Ep.162 w/ Josh & Anthony from GG Cards

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<span;>Duncan loaded episode of this Force Kardasian podcast. The show that brings you all the important hobby. News discussions, debates, opinions, info and interviews with key Hobby and sports dignitaries. Also, if you're good, you know, we are going to give away some Nothing. Now. Here's the guy that one of the cards more than the gum. John Newman. What is up, episode? 162? Happy Friday, heavy, whatever day you're listening to us on and we appreciate it. Nonetheless, today got a great show Josh and Anthony from Gigi cards and breaks their

<span;>New store here where I am in Syracuse, we don't have many there. Just the second card store LCS that we have my personal favorite. I've said, with the first one, the existing one, not a fan. So glad to have Josh and Anthony open their store here in the Syracuse area. This interview here today was recorded. A few weeks back to have a trade night. I came out and I covered it live. And then we sat down after that trade night and did this interview that you'll hear. So, obviously, when we recorded this interview, we didn't have the Fanatics acquisition of TAPS. We're going to talk about Fanatics, obviously, in Prior tenths to that, but they had a lot of, you know, great suggestions for what

<span;>They like to see as an LCS owner from Fanatics. They talk about, you know, this is a store within a store. So the card stores located inside their furniture store. They they dedicated a part of the building to the cards. Got some showcases and set up shop. And so, a little bit of the store in the store of motif. That is sort of common. We've seen other people People do it. They do a great job will talk about sort of their setup. It's something different with how they have their cards out in the cases and to talk about the difficulties of, you know, opening and opening a business during the pandemic. And, you know, being Partners, something I've done when I had my LCS had a partner and we'll kind of always love to talk about the dynamic of working with it's

<span;>The just you that has to make a decision, especially on the business side of things. So we're going to we're going to talk about how they get through those moments if there's any kind of difficulties and that sort of stuff. Two, great guys. Definitely great conversation. I think you'll think you'll enjoy it. Hey, this is Herman from personal risks and how to chat on YouTube and Twitter at 3B collection reminding you to always remember the hobby is the people.

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<span;>Alright, we're here. Live at Gideon's Gallery with Josh in Anthony from there. We just got done doing their third tray night. Is that correct? Yeah, if their third one first time I've been here for their trading a very well. And good to see a lot of young kids in the Hobby and I gotta get kudos to these guys, you know, they actually provided even showcases for people to put out their inventories, which I thought was pretty cool. So, you know, this year, third trade and I kind of talked about, you know, the process and had they gotten better each time. You've done them if they do. You want to take it easy. Yeah, so

<span;>We got back into the hobby ourselves over the league, the last year, and the first time that we went to a show together locally, you know, we didn't have a ton of cards yet. We just got back into it. And we saw, you know, people bringing all these monsters to the dealers and I'm like, man, I'd love to be able to see their cards to, and we thought, you know, what better way than to have a trade that here at the store where the people that are usually walking up to the others. When their cards can come sit down and hang out and actually have their cards out. So that you can trade amongst each other and the first one, you know, it was pretty cool. We had 10 12 people here and then the last two have been 20 plus 12 times and like you said, there's you know, Dad's with their kids here, which is awesome. And just remember it's been a lot of fun to do them. Yeah. Like this this started. I mean, it's a it's a hobby where a lot of its labor of love and you know, like we built this out because we were passionate about

<span;>And every chance we get to like kind of be a part whether or not it's our trade night or a card show or setting up at like it's it's a lot of fun for us. It's just as much fun for us. Is that people that come in as a matter of fact, like it's you know, it brings us back into the hobby more and more every time that we're able to set it up and we see people's response and they show up and they have a good time like that just makes us feel like what we're doing is like a wanted or needed type of you know, thing in the hobby that Like, there's not much out there or not many people out there that do the trade nights. And I got the idea honestly watching other guys on YouTube. Yeah, you know, and like that was one of those things where I was like, why can't we do that? What's like, what's the big deal? Like, it's literally like if you offer it and no one shows up. Will you tried? And the fact is the first one, you know, there was maybe 10 or 15 people and you set the bar low, but you learn from it and we did some things different. But like honestly, it's just the longer you keep chugging along.

