There is still competition out there

[Dale]

Over the past several days I have used eBay to try to complete my collection from 2008 to near present day. Nearly there, but....  I was surprised that a) there was not a lot of good collectible material after that date and b) that any good material, regardless of country, was bought quickly.

[George Thomas Wilson]

I know, Dale.  Scott and I have been lamenting the dearth of certain items in recent years.

[Scott T. Shier]

Well, another thought is that perhaps NGM's have re-earned the "scarce" designation again.....since the 21st century started? 

Year after year, membership (subscriptions) have dropped precipitously from 2001-2026. We are now again back down to 1.2 (or is it 1.5?) subscribing members (in U.S., according to the annual Statement of Ownership & Distribution that is printed in the NGM each December)

So, that means there are  //only//  1.3-ish million American copies per NGM issue floating around for the 2010's + 2020's. The figure has not been this low since the early 1960's, no ?

             * taking into account some degree of newsstand copy sales (which they announced they were ceasing  in 2023 but yet here they still are ????)

It's easier to find 100 copies for sale online for a November 1987 NGM than it is for a November 2025 NGM.

...same with the slipcases, the supplements (if and when , few-and-far-between there IS one) and ETC.

-- Scott

P>S>

I am afraid that everyone who has collected & amassed great NGS collections (and, invested $ heavily across years) is going to get to the end-gate and find, there's nobody that actually wants any of it, even if offered as 'free giveaways'. 

There's almost zero /demand/ for anything, at the same time that supply is also at a historic low. How are "serious" collector's going to recoup their $ investment(s) ; how are collectors' heirs going to obtain good   /sale value/   on their ostensibly inherited NGS collections . . . ? 

Most of the time, we keep seeing and hearing 'desperate' pleas from families who want/need to dump their late father/grandfather/brother/uncle's collection. They do not want to keep.

Side note: I've been e-mailed routinely over the years and told that whole extensive collections went en masse to the dumpster or recycling, (mags, slipcases, maps, books, other ephemera, etc. ) how sad.

It' all just about imploded in a puff of air while the world moved on to worse --not better-- things.

[Dale]

I think the reason that more recent years of the magazine are scarce is that people hold on to their magazines for several years before disposing of them. Magazines pre-2000 are almost always from deceased estates or from older collectors who want to dispose of their collection before they pass away.

I started collecting to fix and add to the motley collection I inherited from my father. I never saw it as an investment but as a hobby (which became an obsession). I worry what will happen to my collection when I'm gone. None of my three sons want it!!

[Scott T. Shier]

Yes, yet . . . pre-2000 there were still 4-6 million (worldwide) subscribers --mid + late 90's-- meaning, copies available. Post-2010, there are 2 million or less leading into 2026. 

I am sorry your sons are not interested, but it is no surprise, really. 

[Dale]

You make a good point Scott, but at some point the NGS changed from a membership model to a business model based on subscribers and more casual public purchases. I could always buy the latest NGM at my local newsagent for the past 20 (?) years, even here in Australia and probably in most countries (albeit with local versions). Few people these days want to commit to any membership or long-term relationship. Which is the bigger market: subscriber vs public, and which approach sells the most magazines? My impression is that people are increasingy less willing to commit to a long-term relationship than in the past. That said, I am surprised that the software industry has heavily moved towards subscription models in recent years (possibly because they don't have the language problem of print subscriptions).

[Scott T. Shier]

Yes, and John Fahey made no secret of his disdain for membership, anything in-print, and he even lambasted the word "Society" in the organizations' name. 

If he had had his way (and he publicly said so), NGM would have ceased existence no later than 1999/2000. NOTE: he is GONE and NGM and us are still here, Good Riddance (but his damage is still done).

As for people --in general-- not wanting to engage or "commit" to /relationships/ that is all part & parcel of the larger ongoing fracture of our society in general. Cohesion, unity, and common-purpose are being eradicated . . . 

[Scott T. Shier]

Meanwhile in America . . . 

LINK --- >

NGM was to cease newsstand availability effective 01-Jan-2024

Alas, NGM's in very small, sporadic qty's have been appearing on some newsstands, most months, ever since. With no formal explanation or press statement given. 

Apparently they aren't going to reap the best benefit from retail (and sometimes) buyers, a.k.a. consumers. They still need the subscribers; and at least for the U.S., you need to have a paid subscription (digital at minimum) to even access their NGM.com content & articles, etc. 

One cannot sustain a "business" on nebulous "sometimes" and "maybe" fickle and disinterested people who are more and more not wanting to read, let alone learn actual knowledge. This is the age of anti-science, anti-education, anti-reading, anti-loyalty, anti-expertise, and people disappearing down into an ether cloud of Tik-Tok, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, "X", and etc., etc. 

None of which "inspire, illuminate, educate, and teach"  **

** (this was former Society President/CEO Gary Knell's then-new mission statement when he took over from J. Fahey.