[tristanrules]

Buy singles

[Biglovin373]

I really appreciate all the comments, it's very helpful. One thing I'm not sure of is which cards and series to buy. I understand not straying too far from a few specific players or team, but how do I know what cards are actually worth something on not just base cards or whatever?

The packs I've recently been buying on ebay are the 2009-10 panini classics nba packs, the 2009-10 absolute memorabilia packs, and 2010-11 rookies and stars nba packs. I have no idea if this is good or not.

They are for decent prices and I like new cards rather than already opened cards, I don't know if that really matters or not.

Again I'm very new at this, I just like the idea of opening my own cards.

[marquettewade3]

Less is more. I think it's worth getting higher end patches, autos because they always hold their value. Stay away from the base, inserts, and plain jersey cards...unless you pull a Totally Certified Emerald then put it on ebay as fast as you can.

[Biglovin373]

Less is more. I think it's worth getting higher end patches, autos because they always hold their value. Stay away from the base, inserts, and plain jersey cards...unless you pull a Totally Certified Emerald then put it on ebay as fast as you can.

How do you know what is high end and what isn't? Is it as simple as the more expensive packs are better and worth more?

[quavis]

Yes it does have something to do with the price. Although, there are cards of superstars of a cheaper product which will be considered high end. On the other hand, you can buy an expensive high end product and pull cards of scrubs that won't get you your moneys worth. Basically opening packs and boxes is a form of gambling. It can be addictive and costly. Then the rare chance of hitting it big (not me yet). I strongly suggest you fight the urge to buy packs and boxes unless you have a disposible income and it doesn't matter. In that case, go batsh@#t crazy! I will tell you exactly what you should collect, anything Michael Jordan. Theres tons of stuff out there in all price ranges and, lets face it, he's still the best. Value holds if not rises. But good luck in whatever you decide. One last thing I suggest is either buy a subscription for a month for the basketball priceguide or a Beckett Magazine price guide to see if you like it. This will let you know all the values ofcourse, but its also a fun way to learn more about whats worth anything.

[xstreaminsanity]

I agree that you should buy the OPG (Online Price Guide) or a Beckett Magazine so as you're collecting, you know that you're getting a deal or not. Quavis is right, you can equate (and I wonder if the government does consider it gambling on taxes, lol) to gambling. You could spend $20 on one pack of cards and pull all base and one insert which if all put together on ebay might get you 3 bucks after fees. But you could also spend $20 on one pack of cards and pull an AU numbered to 10 (hypothetical) and be able to sell it for $600 (or as was stated earlier, 2010-11 Totally Certified Greens are selling for crazy amounts right now). So if you have some income to spare and enjoy taking a risk, by all means, buy some packs/boxes, open the products, and hope you get cards for your PC or cards you can trade/sell. But if you don't have money to waste and you strictly want cards to keep in your PC, determine what you're going to collect and buy the singles. And there are so many places out there to buy cards it's ridiculous (thank you internet). However, having the OPG or a Beckett Price Guide will allow you to know if you're getting a deal. Book Values (what Beckett says they're worth) can be irrelevant. But if you see a card that Beckett says is worth $60, that's because they have some sales data behind it (in some way), so you wouldn't want to buy that same card for $150 (unless you wanted it that bad). If Beckett says it's worth $60, someone has it listed for $150, there is more than likely someone who has it out there for less than $60 (maybe even an auction starting at $0.99). Good luck in whichever route you go. But know, any Pistons you get that I don't have, I take claim to.

[marquettewade3]

Agree with both Quavis and Xstream. In my humble opinion, if you want to be able to trade and sell more easily, having cards with lower serial #s (below 100 in my experience), jersey cards (especially patches), and autographs will make your life much easier. Quavis is right, if you want to get cards that will hold their value and probably go up, go for Jordans.