<span;>Doing something that like you care about and other people care about its, it will catch on. Yes. People in that hobby that want that. Yeah, Rome, you know, I know it's cliche. Rome wasn't built in the day. You know, we don't have a lot of stores here as you guys both. Go really just to, we won't speak about the other one. But I've said on my show, a lot of times is, you know, I remember having my store in Liverpool and from 92 to 97 and during Those times, it was probably eight to ten card stores at that time. And now, you know, it's 30 years later and there's two and it's Hobbies enough, probably arguing a better spot now than it was in 1992. The 97 and, you know, it's a whole different hobby altogether. Kidding to pair those two errors, but you know, we have the card shows as you guys. Well, no, we

<span;>Recently at the fairgrounds or some at hotels and he got Albany Rochester, but karst, you know card store and the card show are two different things. Card show has a set date and time the card store whenever someone wants to come in and buy something, it's their form and we don't have a lot of those options. So when I found out about you guys, I was happy that we had another choice. Here, and then getting to me. You guys seeing what you're all about and good people, that's made it even all the more better kind of talk about. You know, I know the story because you told me but for those out there listening, you know, you're already were established here. This is a also a Furniture business as well. Kind of how the idea to kind of put the card store inside the other business that kind of talk about the process of how that It was birth. Do you? You want to go? I mean, what really started? Josh 9s got back into prepping cards and we running a business having personal lives. There's only so much time and I had so many cards and not enough time to list them on eBay or post them on Twitter. You know, I didn't know about like, sending cards up just our stock or come see her like that time. I was just kind of knows a guy. I sell things on eBay, we had done.

<span;>At the store forever. So, you know, my thought process was like, well, why don't we have them here at the shop? Why don't we, you know, we always have carried home decor and stuff like that that kind of fit with the furnace or I'm like, why not? Give it a go. Can I can I jump in? Yes, that's right. So basically Anthony's been on my case for years prior to us to in the card store, to do a card store, to do to do a hobby shop. And I'm really good at saying, no, I'm pretty proficient. Isn't at it. And one of the things that like he was very passionate about was we're kind of going in on that idea. And we had always done jewelry in the display cases and they it's sold. It was fine. It was kind of like, you know, it's like Andy, who is it is but it we didn't relate to it. Yeah, and like, when I, when he got me, I feel like we kind of forgot our each other back into the hobby, but when we both found that space where like, alright, this is a lot of fun. Like we have fun doing it together. We both connect to it like our childhood.

<span;>There's just a lot of different elements of it and potentially do this to make money, like the kind of in my head. It finally clicked, like all those years of them kind of be like, we could do this, and then finding something that was like, oh, I actually like really enjoy this. It's almost like, I kind of like, I feel like we probably sat there and I, I'm imagining me pitching. It was my idea. We should do this and you're like, oh, really? Yeah. We sure this is the time now. Yes, but that's I think that probably, Probably like to some degree that kind of sparked out. Like, so even when you were landed Josh, I'll see you like that. How, how nervous of a decision is that? Like you have an established business? Obviously, how is, you know, what's the thought process? Are you worried about perfecting your existing business, maybe not spend enough time like balancing, you know, balancing that out, if I'm being honest.

<span;>Still nervous, I'm still worried. I mean, if it's like forget what time, we all like live in and what we're all trying to deal with in our personal lives and every business goes through and trying to figure out how to navigate the pandemic. And, you know, like that's just one of those things where I was just like, you know, from the get-go. It was a concern. I think to this day, it's a concern. The thing you touched on it before. Rome wasn't built in a night, you know, and or the Empire State Building wasn't built overnight, whatever it whatever, turn of phrase. And the reality is

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<span;>You know, like, You have to respect the fact. Things don't happen overnight, and we both consult with one another on, what the best way to kind of move forward with things. Are we kind of do things in tandem? I think it's important, you know, we have our disagreements, like anyone would, but like we form our best decisions based off of those. Disagreements. And I think a lot of what this is become, maybe I'm speaking a little bit for you to is just been like, it's been a learning process. You know, I think Anthony took a tremendous amount of the initiative and on Kind of like once he has me on on board with a decision or whether it's to buy a certain his me. I'm just like, yeah, do it? Like, we're good and like it's been a lot of different things. We've Incorporated from day one, like this. Just whether it was building the display cases out or ordering the right product or buying the right collections. There's so many different parts of this business that you constantly have to question yourself in the moment and Beyond.

