and a few other boxes, owner threw in a few loose packs each time. Felt good to find a LCS with a great selection of hockey after some of my childhood stores stopped carrying sports cards entirely.
Haha. The other thing with CNC is that camera angle. Is it on the sideview mirror of their yellow Hummer?
One more reason to pay attention to Walmart: They don't really know or care about what they're selling. So while current releases tend to be priced higher than what you would see elsewhere, it's not unusual to find older releases, (15/16, 16/17) that were sitting around on some stock shelf for a few years with marked down/sale pricing. I pay attention to them for pretty much that reason alone.
That's a great tip. And you often buy loose packs at Shoppers Drug Mart at the cash? What do they have?
@@Fultoncards These pharmacies are littered all over the Toronto area. They will typically have a display at the end of an isle somewhere in the store that features MAGIC and YUGIO cards. They usually have a couple of drop boxes of current season OPC and Series1/2 though the prices for these are always high. What I like are the repacks. The packs appear to be broken out of blasters and repackaged individually to be sold at $1.29 each. Packs are usually older OPC and MVP as well as Series 1/2 from years that aren't necessarily popular, although I do pick up packs of 15/16 Series 2 from there often. On the rare occasion you'll find older Panini and Pacific type packs. A great way to slowly build lower-end sets the way I used to as a kid. Just a few cheap packs now and then. :)
I can see them having Panini Score, but it would be cool if they had Panini Prizm etc. Sadly, even boxes of 15/16 UDS2 are now going up, with this bizarre pandemic inflation. In a sense, getting loose packs at Shoppers is the purest form of collecting, as it's a corner store. That is absolutely how I collected OPC has a kid. The gum helped as well.
401 games is thriving!
They have two stores now, one downtown (they moved to a bigger location no longer at 401 young) and one near the 407 and Dufferin.
Great to hear. They are also benefactors of a central location, as teens hang on Yonge and at the Eaton Centre. A lot of card places are in strip malls in the middle of nowhere. I don't find them especially knowledgable in hockey. But, they really are a Toronto staple.
This video was actually really informative. I only go to my local hobby shop and walmart. I never bought cards online because I couldn't find a good site. Now I know which sites are the best for buying.
Well, I'm happy it was helpful. It's a bit subjective. But part of the fun is window shopping online, as often the prices are more competitive than your local shop.
401 is still on Yonge, just south of Bloor.
Great video! As a Canadian will all orders from the US get dinged at the border? Thinking Steelcity. I use Grizzly outside my li’s most of the time.
Hey Brian. I'm not 100% sure. Most info re. customs is anecdotal. I remember ordering from Dacardworld to MTL and when the box arrived at my door they charged me an extra CAD $50, on perhaps a $500 purchase. There are some online calculators, you can do the math with just in case. I've never been charged customs in the US, though. This said, it might be worth it if you buy during a real good sale. Whenever I've enquired with US retailers they've equally said ppl's experiences were inconsistent, i.e. some ppl get nailed and other don't.
@@Fultoncards thanks for the advice. Again, a very good and informative video for all collectors
@@drwoo007 Its not a customs charge but a border handling charge that the couriers will apply for bringing anything over the border. It is a scam and you can refuse to pay it and they will typically drop the charge if you question them on it. The best is to ask the company to ship your order into Canada using USPS as there will not be a border handling charge. I hope this helps. Cheers
Karl, it was Canada Post that charged me in Quebec. It definitely was not elicit.
I agree with you 100%, your insight is bang on true about everything.
Thanks Fultoncards...I love hobby related tutorial videos. It's very informative and I'm glad U made some Canadian references. Imaginaire is another that I heard of.
Keep safe & TY 4 sharing'
Thanks Victor. Imaginaire seems exceptional for single packs. I find their website a bit confusing and deceiving, as they depict boxes with pack not box prices. Like, 19/20 SPx is US $36, but that's for a pack. A box is US $136 which is exorbitant. And they hardly have any mid-range boxes. But it is singles pack heaven, and solid on blasters. They def deserve a mention, given their five locations in Quebec. I just wish they were on the island of Montreal!
Nice vid, thanks for the tips
Brooklyn!!!! I mostly use Blowout Cards if I can't find a deal on ebay. They sponsored my favorite sport MMA for years! As far as 20/21 releases I can't wait for Troy Gamble Series 2 and Upper Deck Peter Popovic Allure.
The world needs more Peter Popovic references. Why do you always sound like you had two more beers than me?
Super informative, thanks for this!
Fantastic video and great information.
Fantastic video!!! This is very informative. Wish I knew about this when re-entering the hobby back in November. I had to discover this on my own through lots of internet browsing. Funny enough, I did discover a lot of these retailers through eBay! As I am based in Australia, my options are fairly limited. The authorised retailers can ship overseas whereas some of the tertiary sites aren't willing to ship outside of North America. Also the shipping costs are quite expensive too. I have shopped from Big Boi! Discovered them on eBay at first but found it much better to order direct from them on their website. Haven't had a good experience with Grizzly. Contacted them to see if they would ship to Australia and they just ignored me and never responded. Love using DA Card World! They ship expedited to Aus, hence I can get the products relatively quickly. The main shop I rely on is definitely Steel City. They've been very responsive to my initial enquiries and they have a great variety too. Also ships by FedEx, so that comes in handy! I find it handy to subscribe to the newsletters since DACW and SCC likes to send out notices of their big sales.
