Review: Panini Missing Sticker Service

If you ever collected a Panini sticker set than you’d probably understand the frustration of getting close to completing a set but falling a few stickers short. With an apparent ever- expanding checklist each season and introduction of more foil stickers created plenty of headaches for set builders.

The usual choices for set completion would include binge buying packs, which would prove to be a costly endeavor and leave you with plenty of extras, trying to find a trading partner via websites such as laststicker.com or a similar site.

Maybe the easiest solution for completing a set was right at our fingertips at Panini’s Online Store.

Although, there have been other models used by Panini since their foray into the NHL sticker world in 1987 and up to last season, an order form was included with each album to assist you with completing your set.

I remember begging my parents to let me use the order forms, when I was a kid, but they always told me that it was a rip-off or scam.

The current online model couldn’t be easier. If you are in the U.S., click here. In Canada, click here. Then, select your stickers, pay for your stickers and then wait for them to arrive. It couldn’t be that simple could it?

As a team set collector, the online order option made perfect sense for me. Get the stickers I need without all the additional work involved. I did consider purchasing complete sets and selling off the additional teams but I elected against it.

I placed my initial order on October 11, 2019 and selected all the Pittsburgh Penguins stickers from Panini’s 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 collections, with the following breakdown:

• 2016-17 – 30 stickers
• 2017-18 – 30 stickers
• 2018-19 – 20 stickers

For all the stickers and shipping it cost me $36.28 (CDN), which included a 10% discount for utilizing the service via Panini’s website.

I ordered a few extra stickers of the NHL Trophies, just to enhance my collection.

A word of caution though: you may want to create an account before placing items in your cart. I found out the hard way, by having my cart emptied when I tried to complete the sale without being signed into the site.

Also, take note that Panini mentions that the stickers shouldn’t be purchased for resale purposes.

I received a shipping confirmation on Oct 15. with an estimated delivery window of four weeks.

My stickers arrived on Oct. 24 and the envelope was postmarked Oct.16. I can’t say if all orders arrive in such a quick manner, but I am thoroughly impressed with the speed.

In terms of packaging, the stickers were shipped inside a small cardboard box.

While the box is separated down the middle to prevent mixing and provide some added protection, it didn’t quite reach the top of the lid so some of the stickers bounced around and were resting on top of it, which could have damaged the stickers.

What I Liked: Availability of stickers. Discount for online orders. Quick shipping

What I Disliked: While the box was a nice touch and provided a degree of protection, placing the stickers inside penny sleeves or a team bag would have been a nice upgrade and prevented any incidental damage during shipping.

Rating 4 out of 5

To sum it up, I would highly recommend using the online service to complete or purchase sets you need. While I can only speak to the Canadian version of the site/service, I was truly surprised with how smooth my order went and would have continued to use it if Panini still manufactured NHL stickers. ■

A collector since the explosion of 1990, Rob Joncas can usually be found scouring bargain bins at card shows for Pittsburgh Penguins cards and hopes to add the Pro Set Holy Grail to his collection one day- the Stanley Cup Hologram. Follow him on Twitter @RobJoncas.

 

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