Im going to start off this post by saying this whole Blue Wave situation is a complete debacle. Even with the need to reprint some of these cards, the timeframe on these cards are hard to forgive. Yes, I understand these cards were add ons for the redemptions present in Topps Chrome, but many collectors have been waiting on them for months. Actually, the wait isnt really the issue as much as the communication being what it is.
Yesterday, Topps tweeted out that the first round of signed cards have shipped, and with them, the first Blue Wave packs.
Blue Wave FB Redemption Packs- The first wave of Blue Wave FB packs were just sent out with redemptions that have now been signed
— Topps Company (@toppscards) April 5, 2013
Some early packs showed up on ebay last month, including a ridiculously awesome Alfred Morris auto, and yesterday we got the first cards from this next wave that have hit:
2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Andrew Luck RC – Wow, this price is already ridiculous.
2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Russell Wilson
2012 Topps Crome Blue Wave Brandon Weeden RC
2012 Topps Crome Blue Wave Vontaze Burfict RC
To start with, they did a GREAT job on these cards, they look REALLY cool. I am going to pick up a few from this set, as I think they will be much more rare than people think. I would say they are worth the wait, but im not sure a lot of people agree. That being said, there will always be a stain on this process because of the way it has been handled. Not only has the qualifications for receiving the packs been unclear (do all redemptions qualify or just some?), but the length of time between news updates has been very difficult to endure.
Everyone knows that I am a huge fan of Topps. I like what they do in their products and design. I even like this program. That is clear. I also think that they are getting bombed right now with everyone wanting to know what is going on with these cards. Without news dissemination, people will fill in the blanks on their own. Nothing but trouble there.
In fact, I would say this set is a part of the reason why I assume their customer service has been what it is as of late. Here is the issue – we have been getting communication through twitter that these cards were coming, and for weeks, they have not. I get it, its impossible to predict the future, but this is where follow up information would have been very important. Topps tweeted out pics of the completed Russell Wilson Chrome autos a long time ago, but none have been shipped, from what it looks like.
With a lack of a “Topps Blog” per se, and with collectors relying almost 100% on word of mouth through their rampant calls to customer service, its not going to be a good situation. This needs to improve, and I would be naive to believe that Mark and Clay at Topps dont already know this need and its importance.
Here is my solution to the problem, and I am going to rely on Topps to eventually do what is right. Instead of waiting for these cards to be completed, which is unlikely to ever happen, I think we have reached the point where Topps should send out all the Blue Wave packs regardless of the cards being signed and shipped. I am a very understanding person when it comes to the difficulty of staying within collector expectations. We are a hard group to deal with, no doubt about it. However, I am getting frustrated and that should go to show how far this has gotten.
A lot of people at Topps read this site from my understanding, and I think the urgency of establishing a news hub has reached critical mass. We need more information in a lot of different ways, similar to the way other companies are doing it. Sure, Topps will be late to the party, but its better to be at the party than miss it all together. Customers are being lost, and that is not something I think is good for them or the hobby.
UPDATE: It seems as though the redemption Gods have heard my prayers and answered them. I received my Russell Wilson Chrome Auto redemption today with a Blue Wave pack via USPS. I could not be happier, as it is clear that these cards seem to be worth the wait as I mentioned above. Not only do they look incredible, but they are in great condition out of the pack. Looks like I am not the only one as quite a few have started to pop up on eBay as of this afternoon, including a few nice ones:
2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Alfred Morris Auto
2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Josh Gordon RC Exclusive
2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Ryan Tannehill
In my packs, I was fortunate enough to get a Doug Martin and Trent Richardson, which was a surprise. With three more packs on the way (if and when), I will be opening them as well.
Here is the photo I took:
Sending out the blue wave packs with or without the auto is a great idea… How about updating the redemption website or sending blanket email out to update on the status? Youve got all our info from us redeeming the cards….
Topps customer service is terrible worst of the 3 in my opinion..
To make matters even worse there are some players who have redemptions and live cards in packs….
I agree Topps is in Dier Need of a Blog Like Panini has, Just as an example of how effective i think it would be for them is this.
