You'll NEVER Want To Buy A Retail Box Again After Hearing My Story...
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- ✅ Get weekly insider card restocks and drops 👉 sportscardhust...
🔴 SUBSCRIBE for more like this: / @Sportscardhustlers
👉 Join this channel to show support and get access to perks:
/ @Sportscardhustlers
Sports Card Hustlers on Social Media:
TikTok: / sportscardhustlers
Threads: www.threads.ne...
CARDS For Sale: www.ebay.com/u...
#sportscards #sportscardcollector #cardcollecting #baseballcards
Hobby is also a waste of $. It's why I mainly buy singles now. Hobby boxes are also overpriced. I used to get Bowman Chrome at $199 for 2 autos. Those days are long over. Have you seen all those Ohtani 50/50 boxes? Garbage. Many boxes have no hits and yet others have 3 or more. No consistency. I got a great deal on a Kobe Bryant 97 Competitive Advantage card. Raw in mint condition. I have no interest in the grading scam anymore. Grading is just a cash grab. Opening ANY wax is a gamble. I kept a lot of wax sealed for growth. Still have 2018 baseball wax sealed. Breaking also is just gambling. Very few make their money back from it. No different than a casino. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing! Totally agree
Casinos have much better odds. And I'm being serious.
Just go for the certainty and buy the single you want.
The ones that has the hits always be the big time TH-camrs cracking them open you ever wonder ???? Scam
I know right 😒👍🏾
My son bought like 15 blasters over the years from 2020 and somehow got a mark Anthony out of ginter sold 200 a Anthony edwards green auto prizm rc sold 400 and recently a orange color match # to 25 jackson holiday redemption bowman got a sgc 10/10 me nothing i dont buy unless there clearance for 12/15 bucks
Man! Can he pick ones out for me ?? Haha..I never have any luck.
I stopped buying loooong ago due to this issue. It's just throwing money away and I am tired of it.
I think 95% of collectors are with you on this! Such a shame.
Mosaic Megabox at Target is pretty much $70 for football. Silly me, i bought 3 of them and maybe got 1 $10 card out of all three. It's a disgrace.
It is crazy how much the quality has dropped.
My girlfriend and I have decided to not buy retail boxes anymore and with the prices of hobby getting so out of control I will probably just stick to singles. I’ve purchased 14 retail boxes ranging from 2024 update chrome to 2023 Bowman to 2024 series 1 to 2024 topps hanger boxes, etc. etc. and did not get one auto. When we bought the chrome update for $60 at Dick’s Sporting Goods. The best card I got was a no-name /99 and an Evan Carter base refractor it’s absolute trash what they’re doing to us and we’re spending our hard money
Yup it’s just proving our point even more… it’s ridiculous
I figured this all out fairly quickly. Amazing how breakers can open all this crazy stuff but the common guy is lucky to get back 20% of what he spent.
If people save their money instead of buying the retail, they can just buy the exact chase card they are after and probably save a lot of money. People love the chase and possibility!
Agreed but where is the fun in that! 😂😂
@@Sportscardhustlerstrue but is it fun losing your shirt on retail trash?
For someone like me who is more of a collector than reseller and someone who has been in the hobby since 2009, retail has most definitely changed. I'm on the same boat you are. I don't like it but it's the best thing for our wallet. Like everything else in life, experience is the best teacher and unfortunately, some of the new collectors will have to learn the hard way. That's the advantage I have. I've seen both sides. Two of the bets years of collecting were 2017 and 2018 and if we compare the retail climate to today, it's night and day. Before you were able to pull way better hits in retail and overall. With today's print runs, it's virtually impossible. For perspective, looking at topps flagship, in 2018 you can pull 4-6 golds /2018 per hobby box. Today, you get lucky if you pull one. Singles are not as fun but like you said, it's definitely the way to go and just buy a blaster or two here and there. Anyway, great video!
I totally hear you! The game has definitely changed.
I have had great success buying of all things PRESITGE MEGA BOXES from walmart
Nice! I only have gotten absolute and mosaic and of course optic this year. How are they?
Why I enjoy buying singles and inserts from late 90s and early 2000s. What brings me joy and certainty.
Totally hear ya. I feel the same way!
