All Star Cards — Local services in Lansing Charter Township

IF THERE IS ONE REVIEW YOU SHOULD READ ABOUT THIS CARD SHOP, MAY IT BE THIS ONE.

I woke up this morning ready to spend 300 dollars on cards today. So I went to All Star Cards where I have spent hundreds of dollars on supplies in the last few months since I moved to Lansing. I was ready to throw some more money at a local card shop which, generally speaking, I think are crucial to the hobby.

I spent a good while finding sports cards I was interested in. I checked value of the cards on eBay and other apps and noticed the prices they had on them at the store were high. I get it though. This is normal because many card shops and dealers have “pandemic pricing” on cards which was really high compared to what they are worth now. Many card sellers know this and adjust prices accordingly.

So I picked out about 10 cards and asked the owner if he was flexible. His response was cold and rude, stating “I am, but I’m not a flea market. I’m not doing half off.” At once I knew he would be delusional about the value of his cards, for fifty percent off would’ve barely been current market value of the cards, especially with the shape most of them were in (surface indenting, edge wear, corner dings, off centering).

I then narrowed the cards down to two that I wanted the most (one of which had a corner ding) and offered him 85-90 percent of current value as I had done with all the other cards. For those that don’t know this is a standard fair offer, because if he were to sell on eBay this would be around the amount that he or she would net from the sale after fees. He accepted and said “all that time to look at cards and you only get two. I knew you’d be a pain in the ass” At this point, I thought this had to be a joke. Who does this with a customer who has been in frequently and has dropped hundreds? He then rushed me to check out when I was contemplating buying more stuff (a hobby box and some packs). My feeling is that he was just done with me because I was an educated buyer.

I told him I felt insulted especially after I had been a loyal customer since I moved to town. I also told him that I was in fact offering him fair market value on those cards. He did say he appreciated my business up to this point (maybe he was in damage control mode) but he still insisted that my offer wasn’t fair. Not shockingly, he went on to admit that he had someone else price the cards, so how could he really know? I urged him to check to make sure and he refused, at one point saying “what’s fair to you isn’t fair to me.” Fair to him is apparently preying on unknowing customers who assume ethical pricing (maybe parents fulfilling their children’s hobby wishes? They’d be much better off putting in a best offer on eBay listings.) He is not a grounded-in-reality and fair vendor of sports cards. (I cannot attest to other products like Pokémon, etc. but I have a hunch).

And finally, once before I left he acted like he knew all about “guys like me,” stating that I was just trying to buy his cards at a low price just to resell them. Man, if I am offering you 85-90 percent of value and then put them on eBay for true market value, I end up losing money after eBay fees. Even if I graded the cards to resell, with all the flaws they had, I’d just be throwing money down the drain and getting PSA 7s back. The guy’s logic made no sense whatsoever. Any rational vendor who took the time before speaking would’ve realized that.

To wrap things up: BUYER BEWARE. His supplies are fairly priced and his packs and boxes are normal for a card shop (only slightly overpriced), but buying singles and the customer service is abysmal. I ended up not giving him a dime and never will again. I will find singles on Facebook groups and eBay and order my supplies online and in bulk going forward. I’d love to be handing my money to a local business owner, but not to someone so...

Tiny store with a very "homey" feel to it. The selection of packs and card-related items like top loaders is decent, but it's a bit lacking when it comes to singles.

I would give this place 4 stars if it weren't for a few negative encounters with the owner. As mentioned in earlier posts, he's not the friendliest person. I understand that some people are just like that, and he might be a nice guy if you get to know him. However, running a local card shop requires a certain level of friendliness and customer service, especially in today's world where people have many other options, including online stores, eBay, and a new competitor, Avery's Shoebox, just a stone's throw away.

One specific incident I recall is when I bought a set of cards, and the gentleman at the counter pointed me towards a pile of sleeve pages from about 20 feet away. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that what he pointed to was a different size than what I needed.

I returned the next day to get them exchanged. When I spoke to the owner about what happened, he was very dismissive. After explaining my situation again, he begrudgingly agreed to make the exchange. The most disappointing part of the interaction was his condescending remark, "I'm the owner," as if owning a card store made him superior.

Considering the growing competition and the importance of customer service, All Star Cards really needs to step...

Came to possibly sell my rare vintage Pokémon cards. Handed him stacks to see what he wanted, I asked him how much was he offering. He asked how much I need, hopping I didn’t know the value. I said “your the expert” and he said he would need to take each out of BOTH of there protective sleeves and demanded to do it himself. I said yes, I can remove them, but I would like to remove them myself because they are mine and I don’t want them damaged. He got super offended and rude like a child telling me he has handled $1000 cards before, idc. He was so offended. He told me he wasn’t interested after I told him I was going to multiple card shops to ask for their value and offer. He got offended by that and told me to go to them first. Ok BIG boy lol that’s why there selection SUCKS!!!

Update after owner responded: I Added pictures of my cards I wanted to sell All Star Cards. Owner showed his intentions by claiming “I only had a few dollars worth of cards to sell”. And I only posted a few cards, not all of them. I have $100 of dollars worth in cards, I was looking to sell. The owner was only looking to take advantage me,...