2004 etopps Basketball Survey Results

Recently, etopps invited all our members to complete a survey grading the 2004 Basketball card set. More so than any other card brand in the market, we at etopps take our customers’ input very seriously. That is why we are publishing the results of the survey, complete with the most common criticisms and suggestions. Lastly, we have come up with action plans to address our users’ most prevalent concerns.

Survey Scorecard:

Note: Possible scores range between 0.0 and 4.0, with 4.0 = excellent, 3.0 = good, 2.0 = average, 1.0 = poor, and 0.0 = unacceptable.

Most Common Comments and etopps’ Response

In general, the majority of the responses to the card design questions were positive. Many members responded with “keep up the good work”, and “the best design ever”. However, there was some negative feedback as well.

Here are the comments that were mentioned numerous times.

• Some etoppers suggested that the card design was too busy. They would have preferred fewer graphics, and larger player images.
  
  Response: We understand that our card designs will not please everybody all of the time. Beginning with 2005 etopps Baseball, we allowed etoppers to vote on their favorite card design in an attempt to provide our members with more input in our decision making process. Since the baseball card design vote was such a huge success, we will continue to have design voting for all future sets.
  
• Many comments asked for more action images with up to date pictures and uniforms.
  
  Response: Due to the needs of our business, we need to design many of the cards before any game action has taken place. This limits the number of action shots that we have available for rookies and newly traded players. In the future, we will wait as long as possible before cards are designed, however, sometimes we will be forced to go with posed images instead of action shots.

Player Selection

Reviewing etoppers’ comments from this category, it was hard to determine a consensus of opinion. Some members wanted more veterans, while others wanted more rookies. Others requested more superstars, while there was also a desire to add more first time etopps subjects. Some members liked the team cards, while others did not.

Response: Beginning with 2005 etopps Baseball, members can vote on the makeup of the set checklist. Once again, this is an attempt to provide the etopps community with more say into the nature of our product.

When we discuss card value, most etoppers are referring to the mix between cards’ offering prices combined with the quantity offered. We received a lot of positive feedback on this years 2004 basketball set, however, many members still would like lower prices with lesser quantities.

Response: For 2004 Basketball, we made a concerted effort to limit the quantities of cards for repeat players to 1000 or less. This was the case for the 2nd tier rookies as well.

With one exception (LeBron James), only the 1 st year cards of the top tier rookies had higher print runs, and then only when we felt the market could sustain those quantities and prices.

We will continue to monitor the secondary market prices and use that information when determining prints runs and prices in the future.

In general, comments on etopps Games fell into two categories: either etoppers played and like the games or they had no interest in basketball fantasy-style games. Some of the negative comments on the games included a desire for games that were shorter in duration, a larger variety of games, or the creation of basketball draft games.

Response: We limited the number of tournaments in Basketball due to the fact that Basketball tends not to attract the same fantasy interest as Baseball or Football. Once Baseball rolls around in April, we will step up the number of games offered, and for the first time offer MLB draft games similar to the NFL games.

We are also considering adding a draft game feature for 2005 etopps Basketball and will add more templates for basketball games participants to create their own challenges.

Also, beginning with 2005 Baseball, we will act on the comments concerning games that are shorter in duration. Even though games must be at least 2 weeks long to be eligible for prizes or For Keeps, we are in the process of creating a number of shorter games for more instant gratification.