Thinking Out Loud

[Steelers8873]

Hello Everyone!

So last week I went into our local wal mart and bought a blaster box of Select baseball and it cost me $35+tax. I have never purchased this product in baseball before but I have football and they are generally nice cards so I go home and open the box and really was taken aback by how unremarkable the cards were there is 3 packs per box 4 cards per pack so for 12 cards I think the best card was an Ohtani base card and it got me to thinking...What would I have just taken that roughly $40 and spent it at my local card shop in his bargain bins(everything $1 or less) what would I have gotten so today I did just that and this is what I got. Now it's not great stuff but a far cry better than what I got in that crumby box of select let me know which you would rather have this lot or the box of Select?

https://flic.kr/p/2nDN7rg

https://flic.kr/p/2nDM1gb

https://flic.kr/p/2nDEBr3

https://flic.kr/p/2nDM1g1

https://flic.kr/p/2nDKJL9

 

[Steelers8873]

https://flic.kr/p/2nDN7r6

https://flic.kr/p/2nDKDea

https://flic.kr/p/2nDKJKH

https://flic.kr/p/2nDKDdJ

 

[SymphonicMetal]

I'm sure you were better off in the bargain box even though I cannot ID a lot of those cards. I know you did not so well buying rretail.

I stopped buying packs and boxes in 1992 and I wish I had stopped 4 or 5 years earlier. Instead of buying at retail prices, I take the path of least resistance and buy lots or collections at a fraction of what those same cards would have cost me buying them unopened. Granted, I have to seperate the wheat from the chaff but believe me when I say, I do find a lot of wheat and have saved an untold amount of money in the process.

Getting into sports cards on the ground floor is a thing of the distant past. Not only are there a lot of people chasing the current "hot, new thing" but the prices to get those products are extrodinarily high. So when everyone is zigging, I zag. When they are buying football, I am buying baseball or basketball. When they are buying new, I am buying old. The nice thing is 99% of the available cards for sale no one wants so it is a buyer's market for those who take the path of least resistance.

 

[Steelers8873]

That's truth for sure I mix a little of both but have been buying more singles and lots than I have boxes. Sorry for the pictures I was posting in a rush but thanks for your feedback I like hearing from other collectors on how their collecting habits have changed especially since the huge mark up on new product.

 

[metsman1986]

I gave up buying product in 2019..........I'll still bust some Heritage but quit the series 1, series 2, and update.........I have so many inserts it is stupefying........SymphonicMetal might remember a "Disturbed" song with that word...........If not, I'll wonder.......

 

[SymphonicMetal]

I gave up buying product in 2019..........I'll still bust some Heritage but quit the series 1, series 2, and update.........I have so many inserts it is stupefying........SymphonicMetal might remember a "Disturbed" song with that word...........If not, I'll wonder.......

Stupify (ing) does not seem to be the main word in that particular song! LOL The main word is what card collectors say when they get skunked on one of these overpriced, modern unopened boxes.

And I agree that the series 1, series 2, upate deal is what finally knocked me out of buying current unopened boxes/packs. I began to wonder where the end was for this.

Here is an odd thing I have heard. The 2021 Optic Football has not been released yet and the 2022 preseason is underway. Is this true?

 

[SymphonicMetal]

That's truth for sure I mix a little of both but have been buying more singles and lots than I have boxes. Sorry for the pictures I was posting in a rush but thanks for your feedback I like hearing from other collectors on how their collecting habits have changed especially since the huge mark up on new product.

Your pictures were fine. I just am really hit and miss on IDing cards from 2000 to present. That is from my lack of knowledge on newer cards and not due to the quality of your pictures.

 

[bblair_2002]

Spot on Ernie.

You get so much bang for your buck perusing bargain boxes at shows than opening anything these days. Granted we all get that itch to opening packs sometimes but for the most part,buying singles is where it's at. When it comes to building sets,I prefer picking up large lots from a set over opening packs.

 

[Steelers8873]

Agreed. I think I am going to lean more and more into the singles/lots purchases.

 

[Steelers8873]

Stupify (ing) does not seem to be the main word in that particular song! LOL The main word is what card collectors say when they get skunked on one of these overpriced, modern unopened boxes.

And I agree that the series 1, series 2, upate deal is what finally knocked me out of buying current unopened boxes/packs. I began to wonder where the end was for this.

Here is an odd thing I have heard. The 2021 Optic Football has not been released yet and the 2022 preseason is underway. Is this true?

Optic is out but they haven't been out long couple weeks I think.Not sure though I haven't messed with Optic since 2018 they got too costly and I like Prizm better so I generally put my money into Prizm and/or Select

 

[K.C._Royals!]