<span;>Because it's everybody listening knows this hobby changes in the same way day-to-day week-to-week. And so, sometimes you don't make the right call. Sometimes you go backwards and sometimes you're in the black. Going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back with more with Josh and Anthony. Last time. Marketplace has a line of grated guard cases that are waterproof, airtight dust tight and hardened to protect and organize your valuable collection. Each of our cases come with pre-cut and preformed foam so you don't have to cut and tear the foam when you get your case, the pre-cut foam inserts are sized to hold PSA Beckett, SGC and CGS slabs store it all safely and securely with a case from Pastime Marketplace. Check them out at www.hsn Marketplace, dot-gov

<span;>We have returned with more with Joshua, Lee, and my always say on my show, right? You're not going to get everything right and knowing that's half the battle. But if you have more, you know, wins and losses, I think at the end of the day, so I said, it's obviously of the Gold's we say that and even if you have a day or a week where, you know, it's not a good day or good week and but the next week you kind of make up for what I've talked about my store and I also had a partner. His name was Angelo in the

<span;>Here we had, it was in the Village of Liverpool. Those local. You know what I'm talking about, but it's a suburb of Syracuse for those that do and our first year we had to like start from scratch. We had to buy showcases, you know, we got in a decent rent situation. So that part was good, but, you know, we to drive business there. We had to spend on advertising and so the first year we spent more than we made and there.

<span;>It almost there almost wasn't a year to. I've talked about this on the show and we actually went out to dinner one night and really had to decide to we go another year. And we, you know, we literally, you know, we order food at some Beverages and as a sheet of a pros and cons side and at the end of the night, you know, we decided to go one more year and see how year to would be with that being said. Sort of the make-or-break year for us. You know, this again is in 1992. So it's hard to compare but thankfully, you know, the second year was a lot different than the first and it led to you know, seven years of having the store. You know, you seem like you guys can walk talk about it. You ever get me if there is something you maybe butt heads over, what it? What is it? Usually if I may honestly it's one

<span;>But the issue is, you know, both of us are super passionate about. Yeah, you do. And we both have both always have our best intention for the store. You know, you don't make it as a business. We've only been doing it, seven years now. So it's like we've done it forever, but for seven years, you don't make it this far without challenging, you know, yourself and then, you know, when you work as closely as we have for these This whole time without challenging each other and you know, sometimes you think you've got the best thing and he thinks he's got the best thing and I think I do and you class over that and you know, somewhere in the middle is probably the right answer. And, you know, with this year, we're super fortunate that we had built the business that we did with the furniture because honestly, we've than before we walked with this Porsche the sports cards and we went head first into it. And, you know, I always say that I'm an idea guy.

<span;>And I went all in on the idea. I knew that we could do it. I knew that we could do it the right way. We could provide something that this area, honestly, we think needed. Hmm, and you know, the issue was is we ran into it and you know, we didn't have any no one knew that we had guards. There's probably thousands of people in Syracuse that are parts that still don't know. We have any cards here. Yeah, and you know, that being said we wouldn't have the card shop. Probably wouldn't be anything if it wasn't for the furniture already. Being such an established thing here in Syracuse and Do you know it's always gonna be like that a year from now. We're going to fight about something or argue about something or bigger, whatever you want to call it. It's but it's that that comes from the fact that we're both. So passionate about being successful and what we do and, you know, honestly doing it the right way and that's something we've always tried to do. We've always wanted to do, you know things the right way, no matter what we did, you know, when we first started here, we had to display cases with singles and one Shelf, full product.

<span;>And we still had jewelry. Yeah, you know, after a little bit we're like, well, we need some more space for cards. So let's cut the jewelry down a little bit more. Now. We have a few more sealed products that's, you know, maybe put a bookshelf in the corner and grow from there. But at first we ran headlong into it and it was probably overall not the best business decision. The way we start at this point. Now, we've kind of Taken what we've learned over the last year, essentially, and I think we are comfortable with where we're at.

<span;>And you know, we can still learn and we can still grow, but we're pretty happy with where we are right now with the store. And you said you played your partner Angelo Angela. Yeah, and you when you open up your business like you said, like from your one year. Sorry from year one to year two, you reassessed. Yeah, like one of the most important things that we've always done is like it doesn't matter if it's the furniture aspect of the business, or if it was the eBay aspect, or if it was the sports card, like you always It's reassess. If you reassess for so many different reasons you reassess from the business standpoint to make sure the finances are right, you make sure you're heading in the right direction, where you think the market is heading sports cards. Obviously are very volatile. But like you also want to make sure you're doing, you only build a business that's there to supplement, the need for what you're doing and like if the customers are there and they're willing and wanting to grow with you. Like that's how you grow your business. You don't do it by either, you know, making one big sale in your one.

