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When the average price of a box climbs above 200 dollars - count me out of this hobby. Right now, the average price is around 100 bucks and steadily climbing. Upper Deck, Topps, and DLP all are releasing more and more higher end products with hopes of attracting the collectors who have a lot of money to burn and not a good head on their shoulders. Why I say that is because when you bust any box, you actually have something like a 1/5 chance of actually making back 75% of the box cost. When you open a high end box like Exquisite - it is even worse odds, unless you work for Beckett.
Let me break this down for you: $550 for the single box of 6 cards - 7 counting the base. Of those six cards, you have to average 110 dollars a card to make back your money. Because you are already GUARANTEED a maximum jersey card that will go for 5-20 bucks, you have to make up the money on the rest of things. Unless you hit one of the big names in the hobby, you are most likely just throwing your money in to a pile and dropping a match. Its fucking ludicrious that people would buy cases, let alone multiple cases of this stuff when you have about as good of a chance of coming out on top as Prince Fielder has to hit an inside the park home run!
***Wait, hold on...
He already hit one last year?
You have to be fucking kidding me.
Who was it against?
Oh right.... figures. ***
Right, well, moving on.
Even if you bust something like Leaf Limited, you still have a very low chance of making your money back, especially because 3/5 boxes contains a base RC auto instead of the Phenoms Patch auto.
This begs the question, why bust wax when you are most likely going to get a return of 20 bucks on your 100?
There are a few reasons(in no order):
1)Fame. People who have been busting on youtube can usually get around 200-1000 views per video of busting their mid end wax. People like chri5784 and the Doc have made this a staple of their businesses. This is a reason I videotape my breaks - despite being a made for radio personality.
2)Thrill. Its fun to bust high end wax. Its a rush to slide them cards like they are a peep show. Of course, 9 times out of 10 you are left with a shitty feeling of self loathing after, but thats irrelevant when you have the unopened box in your hands.
3)Collecting. Yes this rare breed is still out there - mainly in Northwestern Russia from what I hear. Definitely not anywhere near an internet hookup. Regardless, these people bust because they are a catch and keep kind of person. Me? I couldnt care less about keeping a Victor Abiamiri base limited auto 5,024/507,863,098, but that doesnt mean that someone else out there doesnt.
4)Boredom. OH MY GOD THIS IS ME. I get bored and I get the itch to rip into some foil packaged pieces of cardboard. Once I get done, I get that self loathing feeling as described above, but Im no longer bored! At least im not the guy who busted 4 and a half cases of UD black baseball because he hated his life. Im looking right at you buddy!
And the all time worst:
5)Target/Wal-mart/Retail shoppers. Busting retail wax is like handing a homeless guy a 50 dollar bill and telling him to hold it while you go wash your car. There is no fucking reason in hell to bust retail unless you have no internet, no brain, and your mother and father kept you locked in the basement until you screamed for food/sunlight. People who say that the reason they bust retail is because there is no card shop near you to buy hobby - fuck you and your stupid idealistic bullshit - go to a library and order some. ITS FREE INTERNET. I dont care if you are at Target buying diapers for your kid, and while you are reaching for the pampers, he runs away and you find him sitting in the card aisle, its still not a reason to touch any of that crap. Dont give me that gift card bullshit either, go buy something you actually need.
All in all the wax busters are not endangered at all because the companies find new ways to lure them back in. I have sworn off wax about as many times as I have sworn off donuts. Yet alas, the lure of the product, in both cases, always brings me back around.
MMMM donuts. Arghhhhhhhhdfsadfasdf.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wax Busters Anonymous - Helping Cure Addiction Since 2008
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I'm a newly returned collector and after I saw the prices for even low end boxes of stuff like 2007 Topps base set I vowed to never buy any new boxes. The hobby seems to be staying just above water because of the gambler mentality of many of today's collectors. People that will spend $200 for a box hoping to get a $500 card when the odds of that happening are slim to none. Never mind that the value of that $500 card will be under $200 in a year. I'm not one of those crusty old guys that swears off post 1969 cards and I like getting cards of current players but there are just too many other options for me other than buying new wax boxes. Scavenging off the people that buy those boxes is much cheaper and almost as much fun. Buying lots on ebay of boxes minus just the most expensive insert cards is my favorite way to save money. My last purchase was 2 boxes of 2007 Allen and Ginters minus only the mini's for $27.00. Every card was there including all the short prints.
ReplyDeleteScott
Ebay is a collector's paradise. Singles are usually dirt cheap and there is no point in buying the hundred dollar boxes when you can buy the big pull for 80.
ReplyDeleteI spent 300+ on Leaf Limited this year and 270 on my Adrian Peterson from the set - all because I had money to burn and was bored as hell. Whats the point here? My boxes were worthless and the big pull was 30 bucks less than I spent on wax.
Don't be knocking the retail. In some instances (i.e. last year's Ultra baseball and UD Masterpieces baseball) retail is a better rip than Hobby.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, why were you buying Ultra Baseball anyways?
ReplyDeleteRetail should be avoided at all costs.
Why weren't you?
ReplyDeleteHe was buying Ultra because there's more to the hobby than going for quadruple platinum jersey auto prime big hits of pre rookie prospects....
ReplyDeleteAccording to a very small portion of collectors - this is true. That is why they buy sets like Allen and Ginter or Topps Heritage at the very most. Ultra Baseball, Football, or Basketball should be wiped from the collecting universe because it hold ZERO value in any fashion.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that there is more to life than 1/1 logo cards, but you gotta at least provide me with SOME stupid reason to buy your box.
Buying singles is boring, you miss half the pleasure, the thrill of the hunt...
ReplyDelete