I feel the same way --- let's say three boxes of Select are about $110 total with taxes added.

Do you have any idea how much crazy damage you could do on COMC with $110?!

I have, at many points in time, loaded $40 (or whatever) and then pulled 40 game-used relics into my cart.

 

[Steelers8873]

I feel the same way --- let's say three boxes of Select are about $110 total with taxes added.

Do you have any idea how much crazy damage you could do on COMC with $110?!

I have, at many points in time, loaded $40 (or whatever) and then pulled 40 game-used relics into my cart.

The great thing is is that I haven't gotten to anything but the bargain bins I haven't gone through his cases of stuff I have loosely known this guy for about 30 years him and his dad have been in the collecting business for decades but I also lived in another state for most of those 30 years but I have been a regular customer for 4 years now since I moved back and he ALWAYS cuts me deals I never pay sticker price for anything he has not once I don't think.

 

[rotorob]

I agree with the majority here. Buying singles, lots or collections is the way to go. I have had an unnatural obsession with A&G minis and almost always had to open at least a box every year. Since 2020, I haven't even done that. My buying trends were skewed to newer bargain bins or dime\quarter\dollar boxes, now I rarely even look at those. Most of my recent purchases have been vintage lots. Doesn't quite fulfill that "itch to open", but when I look at what I've spent and how much, it is ALWAYS better. Sure there are some big hits out there, but even with those, I think the better way is to outright buy those if that's what you want. No extras to deal with, no disappointment with the value, no listing endless cards that may or may not be wanted by someone else on a trade site\list. It has hampered my trading, but also been much more satisfying for my hobby buck.

 

[nevermore]

Buying singles is the way to go. I've bought two blasters this year. Impulse buy at Walgreens after work, don't think I got more than $5 in value.

For the most part, I've stuck to buying singles since 2003 after returning to the hobby. Honestly, same odds of hitting a bigger cards and 'hits' in dollar boxes as in wax packs.

$20-40 wax boxes are one thing. But there are case breakers breaking $5000-10000. For that amount it's possible to buy most whales and vintage high end cards.

 

[Steelers8873]

Buying singles is the way to go. I've bought two blasters this year. Impulse buy at Walgreens after work, don't think I got more than $5 in value.

For the most part, I've stuck to buying singles since 2003 after returning to the hobby. Honestly, same odds of hitting a bigger cards and 'hits' in dollar boxes as in wax packs.

$20-40 wax boxes are one thing. But there are case breakers breaking $5000-10000. For that amount it's possible to buy most whales and vintage high end cards.

Good to see people are stepping, or have stepped,away from buying new product I am going to stay away from them and buy lots and singles I still get in on breaks but gonna limit myself to $20 per break which almost guarantees me no spot or a ****** team but at $20 it doesn't bother me that much if I don't hit anything good I just look back at all the money I've wasted buying hobby boxes I could have made a really nice collection of cards.

 

[jflan702]

I bet if you waited a couple of weeks, all of the cards that you got from the Select box would have been in your LCS's dollar bin.

 

[Steelers8873]

Possible that's for sure especially for how ****** the box was

 

[SymphonicMetal]

I bet if you waited a couple of weeks, all of the cards that you got from the Select box would have been in your LCS's dollar bin.

I always say that today's hot product will be tomorrow's old news. Collectors never seem to learn. THe late 80s/early 90s taught me that lesson that I'll never forget.

In late July I saw a cuntomer at our LCS buy 4 boxes of 2018 football (Prizim or Optic, I'm not sure) for $250 each. For his $1000 investment he got nothing. He was looking for a Josh Allen RC which is stunning. Yeah he is a very good QB but has he done something spectacular I'm not aware of? For that kind of money, I'd know exactly what I was getting, and believe me it would be a lot more than some fancy RC of Josh Allen. What are people thinking? And to make matters worse he came in the next day and bought more unopened stuff albeit of the less expensive variety. I've seen stuff like this for the last 2 years our LCS was opened too sio this is not a one off situation.

 

[newguy338]

so... want to trade any of that select? I am working on the set, needs here: https://thebenchtrading.com/threads/wtt-wttf-2022-select-baseball.479237/

 

[Steelers8873]

Yeah I have really soured on new product I was looking at football box prices and they quadrupled since 2020 why so much greed?People are always looking for something to exploit and sadly it's the sports card realm that it has happened to so sadly I will never open a pack of high end products ever again but I can buy the singles of the players I want which is better and cheaper in the long run I actually bought some Prizm Parllel singles of my favorite PC guy Sean Taylor and after carefully browsing and picking what I wanted I spent $25 dollars on 5 Prizms that I could/should have ended up paying a bit more for but if you shop around you can still get great deals on singles!