Next year is going to be crazy for hobby shop owners with the 2013-14 NHL Double Rookie Class in Upper Deck hockey products so it is important they know who you are so they can help you get the Upper Deck NHL product you want next season. An event like the Double Rookie Class is a HUGE deal in the card industry where collectors can score two great crops of rookie talent in one year’s worth of products. Shop owners will have their phones ringing off the hook as fans look to score trading cards of these top rookies and will be willing to pay top dollar for them.

But as a collector, what should you be doing to prepare for this historic event?

In my opinion the best thing you can do is to make sure your local hobby shop owner knows who you are and that you appreciate them. And I think you need to start doing that today. These hobby shop owners are going to be your best resource to secure product from the 2013-14 NHL season and if you are just another face in the crowd, they may not be as inclined to take care of you like they would their other customers who have been loyal to them during the lockout and this season.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money with them in order to stick out of the crowd either. Here are some tips to make sure your hobby shop owner knows you so they will hopefully take care of you with new 2013-14 Upper Deck NHL products for the Double Rookie Class season.

Bring Them Lunch
Find out what the staff at the shop like to eat and bring them lunch one day during the week as a thank you for all they do to help you with your collecting needs. The quickest way to a hobby dealer’s heart is traditionally through their stomach so grease their wheels with their favorite food and they likely will not forget it. During lunch make sure to talk up how excited you are for the Double Rookie Class so they know to take care of you next season.

Help Out Around the Shop
There are always things to be done around the shop. Offer to help out by cleaning off displays, putting together sets, pricing cards, taking pictures or perhaps getting them set up with a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. Donating a little bit of your time to help make their shop better will likely go a long way with the dealers and make them want to help you when you find a product you want to go after for the Double Rookie Class season.

Take Them Out to the Ball Game
You don’t have to take your hobby shop owner to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to make a good impression on them. Invite them to a local game where you can share your love for sports with them. Often they are busy and cannot attend, but just the invitation and thought can go a long way. By showing you are thinking about them, hopefully they will think of you when there is 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck products to be distributed.

Ask Them for Help
Get them involved in your collecting by having them help you complete a set you are working on. Most shop owners really love this and they likely have a little time to help with these projects now before all the hysteria begins around the Double Rookie Class. It’s a great chance to bond with them and share what you love to collect. When you finish, make sure to give them a lot of love on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp!

Just Be Around
Don’t be a stranger. Make sure you visit the shop and not just when they are running promotions. Sometimes when you visit and it is quiet you have a great chance to share your passion and get to know them better. Let them know what you want to collect from 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck products so they think of you when they get those order forms.

Unfortunately not everyone has a local card shop they purchase trading cards through. Some collectors do just great however by working through Upper Deck’s Authorized Internet Retailers to grow their collections. These Authorized Internet Retailers are going to be especially slammed for the Double Rookie Class season. Here are some tips on how you can stick out with them now.

Interact Online
Most of these dealers are very active online. On Twitter make sure you are tweeting at them and retweeting/favoriting their tweets. Share their posts on Facebook and interact with them there. Message them and ask how you can help them. There are plenty of ways to help online by sharing what they do well on hobby message boards and other places as well.

Box Review Videos
Create box break videos on YouTube where you give them shout outs and then shoot those over to them so they can use for content on their pages. Make these positive reviews complimentary to their services and they will likely be very appreciative. Upper Deck’s 2012-13 NHL SP Authentic is coming out soon and is a perfect product to do something like this with.

Offer to Help
Email them and ask them if there are ways you can help their business. Maybe they have a blog that you can write a story or two for. Whatever your talent is, use it to help them grow their business and they will remember you when the Double Rookie Class season comes.

This is the quiet before the storm. Collectors have about 2-3 more months before things start to get VERY busy for hobby shop owners with huge demand coming for new Upper Deck NHL products. Make sure you are doing your due diligence to stick out of the crowd so you can get the product you are after for this historic event. A double rookie class doesn’t come along every day. Prepare by showing some love to the people that will supply you with the product. Come this time next year, you’ll be happy you did.

For more on Upper Deck’s 2013-14 NHL Double Rookie Class, check out a couple videos from Upper Deck’s Authorized Internet Retailers on the subject.