Has the Hobby vs Retail Argument Changed?

When I first started this blog, I could not understand why people bought retail cards, especially from hit focused products. Although I still do not condone buying retail in most cases, it’s a VERY different animal these days, as opposed to the flat and terrible products it used to have.

In the past, I had a rule, and I still follow it now, with a few exceptions. Usually, I wont buy a retail product unless it has Chrome somewhere in the set, especially for products that can easily be purchased at a hobby store or online retailer with much better auto and relic odds. 2010 Bowman is a great example of why it is almost a better idea to buy the retail product in every case, as the hobby boxes are so expensive, that the Target blasters are already worth the 20 dollar purchase price if you can find them. Not only is Stras readily available in retail, but the USA cards are easier to pull than in hobby, as are a few other things. The bad thing is that there is no prospect autos, but with prospect auto prices for people not named Heyward or Strasburg dropping, giving them up isnt a deal breaker for anyone.

Chrome for football isnt bad as well, as the base cards do have some value, even though the hobby boxes are much better shots for the autos. Retail Chrome also has the blue refractors and xfracs in the packs, where hobby does not, so to collect those player rainbows, retail is a given in many of our conquests. Plus, the rack packs do deliver a few more cards for a comparable price to hobby packs, and you can pick some up with the diapers you have to get every other day.

Ginter is another exception to the rule, especially because so many people collect the base cards more than the relics or autos. You can also pull Stras minis from it, and the autos and relics have okay odds in the blasters, so its not a bad idea to try one for 20 bucks. 7 packs with a bunch of cards, including retail only minis lead to some pretty good results for set collectors.

Despite the success of the Chromes, not every blaster is created equal. Panini released blasters of the much improved Elite product from this year, but the price is absolutely ridiculous. For a guaranteed hit, you have to pay 30 dollars, even though most of the time the hits arent even worth what some of the base cards are valued at. I think a lot of the people who buy the blasters would much rather pay 20 bucks with lesser hit odds, as long as more of the numbered parallels are included. I know I definitely would, if I were collecting the sets.

It still remains a complete moronic move to buy any lose packs at any place if you are looking for hits, because Pack Searchers still stupidly search out the packs with the 2 dollar hits in them. Im not sure why anyone would buy retail for this reason, but Im sure it still happens. I think its funny that pack searchers still exist because of how common jersey cards have become, but they still do it and do it A LOT. Stick to blasters and you wont have this problem.

All in all, I would never buy retail unless I had something to gain from it that could not be obtained through hobby means, like in the case of 2010 Bowman, or even in the case of the success people were having with 2009 Topps Platinum football. Because online retailers can get you practically anything you want, even if there isnt a local shop in your area, wax breakers who bust for hits should not even think about buying packs at target. Yet, as with anything, there is always an exception, its just a matter of finding the exceptions to exploit.

Why Topps Retail Chrome May Be Better Than Hobby

Topps Chrome has always been the exception to the Hobby vs Retail debate, at least in my mind. I never think buying retail is even close a good idea, unless its something that is offered more efficiently in retail, or more cost effectively. When it comes to buying products outside of chrome, the good hits are at ridiculous odds instead of favorable, you usually pay a ton more for a lot less (in terms of hits), and the cards are even different sometimes. I am familiar its a little different for people who are out to collect the sets, but even then, hobby packs can usually live up to an beyond anything retail can offer.

With Chrome, its completely different. In addition to being able to pull all the normal types of cards from hobby, they have also added the Blue Refractors and XFractors to the product. The Blues look and sell great, and are even worth more than the coppers for some players.

Speaking of the coppers which come 2 per hobby box, those are available as well in retail, along with the blues and regular refractors as well. Paying 20 bucks for a blaster may actually net you some nice hobby cards, as well as an auto or some of the retail exclusives. Instead of paying 65 for 1 auto and 2 coppers, you are instead paying 20 bucks for 3 blues, 3 x fractors, 3 regular refractors, a copper (usually), and a possible auto, all which sell better than the hobby config. Considering that most of the autos in chrome sell for under 10 bucks, its not a big deal to give them up for the possibility of the other cards.

On top of all of this, the retail packs seem to be doing very well on the boards, and even here on SCU. I have bought 1 blaster and 3 fat packs, and I have ended up with a Sanchez copper and a Stafford xfractor among others. Those two cards alone have paid for my stuff. I have seen people pull black autos, gold autos, and regular autos aplenty over on blowout too, which only adds to the fun.

Im going to be picking up some more, as I think this year's chrome is the best in years. Its the first time I have actually bought retail over hobby.

Talk About Too Little Too Late!

Yeah, file this one under "only me."

My friend and I go to Target to buy back some of my wife and I's wedding presents that we had to return in Minnesota due to lack of a way to get it to California, and he hands me a gift card with a specific instruction.

"You have to spend this on cards." He says.

Great, just what I want, retail cards - right? He knows this full well and this is his idea of a joke. The good thing is that Target had one Topps Chrome blaster left, so I decided to buy it with the 20 bucks on the card. We get home, and I start opening the packs, and I come to a card that would have been a gem had I gotten it when Chrome was first released.



Copper refractor 236/425, around 50-60 a few months ago, but now? 6 bucks. I guess Ill hold onto it until he does something or does nothing.

A Note On Hot Packs/Pack Searchers

First off, for those of you who dont know what I am talking about, here is the issue. Someone goes into Wal-Mart (or as I call it - Hell) or Targhaye and basically searches all the retail packs for the ones with the hits. They take them all home and either open them and sell the cards, or sell the packs on TWGM as a "Hot Pack." Joe Collectors hate these guys and basically blow their load when they get to brag about vanquishing them, regardless of whether they actually did.

Here is my take on it, and this is solely my opinion - so lay off.

When looking at this section of the scam providing part of the hobby, you have to consider it in two different categories. The first is the guys in Target and other retail outlets, and most of the time they are Joe Collectors themselves. I mean, who else would spend THIS MUCH time searching out two dollar jersey cards? Back in 1998, when Jersey cards were actually rare, I can understand why this may have been profitable. As for now, the packs cost more than the market value of these piddly pieces of shit. Also, why are you buying loose retail packs anyways? Are you a fucking idiot? Dont waste your money on this shit! The only time I would even support thinking of buying this crap (even in blaster form) is if your internet will be down for more than four weeks, the library is closed/far away/their internet is down, and someone has pipe bombed all the hobby stores in your area. Then, it is okay to THINK about buying retail. Otherwise, have some fucking patience, go to a hobby shop, or order from online. As said before, even if you have gift ceritificates, buy a DVD or something useful that may actually have value, because you wont get anything out of retail but a bad feeling that you should have spent your money wisely. Because of this, who fucking cares that they search the packs? Yeah, it sucks that they are that dumb, and really care about the money making part of the hobby that much, but really - focus your anger somewhere productive.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Dont give me that "they are robbing the kids" bullshit! Kids should buy hobby too, and if for some reason a parent lets them buy cards at target, they should buy the blasters. Plus, I have been to target at least twice a week for a year, and kids are never in that aisle looking at Sports Cards. They go after the pokemon ones.

Now, there is a part of this practice that I do say you should focus your anger at, and its those donkey rapers that sell resealed packs on eBay. They basically open the packs and take out any meaningful hit and replace it with crap and then sell it. Again, why are you even wasting your fucking time, but yes, these people should not be allowed to function.

Either way, stop being a Joe Collector and buy cards the normal way.

Wax Busters Anonymous - Helping Cure Addiction Since 2008

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.