[banjoman10000]

Well after 27 years I never thought it would come to this but I am done buying boxes PERIOD...FOREVER!!! As I said I have been in the hobby my whole life and I know as well as anyone that busting a box is always a gamble but it has become a joke at this point. It used to be that I could go to my lcs and spend four or five hundred dollars of my hard earned money on some boxes (my reward to myself every couple months as collecting is my true obsession in life) and no matter what even if the whole break was a complete financial failure I would at least get one or two decent cards of players who I had actually heard of. This is not the case anymore. There is so much crap filler in all of these products these days that it makes me physically ill. I bought a box of Topps Precision today and the best card in the whole box was a tie between two $12.00 autos of Taiwan Jones and Jamie Harper. Really? A $109.00 box and that's the best Topps can do? Even by the most pitiful standards that is pathetic. I bought a box of 2010 Crown Royale last week that had 3 autos in it. Pretty sweet right? WRONG I would have to dig through a box and find the cards to tell you the names of the scrubs on those autos two of which were of the same guy not to mention I also received worthless base rcs of the same two guys. My other hit? An 8 dollar MJD jersey swatch to 299. Not a patch just a regular swatch! This is unacceptable...Over the last 6 months I have spent close to 2 grand on boxes not just from my lcs but from various online outlets as well and the best card I have pulled was an Eric Barry patch auto worth 40 bucks. I'm done with these worthless products full of nothing but no name losers who will never amount to anything just so they can say ooo it's 4 hits per box or whatever. Panini, Topps, Upper Deck, and all the others can kiss my money goodbye. I hate to give up the thrill of busting a box but I would rather spend my money on the cards and players I want instead of giving it to them and getting nothing in return!

[rybowski97]

ive been there and agree any product other than bowman or bowman chrome is too much risk and too little reward. i think that is why more people are buying vintage, they are cheaper and alot more fun.

[coachlew10]

100% agree

[bigtrip18]

Amen. I think the root of the problem may just be the Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot. Most of the crap comes from the 30-40 players that go, most don't even see past the second string and all the jsy cards are next to worthless.

Getting rid of that is the first step to getting back to the basics.

[collinsfanatic]

I can completely agree with you. I quit buying boxes about 8 years ago. Now I just buy singles that I want or sell others that I already had to get something else that I want. When I do have an itch to break something I usually just grab a blaster, which isn't too often these days.

[bigtrip18]

Although I actually have been buying boxes, a lot in fact, (within financial reason) just because the number of pc players that are now inserted. It's easy to find Wisconsin players as singles, but I find that when people pull someone like Bart Starr or Forrest Gregg, and now Sterling Sharpe or Jim Taylor, etc, it's like pulling teeth trying to get those players from sellers no matter what bv or past ebay prices are.

So I'm back to packs. I bought 12 packs yesterday, couldn't be happier cards from 2004, 05, 06, and 11 and 12. I got an auto, a jsy, and 6 new Packers including a short print rc.

[superynaldo]

SINGLES...SINGLES...SINGLES... the ONLY way to go these days...

[BigBadBootyDaddy]

I'm with all those saying singles is the way to go. I only bust about 1 box a month, 2 depending on my financial restraints; and I only do it for two reasons:

1. Trade bait. it's the best way to get something that someone else either on this site or at the lcs will want to trade with me for.

2. Instant gratification. I love ebay, I hate waiting 4-5 days to get the cards I buy in my hand. At least if I bust a box, I get the cards I pay for when I pay for them.

[uwash97]

i think that is why more people are buying vintage, they are cheaper and alot more fun.

As someone who started collecting in the '80s (ok 1989, but still), I never thought I'd see the day when vintage cards were cheaper than new stuff. Your comment gave me pause. Just a shame, really. True scarcity in this hobby lies in the past.

I agree with the OP 100%, although I'm probably not done buying boxes.

[sparty78]

Welcome ..... I've been saying that for a couple of years. Join the vintage folks , much more rewarding . Of the current sets I only bust or buy Bowman , Bowman Chrome , topps and Topps Chrome . I leave the high dollar wax alone . Spend that $ building vintage sets.