<span;>Unlike we've always looked at the business of, okay. This is the type of business. We've been we've established these relationships. How do we maintain those ones? And then improve and then get other people on board and it's just, you don't do that overnight. You just you do that by meeting people and by figuring out like, how you can saturate whatever is left of the market that's out there that you haven't kind of reached yet. And so, obviously, our biggest struggle. This last year is wouldn't with converting the sports or the furniture. Shop into a sports car shop in the front end, you know, you can do it. You can build the most beautiful thing, and the most perfect example of it. But if no one knows it exists, what good of what good is it? And so it's just been, it's been networking. It's been speaking to people like you, it's been going to shows. It's been talking to people just organically having awesome conversations relating to the Hobby and just getting the word out. What are your mouth is? You probably know this already from, you know,

<span;>Been in business for his probably your some of your best to advertise it doing the trade nights. Like tonight goes a long way because the, you know, whether it's the kids that were here or the adults that were here, they'll tell to other people about it and that just grows organically. The other advantage of you had that me and Angela didn't have back in the days, you guys already have a prior working relationship. We went into it. Like, I knew him when we never worked together on that level.

<span;>The things I told him and vice versa. He said, hey, I don't want you to just agree with everything. I say that doesn't do either one of us, any good. And it's going to lead to bigger problems. If you don't like something or you don't agree with something, you know, carefully don't don't make it personal. Let's talk about it and come to some sort of happy medium. If you will, it sounds like you guys sort of along those same lines and And I think dad'll, go a long way to a word. You said Anthony, I think very important to passionate, right? Okay. I saw tonight, you know, this is my second time here, but I saw tonight, you know, you can tell when somebody cares about something and not just in sports car just in general or going through the motions. And know, there's a lot of people in this business industry, happy whatever word you want to use that just

<span;>I see dollar signs, and I'm not going to You know, I do car chose I sell online and wanted to listen to the show? Pretty much knows that it's important. But, you know, I've always said it's not the right. When I started a long time ago with 87. It wasn't about money. I didn't start like that and while I do some of that, it's not the end-all be-all either. At the end of the day too, and you got to carry out to be passionate. I see that, you know, for that. No one.

<span;>10:37 PM
<span;>Your soup. When someone either it's genuine or it's sort of manufactured if you will. And I could tell you, when, you know, whether it's an adult or a kid, you enjoy what you're doing and there's something to be said to that. You know, I think the most successful people in any business are people actually enjoy what they're doing, not just sort of going through the motions or, you know, looking at it as a paycheck only.

<span;>And I think that's, that's metal ball. Well, you know, for you a quick word from one of our sponsors, but will return right after that. This sports card shot is your small town local card. Shop with the global reach located, in New Buffalo MI, Michigan. The shop is one of the most accessible in the midwest. In addition to being an authorized Panini direct dealer, the sports card shop, carries all major trading card Brands, including

<span;>Upper Deck, Pokemon Yu-Gi-Oh and more with all that new wax a half million singles and showcases full of grated cards. You're sure to find something great for your collection. Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned collector, the sports card shop is your One-Stop shop. So call us. Come see us or visit us on the web and social media. Our phone number is two six nine four six nine zero, one four. Zero website is the sports card shop at Moco Dot. Cam the sports card shop is part of the Moko. Retail Group connecting Sports The Hobby and people around the world, sportscar nation is back with Gigi cards and breaks. I know the one thing when I came in the first time that I caught my eye, you know, you traditionally go to a card store and all the cards or sort of laying flat in the showcases with not wrong with that and how we did it, but but

<span;>Have these modular plastic sorting tray. So the cards are all angled up and it gives a different look. I love it. It's sort of, it's the first thing. I know, I actually didn't talk to you about it that night. We talked about so many other things and then I did, but it gives a different look, you know, as we all know what lighting sometimes, but we haven't even. I have trouble with that the show sometimes the lights if they're right above. Your table kind of the glare. It's hard to see the cards in the case. But the way you got it, set up. It just it's different and I love it. It's you can see the cards better. If they're the chromium or glossy, they popped with to me even a little bit more. Just how did you, you know, come up with that? Like what was the? So it was. I mean like I think initially and maybe I'm wrong but I think this is the art like art.

