I founded Cardhound after years of running vintage groups both large (50k+ members) and small (500+ members). Cardhound will not replace Facebook, eBay, or your other choice vintage sites and groups. But it can live alongside those resources and enrich your collecting experience.
At Cardhound Vintage the mantra is “Connect. Collect.”
I wanted to give some insight into what that means to me, and how the site can help you Connect with others and grow your Collection. There’s a lot going on at Cardhound, and to help you get the most out of the site, a User’s Guide of sorts is in order.
How To Connect
Make new connections in the Forums. The Collector’s Club Board has both free and paid options. (You will need a free or paid Membership to view the Forums–this helps keep out the bots and scammers).
Facebook groups can be a great place to ask a quick question and get a timely response. But Facebook groups are not reliably searchable or archived. As a result, the same questions get asked over . . . and over . . . and over again.
The Board has handy search and notification features and also lets you know when you are asking a question that might have already been answered. It’s not faster than social media, but it is much better in terms of sustaining a true community.
Read the articles. Topics range from breaking news to fun collection features to FAQ content that targets both beginner and more advanced audiences.
To stay connected to hobby news and site feature stories, follow the Facebook page. All of the article content is shared there, so you won’t miss a thing.
The Gold Club Forums are for paid members only, and are a great place to find trade or business partners, promote your project, and otherwise just network with other serious collectors.
Build Your Brand
If you want to establish your name or build your brand, there are many chances to do so on Cardhound Vintage. Here are a few ideas:
Idea 1: Volunteer to serve on a Guest Expert Q&A Forum. This is a great way to meet new people and get your name out. Check out a past forum to get an idea.
Idea 2: Write for Cardhound. What is your expertise or collecting passion? Share it with others! I can help bring your idea to life. Get in touch!
Idea 3: Advertise on Cardhound. If there was ever a ground floor opportunity, this is it. We have spots and rates that allow you to promote your podcast, social media, show, or whatever else on a shoestring budget. Rates range from $25-$100/month while we build membership. Contact me with any interest or questions.
Idea 4: Help grow Cardhound by referring your collector friends our way. Every member helps the mission!
Have other ideas? I’m open. Hey, I’m looking to get my brand established too. Have me on as a podcast guest, and I can run a promo for your cast on the site, for example. We can grow together.
How to Collect
The Classifieds won’t replace eBay, but listing and selling are free for paid members, just $20 / year. It’s an intuitive feature, is quick and easy to use, and looks great compared to most “Buy / Sell Forum” options. Anyone can view the Classifieds. For now the page is seen mostly by other members, but once the site is picked up by Google Search, we will run some ads to greatly expand the audience. Learn the ropes now!
If you are shopping for a card you don’t see listed, contact us. We have a network of dealer members who can fill just about any wish list. Seriously, give me a challenge. I’m glad to help facilitate deals, and I know our Gold members have some serious inventory.
The Gold Club is also a great place for “insider” buying and selling, and there is a special Forum reserved for this. My favorite card deal ever took place in a tiny private forum and was only made possible by mutual vouches and a little bit of trust. Bigger isn’t always better.
What’s Next?
Cardhound Vintage had a great first month: well over 200 members, 2 Guest Expert Forums, some solid blog content, a growing Classifieds section, and generally positive feedback from visitors and members. Thank you.
It is a lot of work, but it is work I enjoy. Look for some upcoming promotions and giveaways, coupon codes for discounts from your favorite hobby retailers, more all-star Forum guests, expanding Classifieds inventory, and lots more blog content.
If there is a feature you would like to see, or if you have an idea for a news story, FAQ, a How-To, or a cool collaboration, just get in touch!
