A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

Excellent year for AFL cards

Unit sales of AFL cards are up more than 25% year on year for us and we’re very happy with that. As the photo shows we’re not doing anything special other than giving over a small amount of space at the counter.  I’d be interested in year on year sales data comparing newsagencies to convenience and other outlets with the products.

The benefit for us is more than the 25% sales growth of the AFL cards thanks to products we have placed next to the cards through the season.

5 likes
magazines

Join the discussion

  1. CRaigL

    Football cards are fantastic. Sadly limitations on what we can receive from Gotch is somewhat of a pain. We have lost sales, subbies have lost sales and Gotch have lost sales.

    2 likes

  2. Clive

    AFL cards did well for us this year and being in Qld we thought the NRL cards would go well but sadly they haven’t. We think the increase in price from $2.99 to $3.99 has affected our sales. Hopefully the AFL cards don’t increase their price.

    0 likes

  3. Mark Fletcher

    Craig there are other suppliers.

    0 likes

  4. gary

    Mark, can you provide details on who else can supply the yellow footy cards? Severely under supply by Gotch.

    0 likes

  5. June

    We had 100% increase in afl cards over last year but we have still sold out even though I ordered more as soon as I received my initial supply.
    I know a lot of agents purchase elsewhere but I have stayed with GG and two years in a row have been let down so next year
    I will change my modus operandi.

    0 likes

  6. chen

    same story of under supply fm GG for 3 years, what is the other chanel you can buy from, thank.

    1 likes

  7. Jeff

    I’ve noticed Network seem to do the lot now other than teamzone AFL cards. The Match Attax soccer cards did massive numbers for us this year selling over 35 boxes (of 50), we did a heap of albums and $20 tins also. Soccer should be huge with the world cup next year. AFL is up albeit supply problems of the Team Zone (yellow packs), Red Select AFL up, NRL cards down and I suspect the 3.99 rrp might be a bit rich. Overall the whole collector card/stickers/albums including all the moshi and other kids products are a real growth area and basket builder for us. We located most of them on the green trading card unit network supplied, but its right at front of store to avoid theft, and in our glass counter/Perspex fixture as in Marks image.. I’m just waiting for someone to bring back a simple pack of cheaper cards and a stick of chewy!

    1 likes

  8. Dean

    Gotch told us order the Melways by 28 June and receive 5 July. We took over 70 customer orders promising that they would be delivered to their home last week. After following Gotch up as they did not have the courtesy to tell us anything had changed, they said we should hopefully receive them at the end of this week, some 2 weeks late.

    Interestingly the newsagent we share a warehouse with received theirs last week.

    0 likes

  9. May First

    We’ve seen soooooo many emails from Gotch telling us it was a huge success last year so don’t early return stock. These emails were arriving even before initial stock was sent out. Well, derr, if you know it’s going to be a sell out then why don’t you ensure you get more to sell Mr Gotch? They’re as scarce as hens teeth and our customers aren’t happy.

    1 likes

  10. Steven

    Last year a customer told me that Auskick was giving out one pack of free AFL cards to every kid at the start of the season (The G&G ones) This is probably why all the kids wanted only that type, hence the sell out.

    Wonder if they did it again this year?

    A serious collector told me the NDC cards have a much higher value, especially the shiny/foil etc cards.

    0 likes

  11. Niall

    I moved to Melbourne approx 2 years ago and my 7 year old daughter recently surprised me when she said she wanted Footy cards for her birthday so she could trade them in school. I have never bought footy cards in my life. I got some cards but does anybody know (and here is the potentially stupid question) if there is an album to put them in and if so are they still available?

    1 likes

  12. Mark Fletcher

    Niall check with your local newsagent to see if they have any of the albums left.

    0 likes

  13. BAZ

    We have the same issue every year…no stock. I reckon we could sell these through Xmas…the disapointment on kids faces and for that matter their parents is evident. The cards are a great way to get jobs done around the house. We sell a few by the box. As soon as these customers find another source that does not run out…I am sure they will leave us. Pity….

    1 likes

  14. Niall

    Mark – I have tried 5 newsagents this week and so far all sold out. I shall keep looking whenever I’m in a different suburb. Cheers

    0 likes

  15. jenny

    The allocations are crazy – I received two more boxes this week but already have 2 full boxes, one on and one under counter.
    We are in NSW and AFL cards are not as popular as NRL cards are.
    If any newsagent wants 2 or 3 boxes I will happily send them to you.

    1 likes

  16. Paul Fancett

    Hi Jenny, we’d happily take them off your hands for you, how much did you want for them + postage?