<span;>Our Direction with them wasn't from. I don't know if it was from a display stand point. I think it was from a sorting standpoint because they're technically, there are modular trays that bcw makes. I haven't seen another company that has exactly what they have. Their wonderful there. You get six in a pack and I think we bought them just to see like with this work for just sorting purposes. Honestly at this point. It is a blur. It might have been for display as well. But like the fact that you have something that works and I mean like We try so many new things that part of just being a business and like when we, when we put that product in the case, I think one of the biggest things we notice is the same thing you did. Is that a card, lays flat? So it doesn't really draw a person until you're standing right above it. Yeah, angle it. You have a bunch of different, you know, either Reflections or just angles on the card that just pull you in, whether it's the color or whatever it is, and like, when we put them in the Showcase, I think we probably started with like one or two of them and we were like we need we need to

<span;>Hundreds of this. And when we ordered, we ordered so many of them and like I've probably plug this to people in random group break chats. I've been online and whoever I talked to but I'm like, you know, one of the easiest things to do when you find something that actually works is just tell people like don't try to sell them on it because to make money order or sell it because you can but like when you believe in it it just like you want to tell people to buy it because it actually, It's great. It's great that we can. Play the cards way we 10, we can bring them to shows and disassembles a piece of plastic that angles the cards. You can actually fold known as well and you can lay them flat. I just lay the cards. Directly flat in there and stack them up to bring two shows that is ring to an event. Yeah, there's a Time Saver right? Dana. You take a stack of players to you know, if you have a tendon on brain or damn. Well, if you know how I was telling you guys off the They're like how my inventory is in alphabetical order when I do a show when I packed up, I got to put it all back in that order that, you know, that makes it that's a lot easier. Might be something down the line. I think of, I have player boxes already. So I don't know if I cooperated but you know, if I ever did a store again, I don't have any plans on the horizon, but I definitely would steal that idea. I think it's first thing I noticed when I

<span;>I walked in here and I'm like, you know, they like sorting trays, right? We've almost people in the lobby of use them. But once you give you like, so when you walk in, you notice it right away. And then when you get closer, you realize these are, you know what I mean? That when you see sorting trays, you think just kind of based cards and people are opening packs, but these are re cards in your showcase for sale in the angle, as they're at, they're more visible. I just think more Typically wise it's just more pleasing to look at and you know, you know, let's be honest, you know, presentation is a good percentage of things and, you know stores, you know, I always say I might show this what work for me in 1992 93 and so on that form of translate today and you know, so you got to do things. So to think outside the box and I love what you did.

<span;>It's it's different. I'm not saying you're the only one that's ever done it, but I've never seen it in this fashion prior to that team. Sorting trays. But again, these aren't your paper sorting trees that were these are the that plastic and they're going to want to buy one before we leave tonight and I don't have a showcase. I'm going to put it on my desk and just cards and kind of this is going to eBay or this is Going, they can kind of sort them out, and keep track little better organization even in that form. So kudos to you guys. They're going back to trade night. You know, it's your third one. You said they've gotten better. Is it something? Yeah. Have you been doing them? What once a month? Yes, we've been doing a monthly so far, you know, I don't necessarily know that we need to change that up.

<span;>We know he's considered may be doing maybe every three weeks so that, you know, there might be a month that you had to, you know, right now it seems like there is a pretty consistent a man for people ask about it. I've had people message me and say, hey, I came in to the max dis one. But let me know whenever the next one is. And, and this time of year. There's from what we've seen so far. At least there's not too many shows in the Syracuse area. So, you know, maybe this winter, it might be something we've, you know, do a little A bit more often. But once a month seems like, you know, pretty nice enough. Different Products that come out people have opened your stuff and picked up new cards that they bought off eBay or, you know, whatever. And it seems like it seems like the once every month, kind of schedule because people enough time that they're ready to come in and trade some old cards away because they pick new stuff up or they're just looking for something new. So, yeah, I think the one of the biggest concerns that everything I've like watched other people talk about our line and, you know,

<span;>You don't want to have the same people set up of the same stuff too often it becomes mundane and boring. And I mean, you know, from what we found, because we really only have about two traveling card shows that come in and out of town. You know, we basically, I feel like the once a month structure works. Well enough, I mean, people again what he said, like, there's enough products opened up and nothing's happening outside of those shows where like it won't it, die hasn't felt more.

