[dogger99]

Had to go get a couple of grocery items today so hit the Target. Even more barren than before. Even the single pack dispensers were empty. Though I stay away from those because of pack searchers.

[rjcj2017]

Had to go get a couple of grocery items today so hit the Target. Even more barren than before. Even the single pack dispensers were empty. Though I stay away from those because of pack searchers.

Agreed, I almost never buy the loose stuff.

I finally found some 2020 Bowman baseball today and did very well, check it out on the baseball thread if you get a chance.

[ZSDOne]

Went to Target yesterday for the first time in a while (needed to get some items from there as well as a gift card) - no football at all. Although they were pretty well equipped with Baseball with Heritage and Gypsy Queen.

Didn't get any of the baseball cards

[ZSDOne]

And Contenders Draft Picks is finally coming out tomorrow - at a price of $314 on the Panini Site which is beyond ludicrous - this used to be a $120 hobby box product. There is absolutely no way that this is worth it. Score Jumbo is apparently going to be in the $250 per box range and even though its historically the product I have done very well in the past few years (much better in higher priced products) it is just not worth it. 99.9% of boxes will be huge money losers at those prices.

Unless some sanity returns to box prices, I'm pretty much looking at just picking up base cards this year.

[rjcj2017]

And Contenders Draft Picks is finally coming out tomorrow - at a price of $314 on the Panini Site which is beyond ludicrous - this used to be a $120 hobby box product.  There is absolutely no way that this is worth it.  Score Jumbo is apparently going  to be in the $250 per box range and even though its historically the product I have done very well in the past few years (much better in higher priced products) it is just not worth it.  99.9% of boxes will be huge money losers at those prices.

Unless some sanity returns to box prices, I'm pretty much looking at just picking up base cards this year.

Yep, insanity has officially set in. One guy on eBay was asking $100 for one retail jumbo pack of Mosaic basketball, which is like 15 cards maybe?

I mentioned this on the baseball boards already, but I walked into Target this morning and there was a guy and I assumed his kid waiting for the card lady.

The kid was probably 15 or so and says to me, "You looking for Bowman or Mosaic (basketball)?"

I'm like, "why, do you have any?"

The dad just kind of snickered this little Beavis and Butthead laugh and I realized their combined IQs were about 60.

Then I'm like, "nah, I grabbed a couple of Bowman last week and pulled both Dominguez cards, so I'm good."

Then the kid was like, "Blasters? They haven't come out yet."

So then I got my phone out with the Dominguez photos from last week's box breaks post and was like, "OK, I guess I'm making it up then," and walked away.

Beavis and Butthead were just stunned and were grumbling to each other as I left the store.

The sharks have definitely never been talented and now I have confirmed they're not that bright, either.

Shouldn't that kid have been in online school anyway? It was like 10 in the morning on a Thursday.

[ZSDOne]

The thing that makes me laugh about the retail sharks is that the only retail product that has been very good recently was the $40 Target 2 autograph jumbo boxes of 2019 Prestige - and those boxes stayed around for months after release.

I have to laugh at the Contenders Draft Picks being priced so high - I think the most I've ever paid for an individual Contenders Draft Picks card was $12.50 for a Miles Sanders Playoff Ticket autograph. And that was one of the top rookies from a popular college going to a popular NFL team - and there are a large number of people who are both Penn State and Eagles fans. And I got the card from a shop so I could inspect it before purchase and get it immediately in hand. Most of the autographs from Contenders Draft Picks are $5 autos - and that is skill players who actually get playing time. The defensive players and practice squad players tend to be $2 or $3 cards.

People are going to be paying $300 and many boxes will give them $30 worth of autographs. Good luck with that.

[rjcj2017]

The thing that makes me laugh about the retail sharks is that the only retail product that has been very good recently was the $40 Target 2 autograph jumbo boxes of 2019 Prestige - and those boxes stayed around for months after release. 

I have to laugh at the Contenders Draft Picks being priced so high - I think the most I've ever paid for an individual Contenders Draft Picks card was $12.50 for a Miles Sanders Playoff Ticket autograph.  And that was one of the top rookies from a popular college going to a popular NFL team - and there are a large number of people who are both Penn State and Eagles fans.  And I got the card from a shop so I could inspect it before purchase and get it immediately in hand.  Most of the autographs from Contenders Draft Picks are $5 autos - and that is skill players who actually get playing  time.  The defensive players and practice squad players tend to be $2 or $3 cards. 

People are going to be paying $300 and many boxes will give them $30 worth of autographs.  Good luck with that.

Not to mention, at a certain point draft stuff falls off a cliff once the pro stuff starts coming out.

Sometimes if I have a random gift card laying around I'll go back later and pick up some cheap USC autos, but like you said most of them are in the $5-10 range, including shipping.

Plus, the ones that came out much earlier than Contenders Draft have another advantage in that there are only so many D'Andre Swift college uni cards that I want or need for my Lions PC ... I pulled all three from Leaf Draft, traded for one pink pulsar from Prizm Draft and bought a Leaf Metal Draft auto with said gift card.

So why would I need to chase some more college uni cards?

[ZSDOne]

Either the frenzy around football cards will collapse when people realize that there is no money in them or it is going to be impossible for casual collectors to get them.

The rise of box breaks makes it even more difficult since people can purchase the team they want. But whatever, last year I was able to get autos of every single player I wanted on the secondary market with the most I paid being a David Montgomery autograph (Origins on card /99) - and that was only $30.

And while opening boxes are fun at $100, its just too much to spend at $300.

Also I find it amusing that only a few months ago, you could find several 2017 Optics Football Retail Blaster boxes at a discount at almost every Wal-Mart (at least around here)

[rjcj2017]

Either the frenzy around football cards will collapse when people realize that there is no money in them or it is going to be impossible for casual collectors to get them.

The rise of box breaks makes it even more difficult since people can purchase the team they want.  But whatever, last year I was able to get autos of every single player I wanted on the secondary market with the most I paid being a David Montgomery autograph (Origins on card /99) - and that was only $30.

And while opening boxes are fun at $100, its just too much to spend at $300. 

Also I find it amusing that only a few months ago, you could find several 2017 Optics Football Retail Blaster boxes at a discount at almost every Wal-Mart (at least around here)

Yeah, it's bizarre for sure. I really noticed it for the first time right around the holidays this past year.

Even the hottest products around here usually took three or four days to clear out. A lot of times I would buy the last couple blasters of stuff just to clear it out to signal to the card distributors it was time to put out new stuff.

Man I miss those days.

Now I feel this constant pressure to try to beat the sharks to it and I just don't have the time to go to multiple stores multiple times a day.

[ZSDOne]

And looking at the Panini website it seems that Contenders Draft Picks is still sitting there at $315 - maybe they finally raised the price (for what tends to be a very rough product) so high that people will draw the line.

But good for Panini overpricing their boxes enough to make it possible for people to get them originally - I am sure that the people who paid $315 hoping to flip them are happy!