[briankort]

Is it just me or does anybody else think that pack and box prices are getting a little out of hand?

I was wondering who here would spend over $100 for a single pack?

And who would spend over $500 for a box?

Seems to me you could just buy the cards you want for those prices, yet the packs and boxes are still getting sold at these prices and even higher.

[xstreaminsanity]

Honestly, I asked the same thing when they had Black, Ultimate and Exquisite. This was before National Treasures, Gold Standard, and the newer ones. When I really got back into the hobby in 2006/2007 I saw someone breaking Exquisite on YouTube and thought the cards were spectacular. I wanted to buy a box. I looked around and saw the boxes were going for like $650 with only 5 cards in the boxes. I immediately started wondering if I wanted to get back into the hobby, wondering if everything was moving in that direction. Mind you, I was looking at a pack of 2010-11 Totally Certified today for $15.50 with $2.50 shipping, and thought that about $4 a card wasn't that bad. Yeah, buying a box for $90 is best (30 cards at about $3 a card), but I don't have $90 right now.

[leadmetogreatness]

Its all a gamble, its taking a chance your hit a kobe,kg or hot rc. The most I'd paid for a box was close to 100$ 09-10 presige cause I liked the design. I also don't buy boxes much most my collection comes from buying in bulk.

[buckunteer]

I've gotta say that my favorite part of the hobby is busting wax. That said, not a snowball's chance in Hades I spend $100 on a pack or $500 on a box (again, barring me hitting the Powerball). I cringed spending $50 on a box of 95-96 Finest.

However, I don't like buying singles either, so eventually I'll have to buy some singles or hope to keep building my PC strictly by trades and the occasional affordable box.

[sky20t]

I prefer box price range from $40 to $60. If I pulled a nice hit, then it was well worth the spent. If I pulled some no name players, then the money I spent is not so bad. At least I do not have to gamble on a $100 to $500 box that yields terrible results (no Kobe, no MJ, no Lebron, no big name players, etc...).

[evanturner12]

The only boxes I buy are retail or blaster. I buy sweet hobby singles tho.

I don't have the wallet to spend thousands of dollars on cards a month.

Is it just me or does anybody else think that pack and box prices are getting a little out of hand?

I was wondering who here would spend over $100 for a single pack?

And who would spend over $500 for a box?

Seems to me you could just buy the cards you want for those prices, yet the packs and boxes are still getting sold at these prices and even higher.

[ELevin99]

The odds are stacked against you if you are buying retail. Hobby boxes all come with guaranteed hits. To get the most bang for your buck look at the pre sell prices. Inception & Finest could be had for about $80 per box before they came out, then they shot up to $100 & over.

[jpleazme805]

I stopped buying single packs & stay away from retail... there are about 20 wallmarts in San Diego area (far fetched), but I been to most of them.. probably 90% do not have basketball cards or hardly anything at all... or been searched... hard to tell who, because I never see any cardboard collectors.. only people playing card games...

I try to get a box a month, but have to slow down, because the prices are so high.. A few times I saved up & bought a case, but that was a gamble in itself..

I've only bought one exquisite & was lucky to pull a big hit (lebron auto box) & bought two UD Black, pulled Kobe auto/trophy & a Kareem auto/letter.. which I was happy. bought 3 National Treasuers & was unsatisfied.. got a kareem quad auto.. forgot the other guys off hand. I was unhappy because I spent $400/pack... & the Kareem I pulled, which is serial /5 sold for $114.. I did pull a RC/AUTO that is about $400, but don't think it would sale for that.. there are a few online for $350-400 & nobody looking at them.. I been checking the counters to see how active they are.. because I want to move the card I have..

I've had bad luck with wax lately.. nothing exciting.. I want to go back to buy more wax, but keep telling myself not to. I got to save money for other things in life. more important things, like work clothes, since I am leaving the military & have to soon find a real job.. I'm on terminal leave for the next 50+ days.. taking a few classes in the mean time, while I search for a job that pays as much as I made in the military, which is kinda hard. I'd be taking a $10-18,000 pay cut.

I hate the high prices for only a few cards. I understand the concept of high-end cards, but come on... not everybody can afford them.. most collectors can not afford the singles that come from these high cost packs..

I'd recommend Beckett make a poll to find statistics on what type of collectors are out there.. info should be kept private & not shared, but statistics should be available for all to see. below are some of the questions I would ask, given the chance to create a card collecting poll.

1.) age range
2.) male / female
3.) monthly income
4.) job field / school
5.) main sport collected
6.) average money spent per month? under $100, $101-200, $200-500, $500-1,000, over $1,000 per month
7.) Do you buy boxes or packs?
8.) what do you prefer to buy, packs or singles?
9.) rent or own your home (not collecting related, but helps figure out which group collects what)
10) how long have you been collecting? 1yr, 2-5yrs, 6-10yrs, over 10yrs

[briankort]

Well, it seems like many collectors here are like me in regards to not wanting to or not being able to spend big $$$ on boxes or cards. But take a look at ebay and some of the auctions and what cards are selling for. For example $1800 for a Blake Griffin RC AUTO PATCH. BGS 9.5, $1200 for A Mark Sanchez Exquisite AUTO PATCH, 90's Jordan inserts for $2000-$5000 and sometimes more.

There are people out there in this hobby with money and that is the problem. As long as people continue to be willing to spend big money for cards, the rest of us will just have to live off the scraps.

[evanturner12]

if you buy the right retail you can often get decent stuff.

Spending $100 on a box where you are lucky to get half SV back makes no sense to me. I just like lots of cards when I buy a box. And when you buy the right retail or blaster you get quality inserts.

Blaster would have to guarantee a GU for me to buy it for $8-$10. You can get sweet massive boxes of retail for like $15-$20/box