I did a lot of it around 2011-2013, then fell off. I started back up last year.
One big difference is the amount of resources for TTMers, which seems to coincide with the increase in TTMers. Also some players are going to private paid signings. Likely a combination of recieving too many items then seeing them on eBay, and also people who see a way to make money by being a middleman and setting up these private signings.
I also find my success rate is a lot lower now than a decade ago. I had almost a 80% success rate a decade ago, and this was back when I used to take more longshots and occasionally doing detective work on google finding addresses. I'm at about 63% since returning.
One of the most generous returns a decade ago was from Gary Unger. I sent 2 cards, he sent back 3 cards and 3 pictures, including a couple 8x10s and he paid the extra postage on it. I see now he's a private signer only.
TTM is fun but it's becoming too big with COVID downtime and the ease of getting addresses online. I can understand why some athletes have checked out completely or moved to private signings. Some TTMers are just too greedy and ruining it for everyone.
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