<span;>We will change it. Was it feels stagnant and they like

<span;>In like the card show.

<span;>To promote what we're doing here. And that's that's really what we're focused on setting up at them. It was less about sales and just saying hey we exist, you know, like there's you know, it's tough to break into any any, you know business. And essentially this me our first year, we've just been using our chose as a great opportunity to do that. And yeah, like we just we just want to keep chugging along. I think the once a month works great, but he said if we go to once every three weeks, it's we're going to be responsible.

<span;>The community of people that collect one and if the tiny got a jest of okay, that's too soon to do another one. Then we learn from that. It's adaptability. I mean this whole Market with cards is that to time to hear from one of our great spot for us, but we'll be right back after that.

<span;>Greg Morris cards wants to buy your cards. A long. Trusted name in the sports guard, business. Greg has been buying sports card collections for over a decade. Now. Any sport, baseball basketball, football hockey and any error Fitbit, ramadan', will do just know, drunk, wax, error, sets pleased to learn more in the cell, Greg Moore Show. If you get cash for your car, also for your dealer looking to sell your collection, Greg Morris wants to talk, plenty of dealers, use Greg Morris massive, eBay platform as a way to consign their cars, take advantage of Greg's experience in the hobby to get more bang for your buck. We are met so you obviously carry wax-sealed boxes packs, very important. You know, that's where the cards come from. So gives the collectors and hobbyists and opportunity to get their inventory. Talked about the difficulties this year. You know, it's been a big hot button Topic in the industry for even established doors, you know, that have been kind of doing business or complaining about

<span;>10:48 PM
<span;>Kind of be in the kind of new kind of talk about that landscape for you. How do you, how do you navigate that? And some of the difficulties in that? I think not only have stores had a tough time, but, you know, breaking has become such a big part of the hobby. That I think that a lot of people think like. Hey, I'll just buy Cards, and I'll break them, and I'll make a bunch of money because they see people just filling up these brakes on the making a bunch of money selling their Act. And I think that a lot of people, some people probably got an early enough, where a lot of the Distributors were still like taking the online stuff. But when we signed up for all of our Distributors, they all had a box that basically said, I understand that I will not be given any allocation on new releases and you know, we click the Box because we're like, hey, we still got to have a way to get hobby products. We can survive off of, you know, hitting Walmart restocks.

<span;>Hoping that people bring us yield stuff to sell when they hit a Walmart restock. We need to be able to have consistent inventory sitting on the shelf. And so, you know, we work with a couple of different places, you know, I mainly work with one supplier for our Sports. I do get some of my Pokémon stuff from them, but then I have another supplier that I use a lot more for the TCG based stuff and you know, through time over the last couple of months. It's gotten better. And as we continue to have a relationship, And ship with them and buy more product from them. They've started to allocate us a little bit more and we have actually started to get, you know, maybe a couple of boxes of some products on the release. It hasn't really happened with your your basketball football. Those are like very difficult. If you guys like to get any kind of Panini stuff the baseball's there, more top stuff. We're starting to get some allocation for some top stuff now, which is great, but it's been difficult.

<span;>Everyone decide products, whether you're someone who is always accustomed to going to Target or Walmart and giving boxes or your a hobby store. It's gone. Very difficult for anyone to be able to consistently have product. You know, there are more stores now that are starting to carry it and it seems like production levels are getting a little bit higher for the retail product, which is helped, you know, get cards in the collectors hands up having to pay those escalated prices that people got accustomed to over the last year. Whether you know, how scarce everything has been. So, it's got a little bit easier for us, please. You know, we've had to use those other places though. I've had, you know, going to discords and being a by sealed stuff off, guys in bulk, or, you know, whatever buying, you know, I just picked up off someone this week. I ran out of absolute and I picked up a couple absolute Mega boxes and I ran out of Select basketball. He had a couple of hangers, you know, I bought them, and there's not much margin there, but I didn't have them on the Shelf. Yeah, you know, but I don't ever want to have this. You do not have a