Dude, this is amazeballs feedback. I didn't mention AUS - even though I know I have some AUS viewers - because I don't know how the hell ppl get hockey cards out there. I have responded to enquiries from Australians, and it's tough. True too of Europeans or Asian. Ppl always ask me as if I have some special sauce. Like you, I learned by trial and error. My dad's place in MTL is close to Big Boi Cards, so I do visit in person on occasion, and they treat me like a king. I wish you could visit. They often even have more than what is online. It's like being a kid in a candy store. For me the benefit of DACW and SCC is the speed, as I'm geographically close. DACW is especially good for new releases. I'm not sure what Grizzly's deal is re. responsiveness. But I have yet to have a bad experience. Do you have to pay customs in AUS when you order from the US?
@@Fultoncards It's amazing that you get to go to Big Boi Cards and visit in person. I find their range to be quite good and the prices to be very competitive. I can imagine it would be fun field day in that warehouse! Perhaps next time I get a chance to visit home, I'll have to make a trip to the Montreal area. DACW and SCC have been pretty good with new releases and I tend to tack on other items to ship together just to save on shipping fees. DACW relies on UPS, while SCC uses FedEx. I find that items via UPS arrives in Australia a little quicker than FedEx for some reason. Orders under $1000 AUD, I don't need to pay customs or tax. I definitely keep my orders under that threshold.
Thanks for the tips #DryDen
In British Columbia Canada the go to place is Pastime Sports! 🔥
Thanks for turning me onto Grizzly! Crazy to see how much prices have gone up everywhere since the recording of this video though. If only I'd gotten back into collecting a few years earlier! #DRYDEN
It's great that you care about the hobby and give valuable tips to others. In Finland this hobby is almost fadeaway and that's sad to see. I used to be more active when it bloomed in mid 90s' after our first World Championship. Still enjoy it tho. #DRYDEN
Really? In North America the hobby is as popular as it has ever been. I regard it as a new golden age of collecting.
I also go to royal, great guys and one of the only shops in queens
Oh that's cool. I love them. But I hate taking the subway plus bus all the way out there like a plebeian.
That was very informative especially for people like me residing in Europe! Thank you so much. I'm checking out that Czech site right now! I really appreciate this video! #DRYDEN
Great video. I appreciate the options you provide. I live in the middle of central Iowa, and I can't find hockey anywhere. #dryden
#Dryden I know it's not always the cheapest place, nor do they always have the greatest selection (depending where people live) But that was pretty cool to reaffirm in people that it's always good to support your local LCS.. Great video
Thanks Dave! You know, I think one of the reasons I love LCS is the feeling I get when I walk in the door. And it's a shame so many card places - and ppl! - only exist online now, mostly on eBay.
I get my boxes mainly at my LCS.I buy into a lot of the owners breaks and he knows me well so I get a great price always.He gave me 30% off my first 2020-21 series 1 box I bought. Great shop and great owner. Mavericks Sports and collectibles down here in Newfoundland is the best play for me but if I'm doing online I go with Zephyr Epic.
All the Hit Parade items at Dave and Adams are made “in house”. They push this stuff so hard because they make tremendous profit on these boxes. To be honest, I have bought a bunch of the Hit Parade boxes and the value is just not there. They may have one or two big money items in the run, but everything else is pretty underwhelming. Just an fyi.
That was very informative! Thank you #DRYDEN
This is great for me living in Canada.
Can you find hobby boxes at places like Walmart?
In store*
Walmart and Target will have retail only (often overpriced). I did a Top 10 list of online stores, primarily for hobby: ua-cam.com/video/VxPxvNbjNCE/v-deo.htmlsi=8SiClyL--RxeXzYl. It may be a bit outdated, as Big Boy in Canada is now called Miraj. There are also some others in the comment section under the vid. Otherwise, only local card shops (LCS) which you find on Google Maps carry hobby. But, if you don't know the shop, you can call in advance to ensure they carry hockey cards, or the product you want. Here in NYC, most of the hobby stores are out in the suburbs, and many don't carry hockey at all. But that's because the US is more focused on the other major sports.
Awesome info I learned about a place or two thank you sir #dryden
I subbed cuz I’m a fellow Brooklynite
Thanks for the tips will look into them! #DRYDEN
Great idea
#DRYDEN This was useful for me, I've been looking to find new places to buy boxes from! Thanks!
Nice, good info. Thanks for sharing! #dryden
Great video #Dryden
LCS... “not essential” in my part of Canada.
Awesome #Dryden
Thank You !! Very informative , Trying to find cards for my son and I to open on our page !! #Dryden
Flips has good stuff but I won’t go there.
Breaks are scams.
401 has toploaders
Retailers can’t send new product to the us until a year after.
Dollarama products
Awesome & tks for all, #DRYDEN
#DRYDEN
Thanks for the insights. Its a bit more complicated for us intl collectors with shipping costs and import fees, but helpful nonetheless.
Thanks for the tips! #DRYDEN
I buy from BigBoi and Grizzly
Let’s go #dryden
#DRYDEN Thanks for the tips!
Buy from zephyrepic in BC,free shipping in Canada over $50 and you can catch sales. Also a few blocks from , Maple Leaf in Calgary#DRYDEN
Thanks Robert. Zephyr is Prokotaco's go-to. I do like their prices, but they have zero variety. It's just very basic, current flagship UD stuff.
#DRYDEN
#DRYDEN