OPINION: PATIENCE

Life is slowly getting back to normal. I go back to work this upcoming Wednesday and the projects I have been working on for the last couple weeks will get shoved down the priority list a bit.

I have enjoyed my time off (I can't remember the last time I had over two weeks off at Christmas) but I will be happy to get back into a routine.

One routine for 2010 will be this blog.

Looking through the December posts, it's definitely a little thin for content. I'm looking forward to contributing more to this blog that I set up for myself and have some good stuff to post over the next bit. It's all about patience.

Patience though, is something that is severely lacking in the hockey card collecting hobby nowadays. I see it all the time. I peruse trading boards and am constantly bombarded with frustration from posters who are disappointed that instant communication, accessibility, compensation, delivery, satisfaction or all of the above isn't placed on their lap.

Some of the examples that have got me a little riled up lately include people who are not just frustrated about having to wait more than 2 weeks to get their item from ebay, Amazon or another trader - they decide to call the other person out in a public forum. They then play the "feel sorry for me" card along with the "this person is a terrible trader/seller".

C'mon! Just because a person receives a package in less than a week doesn't mean that ALL packages will arrive as promptly. Not every item you purchase online will arrive in record time. And during the holiday season - it slows down even more. Rather than complain about it in an open forum, why not inquire about it an a respectful manner with the other party. Airing dirty laundry in public always stinks.

Another one of my favorites is seeing a person whine and cry about how many cards they have to now collect of their player because the card companies have included him in all of their sets.

Are you crazy??? If you are letting someone else dictate what you are collecting - then you should get out of collecting now. If your collecting is getting out of control in any way, shape or form, you need to take a close look at why you are collecting. This is a hobby, not a requirement.

One that drives me batty is the ebay seller who decides to end his auction early in fear that his card isn't going to sell for what he was hoping it would.

Brutal! If you're going to put a card up for bids, have the decency to let the auction run its course. If you want to save a few pennies by having a low opening bid, then you run the risk of having that item garner little to no interest and therefore might go for said opening bid. If you want all of your cards to sell for big money, then start them off at an amount you would be willing to part with the item for.

On more than one occasion, I have been ready to place a bid only to find the auction ended early. I know for a fact that one reason is the seller wanted to get more money for the item.

News flash.....people often wait until the last few minutes before bidding on an item. I've seen cards go from $40 to $175 in a heartbeat. Sometimes you just have to be patient about it.

Note: I absolutely hate the practice of a person taking their auction down because it isn't selling for a high enough price. If you do that, please let me know so I will never bid on your items.

The one that gets me the most is "I that card - and I need it now!"

Why? Why do you need that card this minute? What will happen if you don't get it? The last time I checked, it isn't a race to finish. And what happens when you do finish?

I'm all for pursuing the cards you need. Heck, the chase is often more fun than actually acquiring the card. But I'm in no rush. I'm looking forward to collecting for a long time. I cringe at the thought when one day I put all of my collecting behind me.

Patience. Enjoy the hobby.