I was once a Hardcore Topps Omnly Collector but i recently ran into the Panini Blog website and started receiving emails from them about upcoming previews and releases and have recently started buying the Panini Products because of the Great Customer service and dedication that i see and shows thru the Panini Blog, It even trickles down to the Panini Redemption website, if you have a redemption they provide details of who’s being released and once the redemption is shipped they even provide a tracking number to follow your shipment Unlike Topps cards which just randomly show up in your mail box , I am Still a Hardcore Topps Collector and have been for 30plus years but i’m straying and spending on other products because i can see a Lack of Overall Effort from Topps in the Last few years, i Hope they get on Board before it’s too late. The hobby needs them to catch up with the other guys and Wake up. Come off some of that money Topps, The old saying You gotta spend Money to Make Money is Very True in this paticular instance Hire someone who cares and will dedicate theirselves to the Topps product and start a Blog for collectors to participate in and i guarantee you will see results instantaneous…..
I couldn’t agree more. I just received one of my auto redemptions as well. No blue wave pack in it at all. How the hell are we supposed to know which redemptions qualify for a blue wave pack, because mine obviously didn’t !!!
“Debacle?!”
Maybe for some, but I just got my 1957 Topps Michael Floyd chrome refractor redemption auto today in the mail and the blue wave rookie pack I got was a nice added bonus. I had no idea Topps would add these cards to my redemption and I appreciate the fact that they put in some bonus cards to help make up for my wait.
Add to the fact that I got a Doug Martin, Trent Richardson, Casey Hayward, and an Alfred Morris auto! The bonus pack was better than the redemption card I was waiting for.
So kudos to Topps for getting customer service right. Upper Deck can’t even return my phone calls or e-mails and Panini never does anything to make up for your long waits.
“Topps customer service is terrible worst of the 3 in my opinion..”
Beef&Spice, you are clueless.
Wow, lots of Topps haters in the comments.
I’ve been back collecting for 8 years now. I’ve bought various sports cards from the “Big 3” and Topps has best customer service by far. Are they perfect? No, but they get it right more often than the other companies.
I don’t need a blog to tell me when my redemptions are about to be shipped. I have this thing called e-mail and Topps lets me know when they are sending out a redemption or when one is running behind.
Still waiting on Upper Deck redemptions from 2 years ago. Won’t answer my e-mails, won’t answer my calls.
I dont think the debacle is with the cards themselves – those have come through in spades. Its the confusion and the communication. That’s about it.
Yes i agree , I in No Way Am a Topps Hater, I’m just a little anxious i guess for the Blue Wave cards to arrive. I have 12 packs coming ?? At least i think i do ? You see what i mean? I am waiting on 12 Autos and have no idea when they will show up. What gets me going is i’ve seen some of these Very same Autos turning up on feebay for almost 2 weeks now.? WTH? Oh well im to the point where i could care less anymore.
Anyways does anyone have any idea where to get a Checklist for the Blue Wave Football set? And how many cards did Topps Print for each player in Blue Wave? Hmmmmm … This would be a nice question to ask on the Topps Blog. Oh wait , Topps doesn’t have one . Oh well. Too much to ask for i guess, maybe i’m being too nitpicky? But all i want is a checklist and some info on how hard it’s going to be to complete the set. Is that too much to ask for? After all we do live in the information age don’t we ?
Cardboard connection has the checklist posted, and I believe it’s also on the topps website.
I can see where people are anxious to get their cards during the time frame promised, but when I get a redemption card in a pack, I know it is going to take a while to receive.
I guess waiting an extra month for a card that already took 3-4 months to process doesn’t irritate me that much and I don’t spend a lot of my time checking to see when said cards will arrive, unless the wait has been egregiously long (more than 6-8 months).
I follow Topps’s twitter feed, but I do not read every single one of them religiously, so I had no idea that they were putting blue wave refractor packs in the redemption shipments. For me, it was a nice unexpected bonus. Much nicer than what most companies do.
In the past, I have waited “forever” for redemption cards from Panini and UD and received no bonus or explanation for the extra long wait plenty of times.
Hey, I have been waiting on my Topps Chrome Russell Wilson auto for a few months now and I see here that they started shipping out finally, but I have not received mine yet and still shows pending on the website. Can’t get Topps customer service to reply to any tweets or emails either. If it weren’t for the Blue Wave bonus, I would have just sold the redemption on eBay. Anyway, I assume they ship the Russell Wilson autos out, earliest redemptions first, and in different shipments. In other words I would guess that ALL the Russell Wilson redemptions claimed don’t all ship at once. Also, will the website change from pending to shipped with a tracking number when they do finally ship it out. I redeemed a Mark Barron auto to figuring the Blue Waves will most like be worth more then his auto. Waiting patiently for my Wilson auto and blue wave packs.
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