<span;>Like that, someone is still coming in and looking for, you know, the other day when someone asked about if I had any select hangers, like I said, I don't so I went out and found some and it's, you know, so it's definitely tough to find it. But and we want to offer it at you know, fair pricing to and it's kind of little better. You mind. If I jump in the a-sun, will you just said like basically like with the products like I I've said this a thousand times. Basically I have felt with like a lot of The Shield. Product, a lot of the hobby stuff more so than anything because we have to go through one distributor or to Distributors. And and and it's it's not always the easiest. It's, you know, they're they're in business as well. And the margins aren't tremendous. And I think unfortunately what a lot of people see when they come into our shop is, you know, you're basing, what fair market value is off of what you see on eBay and what a lot of people don't realize. And and I've seen people post about this, and it's just out of a place of frustration sometimes. But I

<span;>I think there's this, this innocent naiveness where people don't know that, like sometimes if we have to sell a box for $250 and that's at eBay value. It's because we paid 230, or 240, or sometimes even 250. We've actually gone backwards on things as well. And it's mainly to have like Anthony said, it's to have it on the Shelf. It's, you do not want to disappoint someone with having not having the product you're looking for. So, you know, it's really tough because in, I'm Not saying that there aren't people out there. Have better allocation or or do take advantage of the system and make their money. But, you know, it's not a one-size-fits-all, you know, I think a lot of people get frustrated with certain LCS has and you know, unless you really know the full and true story about how they're acquiring stuff. It's just it's hard because I understand from a buyer standpoint, you know, if someone comes in here and they're looking at whether it's a hobby or retail product and you're looking at above MSRP, you feel like you're getting taken advantage of and the reality is Fortunately, that, that admit that that feeling of being taken advantage of it, kind of it goes across the hobby. It's not just the person to end buyer. It's the person acquiring the product and it's from the top down sometimes and, you know, we try our best, we try to explain to people, most people understand it, you know, but there's always that kind of inclination. We're like, some people might be like, well, you're just you're just ripping us off and your chart and it's like, you know, I get that frustration I do. But the only way I can put that stuff on my shelf is to make sure that we're

<span;>We're buying it. Wherever we can get it to either Break Even or make a couple of bucks. It's not the most profitable thing. We've walked into but it's, you know, National doesn't always the term for color loss leader. Right? Like, it's a product. You may even lose a few dollars on, or would just like to say just to push, right? You break even but you have it here for people, asking for. And with the hopes. Let's be honest, you know, I was there too is no Siesta owner that they buy something else. Us when they're, you know, you have that them form their, they come in and they buy something else would maybe a better profit margin normally doesn't come down in price. Now, there are exceptions to the rule book by in general. It doesn't work like that. It's harder to obtain. Sometimes it cost you more to get it and it is

<span;>This is what it is. You know, the good thing is, there's plenty of options when it comes to wax to with, with the amount of products. Now, the pandemics kind of delay. Things Push things, back, canceled other things. Let's get ahead. It's, I got to ask you this as a store owner, you know, we got Fanatics coming in here about two years with the new licensing. Your guys thoughts on that. You think it's going to make life? Easier in the wax department or are you hopeful that are you are you still concerned with what their business model may be? So I'm gonna kind of defer to Anthony on this one, but I'm going to defer with one statement because I think this is the most honest a guy can give on that answer that for my personal standpoint. We don't know we're having the same conversations everybody in the Hobbies having you know, like whether you're a collector or if you're another store, you know.

<span;>I think maybe sometimes we have our finger on the pulse like anybody does and what happens in the hobby things change other night and it's like, you know, we're right now. I would just say that we're really heads down. We what we're doing and just trying to focus on making that work. I mean, those those relationships that we need to build and Foster with Fanatics. That's definitely something we got to look at but I'm not sure. I don't know. I mean, I know you have you have my two cents on that. It's up to them. How do they want coffee stores? Do they want? LCS has no. Do they want to have these these places or do they want to do everything themselves? Yeah, you know, if they want to have the hobby boxes, be on their website and they want to have the retail products also be on their website. There are big enough company to do that. I mean, obviously that they push tops out of baseball cards, tops is done, baseball, cards for 70 years, and in the blink of an eye Fanatics took that and, you know, pretty, he's been pushing out football and basketball.

<span;>All licensed products for years now and within a blink of the eye. They took that too. Yeah, so they have the money to have the infrastructure. They can really it's up to them. They can do whatever they want. If they want to grade cards, sell single cards, sell hobby boxes. So sell them, sell OPAC sandblaster boxes to breaks. They can do it</span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;></span;>