eTopps... Time for a Change?

Now in to its 9th year is eTopps loosing the novelty that made it a splash in the first place? When Topps announced in 2000 that they would be releasing a series of digital cards I jumped on the opportunity to enroll in the beta testing. The Internet was still in its infancy in regards to collecting and I am a computer geek so this joined two of my favorite hobbies in one place.

The first release was the 2000 Football Set; a 12 card set that included some of the most popular players at the time including Peyton Manning, Randy Moss and Emmitt Smith. Almost all of the cards were limited to less then 1,000 and I was just lucky enough to purchase an Emmitt Smith card before everything was sold out.

Now 7 years later and it seems that eTopps may be loosing steam. With well over 1,000 releases many of the cards are selling for well below their initial release prices. There is only a small percentage that tops $10 and besides the Mickey Mantle Set none even top $100. Is this a sign of the future for the product or can it remain purely as a novelty with the occasional hit to draw in the collectors?

I understand that people are still purchasing digital cards from eTopps; I have even attempted to buy some myself over the years with little luck. I am just wondering if Topps should possibly limit their releases to just special occasions and limited sets and cut out the annual releases all together.