Opinions on price guides

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reickholt

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Beckett magazine subscription is about to run out. Time for renewal.

What are opinions on Magazine VS On Line Price Guide at Beckett's ?

How does the OPG compare price wise. I like the thought of being able to find price for ALL cards and not just the ones they deicide to print, but at the same time I really enjoy the ease of opening up the magazine and turning to the correct page.

Please share your thoughts and what you use.
Thanks!
Rick
 
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I really wasn't even aware they MADE a hard copy of the price guide anymore. Haven't seen one in years. I think that the hard copy is probably a better deal cost-wise, but the OPG is really easy to use. Just a bit more expensive.
 
Rick - I prefer the OPG over the magazine. The magazine is like a newspaper. Nice to hold in your hand, nostalgic even. The problem is, it's old before you even get it. I only use the OPG for "every day" stuff that I list on The Bench. You'll want to use eBay final sales to get an idea of the actual value of anything new, hot or rare.

Thanks
Craig
 
Ric, Thanks for posting this. I am in the same boat and am seriously thinking about subscribing to the OPG. Most cards I trade and/or trade for are not in the magazine. The magazine used to have nice articles and input from readers but now it seems like it's mostly an advertisement for Topps.

John
 
Very timely thread - I haven't' looked at a price guide (magazine) in probably 15 years and feel like I am trapped a bit in the stone age without access to pricing - I have been considering ponying up for the OPG, and almost hopeful that Santa Claus will hold back one lump of coal and put a year long subscription in the stocking so carefully hung!
 
Thanks everyone for your input. I've been debating for a long time to go the OPG route. Does anyone know the annual cost or sign up procedure?
Rick
 
I found out the hard way, $99 for 12 months. However, in December I have been getting emails saying "two months extra", "15% off" and other specials, so December may be the best time to purchase if you can still get any special bargains or discounts. Also, I forget all the details, but when you sign up, they check an automatic renewal. I ran a thread (you can look it up) about 4-6 weeks ago about the renewal and was told how to do away with that. The reason I wanted to do away with it was right after they signed me up for a second year, I got this email saying I could get three months extra, but when I tried to do it, they wouldn't let me because I was on automatic renewal.
 
If you go to Beckett.com, I think it will give you the chance to purchase. You can do it for 3 months, 6 months or 12 months but the more months you buy, the cheaper per month it is. Check it out.
 
WOW!!! $100 seems awfully steep for a year. I can get 2 yrs of the magazine for around $70. You'd think it would be cheaper for them to move people to the OPG and away from the paper but I suppose they make a killing off of the advertising.



I found out the hard way, $99 for 12 months. However, in December I have been getting emails saying "two months extra", "15% off" and other specials, so December may be the best time to purchase if you can still get any special bargains or discounts. Also, I forget all the details, but when you sign up, they check an automatic renewal. I ran a thread (you can look it up) about 4-6 weeks ago about the renewal and was told how to do away with that. The reason I wanted to do away with it was right after they signed me up for a second year, I got this email saying I could get three months extra, but when I tried to do it, they wouldn't let me because I was on automatic renewal.
 
OPG here wife ,renews every December for Christmas usually will throw something in like an extra month or two plus you can run an inventory with up to the minute price changes. Along with collection value and keeps track of what you have traded
 
Great discussion!
I have never used the OPG regularly. IIRC, I tried it once or twice on a free trial and found that it wasn't as wonderful as I thought it would be. I don't recall exactly why as I write this now.
I use paper Becketts. Prices on vintage, or for that matter, most stuff not on the "hot" list, don;t change much if at all. I also avail myself of the Price check forum on this site!
Maybe it's not too late to ask Santa for an OPG sub.

Boots
 
I prefer the online price guide compared to the magazine. You can add yur cards to the online organize & better get track of your collections. The OPG provides pricing for pretty much every card of every regular & oddball sets. Not to mention it's another trade site/forum where you can trade to build up your own collection. Beckett mags was great when I remember rushing to my lcs as a teenager to get the new issue but blah nowadays, this is JMO though.
 
I always do the hard copy and never used the OPG route. I love reading the stories....guess I'm an old timer! I go to Barnes and noble a book store! Best wishes, David
 
I love the OPG. I haven't purchased a paper mag in probably ten years. Beckett also has a mobile app version which only came out in the last couple of years or so. That's especially helpful when checking prices at card shows.
 
Is that $100 per year for one sport or for all sports?

Sports cards seem to be the only thing that I can think of that when demand goes down, prices go up.....be it current issue packs, boxes or price guides. I realize supply is much smaller these days but still it is an odd phenomenon.

Too bad they ruined the Beckett's Plus guides that were $10 because they dropped so many products from it. I'd buy a baseball, basketball and football one every 3 or 4 years and that served my needs perfectly. I'd also buy an annual guide for each sport every 5-8 years or so which also worked out just fine. But the hobby is so dead I don't buy those annual guides any more.

Like Boots I noticed that prices on the older cards don't change very much over the years so I use older guides. I have not bought packs or boxes of new cards since 1992 so these older guides suit me fine as I have not bothered with the new releases in 2 and a half decades. But I do understand that if you are needing the values of cards released in the last few years my method will not work.
 
I have managed to buy items for the last 2 decades without the help of a guide. I pay what I feel is a good price for an item and could care less about what some company is telling me is the value. In fact, eBay sales have pretty much proven to be a pretty good indicator of a value anyway. You toss up a common item and maybe no bids at all. You throw up something unique or rare and often the price will reflect that scarcity. There can be some tragic exceptions (for the seller), but that is probably due to poor timing or poor descriptions.

I was sucked up into it like most everyone else in the 90s, but when Beckett changed (and I don't even remember what the change was), I was already done buying the subscriptions and magazines. I still have most of the first 200-250 baseball issues, but there isn't much after that.
 
I have the OPG and don't use it to the fullest extent. You can keep track of your cards in the trade/organize section which I use most. You can pull up card prices along with set prices. You can do check lists for players and teams. You can trade and sell on Beckett with other subscribers. ETC... I like the organize the best for trading purposes. Can put a list of cards into a seperate folder by moving or adding cards to it from a different folder. When done it's easy to copy and paste to The Bench threads. If looking for a subscription I would call a sales rep and try to work out a better deal than what's offered. Butch
 
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