So following up on my post above about pristine auction.....that was my first time buying anything from there, and apparently that day coincided with people who win auctions being automatically entered to win $100 in credit (100 people winning)....and I won lol. So I used it to win a signed Magic Johnson Jersey for a little under $100 after the shipping and premium. Pretty awesome!
I’ve noticed items I’ve been out bid on be re-listed on the site the very next day. Makes me believe they inflate the price of stuff that is going for way under cost at the end of the auction.
Went to one of the local card shops because I decided I wanted to open some SP Authentic Hockey. No dice. Is there some sort of shortage on wax right now? They tried to talk me into SP 'Game Used' but I don't want any of that JCPenny purchased relic shit.
I've noticed the local card shop by me (well, 10 miles...) doesn't always have a selection of a lot of current stuff. It's not like back in the day when if you want something the shop always has it, as far as packs go....I guess. Not sure how the stuff is purchased these days from distributors, etc.
I really want to get back into collecting and if any of my local Wal mart or target would just have a cello of any 19 basketball it’ll break the seal. it’s honestly probably a good thing that 2019 basketball cards don’t exist
For some reason the two Walmart stores in my area only carries pokemkon and not sports cards. Strange
I think they use the same image when the item is the same thing. Like the Magic stuff I've won, when the same item goes up again (they sign multiple items obviously) it looks like the same image. And the authentication sticker appears to be the same as the one I won.
So I got a box of 2019 Panini Limited First off the Line and got Panini points in one of the packs instead of an auto. Not cool.
Only basketball auto I have. Uncle was the golf pro at the country club Jordan played at in Chicago. Got a Jersey signed sometime in the mid 90’s.
Was at target and snagged a little $20 Donruss basketball 11 pack box. First pack had a Quinndary Weatherspoon jersey(neat?), then nothing crazy the rest of the way. Did get Ja and RJ rookie cards, but they're donruss so they probably aren't worth shit. Was nice to open some packs again tho
Donruss seems to be selling out a lot this year at Target, etc. Last year i remember being able to pick up Prizm and Donruss any time I wanted. Everyone is eating up the rookies this year I guess.
Yea there were only 2 of the blaster boxes when I went. Not a single individual pack. Have a friend who collects and says that collectors are taking advantage of the prices at Walmart/target and buying everything and reselling
same here. i went to two different walmarts and a target over the weekend and there was not an NBA pack of anything to be found.
I did go to a local card shop not far from my house before Target and they had a few packs available for like 11 and 28 dollars. To be fair you got something nice in every pack, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The cost of hobby boxes was stupid expensive as well
Couldn’t help myself from stopping to look at a Walmart on my way home. Found a blaster box of Panini Contenders. Spoiler
Based on the comments in this thread I tried out pristine action. Bought a few things so far pretty cheap. Kamara auto jersey for $35 and Anthony Alford auto bat for $29.
If you watch/follow enough auctions you can find some steals. Have gotten a few things that I've seen go for double the night before
I wish some of these guys had better autographs though. I think it was mentioned before in this thread...but so many dudes just put their initials. It's one thing on something small like a card, but initials on a jersey....
Do most of yall just buy cards you want, on ebay or otherwise? I wind up with a ton of excess that is tough to move if I buy packs. Any thoughts or process you guys use?
I buy hobby boxesoif the stuff I like and individuals for my personal collection. I've seen guys sell team sets of excess cards they have with a hit or two included as a way to move the less desirable stuff.
Part of the fun for me is buying the packs and seeing what you get. But yeah, it gets to be a bit much, both in excess of cards you don't really want and cost when you strike out on the packs (no more 50 cent packs these days). So I might move to just snagging cards I want on ebay. Just not as fun but probably more responsible.
2 of my buddies have a local card shop, and they are yankees and cubs fans, collectively. I'm a Braves, gamecocks, and Dallas fan, which are also popular in the area. So they have a ton of untouched inventory, as nobody in SC wants Hockey or Cody Bellinger Rookies. Trying to talk them in to opening an ebay shop front. Doesnt help me out at all though haha
I’ve moved on to eBay and comc. Busting boxes is a whole lot more fun but being able to get exactly what I want trumps busting wax in the end. I really need to start listing stuff at this point.
Saw a glimpse of the auto and half expected him to have spelled his name wrong too. But nope, good for him!
Former student worker of mine who collects just called and said the walmart he's at has Optic basketball. He's snagging me a blaster box. COME ON JA
That's true. At training camp some guys will sign stuff differently. Like they have a signature for bats, one for baseballs and another for cards.
In Keith laws top 20 13. Daniel Lynch, LHP, Kansas City Royals If it wasn’t for MacKenzie Gore, Lynch might have the best pure stuff of any lefty prospect in the minors. Lynch hit 99 mph in the Fall Stars game in the AFL, and regularly worked from 94-97 during the season with a plus slider and an above-average changeup, mixing in a two-seamer and curveball as well. He starts on the extreme third base side of the rubber, keeping him well online to the plate through his delivery, and extends very well out front to make use of his long 6′6″ frame. He’s a good athlete, but still somewhat gangly, and doesn’t repeat his delivery as well as he should just yet, so his command and control are behind the stuff. He also missed part of the summer with a sore shoulder; the Royals shut him down for precautionary reasons, and he finished the year healthy and with the same velocity he’d had before the injury. He’s really not far away and has the highest ceiling of any of the Royals’ stable of real starting pitching prospects.
The Prizm and Optic basketball chase last year/this year has really gotten out of control. Hobby box prices are through the roof and you're asking for a blood bath if you attempt to open those. Finding any blasters at Target/Wal Mart will be extremely rare as people will drive from store to store and buy everything they have.
This is 100% accurate. The guy I mentioned previously stumbled into a ton at a Walmart outside of Tulsa. Bought couple hundreds worth of both for him + his dad, and I snagged one optic from him.
The Luka and Zion effect (and to a lesser extent, Ja Morant) have made opening any product in the last two years a likely shit show. There is just no way to get your money back unless you hit one of those 3 players. I was opening 2018-19 Prizm over the summer for ~$220 a box because I thought it was reasonable. Now they're going for $700+. I don't want to say Luka and Zion have hurt the hobby but they've really priced out a lot of potential collectors with the insane prices their cards go for. Kids are going to want their cards and their parents will have to take out another mortgage to get them.
Need the card market to circle back around to when I was a kid and there were too many choices on which packs to get.
i bought a bunch of 5 card Hoops packs at the dollar store this weekend just to have something to open because every walmart/target within 50 miles of me doesn't have shit else in stock.
:( If I happen to stumble upon anymore retail blasters, would you want me to snag you one or two? I'd have no issue getting them and shipping them. Also, random, but if you have Dick's sporting good, apparently they sell?
nah, i appreciate it though. it's better for my bank account that i can't find any. i'll wait and let the hype die down a bit and then just buy the luka/ja/zion rookies i want. there is a dicks not too far from my office, i'll have to check them out tomorrow and see.
My thing is that I absolutely detest buying singles. My entire lust for the hobby comes from ripping packs and the resale market is such a fucking bummer
I feel your pain and think we’re similar on this. My solution has been hunting blaster boxes at Walmart. $20, a nice run of packs and the chance at Ja/Zion.