Has CollectorCrate Gone Out Of Business?

Has CollectorCrate gone out of business?  This is an excellent question, because nobody seems quite sure.  The CollectorCrate website hasn’t been updated for awhile.  Either has their social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook.  I’ve sent numerous e-mails to them, but have yet to hear anything back.  On their Facebook page there are a handful of complaints from collectors wanting to know what the hell is going on.  So far CollectorCrate has been silent.  This lack of communication from them is not a good sign.  The only bit of communication some people have received is an e-mail stating their package has been shipped.  But that doesn’t seem to mean much.  Its probably some automatic thing just leaving collectors waiting for something that won’t show up.  While going through some of the complaints, it looks like the trouble began in March.  By the looks of it, some collectors that purchased products from them were charged but never received anything.  A lot are trying to find a way to get their money back.  If CollectorCrate went up the tube, the customers are probably last on the list of people to get their money returned.  That is if anyone involved with this company gets any kind of financial restitution at all.

Going out of business is one theory.  Another could be that something physically happened to them.  Perhaps they aren’t able to get in contact with their customers.  The most recent date of usage on any of their social media accounts comes from 4/16.  On that date they retweeted the new Star Wars trailer.  People were asking about their orders before that though.  According to artist Brad Utterstrom, he sent the sketches to be used for April to CollectorCrate.  They were of Cal Ripken Jr., Anthony Davis, and Russell Wilson.  He sent them an e-mail to see if the sketches arrived, but hasn’t heard back.

Last fall CollectorCrate opened up shop.  For a fee, they would ship you a box of goodies on a monthly basis.  The box included packs of cards, boxes, and all kinds of neat little stuff.  It worked just like Loot Crate, but sports related.  They covered baseball, football, and basketball.  A few months ago they began to include exclusive sketch print cards.  Too bad this whole thing looks to have gone downhill.  I would’ve enjoyed seeing them make some exclusive figures and bobbleheads.  Its an interesting idea that I don’t think should be given up on.  A lot of cool stuff could have been brought to the hobby through this type of business.  Perhaps they weren’t seeing the response from collectors like they hoped.  Maybe collectors realized it was just better to buy a sealed hobby box for the price of a CollectorCrate.

As for right now, I wouldn’t be signing up given whatever has happened to them.  We need to hear something from CollectorCrate first.  DO NOT ORDER!!!

Should you be online? – By Terri Rehkop of Press Pass, Inc

This is an excellent article written by Terri Rehkop, who is the Director of Customer Relations at Press Pass, Inc.  It discusses how being online can really help your business, specifically within the trading card industry.

The trading card industry is fascinating. It’s one of the few industries left that is still resistant to the idea that change and new technology can make a business more efficient and effective. Granted, many advancements have made doing business more challenging, but I believe that’s because of how retailers and distributors are implementing these changes, not because the changes themselves are bad.

I have been asked more than once by people in the industry if they should be on the Internet. I have danced around the question in the past because of the negative implications of the question. However, if I were asked that today, I would answer yes. The key objective of any business is to reach its customers. If a big percentage of your customers are on the Internet, how can you justify not being there yourself? As a business, you have to make your decisions based on how you can make it easier for your customers to do business with you. Anything else is counterproductive.

Of course, the question of whether or not you should be on the Internet is driven by price. Early adopters in the trading card industry have made ripples because everything they do is driven by being the lowest cost option for customers. While this strategy can give a short-term bump to profits, over time it erodes both the product value (extremely important for everyone in the trading card industry) and the value your business provides to its customers.

By competing solely on price, you guarantee that your customer will look around before making a purchase. If they find a better deal elsewhere, they will buy elsewhere and you have lost a sale. However, if you look at the Internet and your overall business strategy as a way to build loyalty with your customers, you can go a long way toward ensuring that you keep the largest share of your customers’ trading card spending.

Everyone needs to take a hard look at their business and decide if they are doing everything they can to make their customers loyal to them. Are you talking to them on a regular basis? Are you tracking their preferences and what products they buy? Are you making sure it’s as easy as clicking a mouse to do business with you? All of these things are accomplished by an Internet presence. It doesn’t have to be sophisticated or fancy.

Just think about the companies you do business with. What do you like best? What do you not like? Take that information and apply it to your business. The trading card industry is definitely unique…running a customer-centric business is not.

I would challenge everyone in this industry to make their New Year’s resolution finding ways to make their businesses work harder for their customers instead of the other way around. The more you do for your customers, the more likely they are to resist spending their money elsewhere.