Upper Deck Accepting Applications for a New Class of Trade: Authorized Group Breakers

Upper Deck is looking for Certified Diamond Dealer partners who want to grow their business through the “Group Breaking” phenomenon for new trading card sales

Carlsbad, CA (August 14, 2013) – A “Group Break” is where a dealer purchases a box or case of trading cards and sells off spots for the break giving collectors the opportunity to try a product at a much lower price than purchasing the box or case on their own. There is a community aspect to these breaks where fun is had by participating members as they see what everyone is getting and discussions frequently take place in real time online. These “Group Breaks” have been around for some time now, but over the past year have really increased in size, both with regard to the amount of participants and dealers who sell these spots. It has become an international phenomenon which is exposing the hobby of trading cards to new collectors around the world.

“Group Breaks” have experienced astonishing growth over the last few years. Upper Deck plans to work with the company’s network of Certified Diamond Dealers to make this class of trade stronger. We believe we may be able to help some leaders in this category to open shops and become authorized resellers of Upper Deck products as well. Upper Deck is proud to be the first sports card manufacturer to offer a comprehensive program to support an Authorized Group Breaker class of trade to better support both dealers and collectors. We see this class of trade as a real opportunity to develop the next great generation of dealers for the company.

Any Upper Deck Certified Diamond Dealer interested in becoming a part of Upper Deck’s Authorized Group Breaker program may apply today. Collectors who purchase from Upper Deck’s network of Authorized Group Breakers will have added confidence in knowing they will receive the product they should be getting. Additionally, Upper Deck is working on a program to provide incentives and special promotional items to Authorized Group Breakers throughout the course of the year to again provide collectors taking part with a more exciting experience.

“Upper Deck is known for our innovative products, but the company has also taken a leadership role in being an innovator with regard to how our products are delivered to the market,” said Mike Phillips, Upper Deck’s vice president of Sales. “Upper Deck was the first sports card manufacturer to put together an enforceable distribution program that supports our brick and mortar shops in 2011. Later in 2011, Upper Deck was the first to deliver an Authorized Internet Retailer program to eliminate the gray market and improve the customer experience for online sales of our trading cards. And now in 2013 Upper Deck is again proud to take a leadership role in working with the top Certified Diamond Dealers doing ‘Group Breaks’ to help improve the experience for collectors, to make sure they are getting what they paid for and to provide a professional community of dealers dedicated to supporting these customer’s needs.

Upper Deck will be accepting applications throughout August and will unveil the first list of Authorized Group Breakers in September. For questions on this program, please email hobbypolicy@upperdeck.com.

About Upper Deck

Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.