    0 likes

  17. Steve

    Jenny
    You received 2 more box’s not ordered by you? Ive been out of stock for 2 weeks and have box’s on back order from June which I’ve given up any hope of seeing. The G&G daily alert’s say there’s no more stock.

    0 likes

  18. jenny

    Paul are you a newsagent or customer? Can you get my email from Mark and contact me thanks.

    0 likes

  19. Paul Fancett

    Hi Jenny, I’m a newsagent in Vic. Not sure how to go about this, would Mark be able to pass it on when he reads this? Thanks.

    0 likes

  20. Mark Fletcher

    Done Paul and Jenny.

    2 likes

  21. jeff

    Hi mark any chance u could post a photo showing your full range of cardss at the counter? Im lookingat some new fixturing. Can the kids access the cards from the front or ahve to ask the staff to get them a packet from behind the glass?

    0 likes

  22. Gary

    out of stock on yellow cards for a month now. Anyone know of an alternate supplier other than gotch?

    0 likes

  23. Steve

    Haven’t received this years first allocation yet so I rang up G&G to find out why and was told they were late to the printer because Collingwood was late getting their photo in. I suspect the boys had to visit the dentist and a tattoo parlour first. A case of too many teeth and not enough tattoos to satisfy the magpie army.

    3 likes

  24. michelle

    Steve – them is fighting words!!!
    As a one eyed Collingwood supporter (with all her own teeth) I still find it amazing that seemingly intelligent people that state that they enjoy and understand our great game can not appreciate the exceptional class and talent that truly is the Collingwood footy club. My guess has always been that is simply comes down to jealousy. As the words to the greatest club anthem ever written so wisely state “for the premierships a cake walk for the good old Collingwood.”

    2 likes

  25. Steve

    Michele
    I’ll admit their are a number of stylish Collingwood supporters who scrub up quite well,Eddie himself seems to put a lot of effort into his personal grooming but a good look at Joffa and the rest of the cheer squad tells you ever thing you need to know. I’m still holding the magpies personally responsible for the pain caused to all the young fans over here in the west who cruelly are still waiting for their footy cards. The only solice I can take is in the fact that Collingwood are starting the season at the bottom of the ladder thanks to the lesson given to them by the Mighty Freo Dockers.

    3 likes

  26. David @ Angle Vale Newsagency

    If you don’t hate Collingwod you’re not a true AFL fan.

    3 likes

  27. Wally

    Whilst I hate to bring this discussion down to a Collingwood level it would seem that Michelle as a one eyed supporter is TALKING through her one eye and it is unseeing of the truth of both Collingwood and its supporters. No doubt she will be required to see the dentist at some stage should she stay in the company of other Collingwood supporters. Even Mick Malthouse was unable to go the distance and she should probably take note of his experience an move on too 🙂
    We love to hate you.

    5 likes

  28. michelle

    Guys, come on round 1 and you are all this worried… wow. Steve if the cards were really held up because of collingwowod it was probably just because our guys were too busy training hard to get to their photo shoots, they are players you know not pretty boy male models (although some could be mmmmm). As for Mick I think last nights results tell all … sometimes you have to know when to quit, when its over. As I said previously its just jealousy talking from you all. Now then as for Joffa he is an icon of our great club and a testament to how the mighty magpies are inclusive of all true believers. Many wins and losses will occur this year but the only one that truly matters is in September, 2014 the year of the maggie? Carn the pies! 🙂

    2 likes

  29. allan wickham

    Michelle, what people dont realise is that WE Collingwood people THRIVE on the hatred, the more we are hated the more passioinate we are. People outside of Collingwood fans have actually helped us to become the army we are today. Their hatred makes us stronger, louder and prouder.
    I say bring on the hatred……we LOVE IT!!!

    3 likes

  30. michelle

    Allan … here here

    3 likes

  31. June

    AFL cards and albums (orange ones) are
    simply walking out of the shop. The kids know which ones they want and I am hoping that our second delivery will arrive early next week because I will be out of my supply by Sunday (and I only got them yesterday).
    Please Gordon and Gotch hurry up with our second delivery and don’t let’s have disgruntled customers like last year.

    1 likes

  32. jeff

    Good luck with that June. Team Zone are notorious for starving the market!
    Im over disappointing the kids and push the Select black ones. Least I can get plentiful supply..

    2 likes

  33. Lyndon

    Pity the Advertiser delivered the Best & Fairest cards long before Gotch’s “official” footy cards. And no doubt we will again have trouble with supply. When will Gotch arrange to have them at outlets earlier and have enough printed. Surely they can work it out after running out year after year.

    0 likes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Reload Image