Hobby boxes are filled with trash as well.
Yea it really is hit or miss and I feel like only the breakers are hitting rn.
@@SportscardhustlersSome of these TH-cam content Creators have been sent loaded boxes in the past to promote Products. Learn to snipe eBay bids in the middle of the night. I’ll never give up busting wax. My target hasn’t been carrying, and I’m glad. It’s definitely compulsory and not necessarily in an addiction way. I have to check to see every time lol.
Any box you buy, you are paying for the experience of the gamble with no guarantees of return on investment. If the rip is not fun, then the experience is not worth the money. If someone really enjoys the ripping experience then the boxes are still "worth it" to them. If ROI is the main goal on opening a sealed product, then 95% of the time you are going to feel disappointed and felt like your money was wasted. If you want to flip cards, your best bet is to buy collections. Breaks are fun but still are gambling and risky. Card shows are great for finding stuff to flip. Sealed product is for gambling entertainment, not to build a business inventory (unless your business is flipping sealed product).
@@TheCardhobbyist Wonderful advice! Thank you! Totally agree!
More than $100 on a break spot! More like $350-$550+ for a break spot! IT’S RIDICULOUS.. Autos for bums and offensive linemen in retail isn’t for me! Card shops are also ridiculously priced $30++ over on retail boxes!!
Yea it is wild out there. Retail boxes should be $15 or less. Megas should be $25-30 at the most. There is NO WAY a hobby box should over $500, let alone $3k! It’s ridiculous
Great video! I usually buy AUTO singles from eBay. I buy some retail each month, but I don't go overboard. I see many others on TH-cam doing just that. Yikes. Give me an 80's vet rookies over anything new.
You know at this point because cards cost so much even retail it might be smarter to just buy one hobby box every month or two... But I've had some extremely good luck with Mosaic football this year and the last few years so I can never pass up on Mosaic football retail! But yeah prices are out of control and you're right the products are watered down compared to 5 years ago especially
Very true! Not a bad idea at all
Oh I just got to the part in the video where you actually said that...@@Sportscardhustlers
Opening retail is like being on the wrong side of a glory hole.
Yikes!
I can’t miss with donruss football and basketball blaster boxes. $27 from wal mart and I often pull close to my money back with the rated rookies alone.
I've been in this hobby for years. Walmart, Target, etc are the real problem. I know exactly how much they pay for each box. It's still roughly the same as it was when blasters retailed for $20, & megas retailed for $40 on tge upper end products like Optic, Prizm, & Select. Now blasters are $35, Megas are 60-70, yet the boxes still have the same hit rate.
The resellers make peanuts compared to a few years ago.
They are NOT the problem.
Also, u see all those rare case hits selling between 40-$1000? They'd be more if those with dealer/distributor privileges didn't still get each blaster for $10-15, & each mega for 25-30. I know they sell in cases, but broken up these are the prices.
These ppl rip $20k worth of cases and hurry to list the hits that aren't worth sending out to grade.
Which,,,,,, u guessed it,, are the main reason the card prices drop so fast!
So blaming scalpers and resellers is fk'n dumb when the ones to blame are the actual dealers/distributors. They're all shady af and these guys aren't putting in work running around retail stores trying to get as much product at retail as they can. Then try to make a little money back b4 ripping a few boxes.
There is one key I have found in buying retail. Buying the first “run”-I believe based on my experience that the first run is loaded to get the hype up. I’ve found this especially true with bowman mega. What I don’t understand is the people who buy releases that have no numbered cards like prizm. That is a disgrace they should at least have some kind of case hit.
Totally found that as well! I always get better cards when the boxes are first dropped than towards the end of the run.
One thing I can not stand that Panini does alot nowadays is having a numbered card, and having the same exact card but in a non numbered variation. Perfect example, the other day I was looking at a Patrick Mahomes 2024 Prestige Heroes /149. Beautiful card. The major problem is, they offer the same exact card in a non numbered variation that probably has 20,000 copies printed. This is criminal. This is overprinting at its finest, and they think we're all stupid. If a company offers a numbered card, they should only have that card in a numbered variation, and not in a non numbered variation. Like the Mahomes card I mentioned, theres not truly 149 of those printed, theres probably 20,149 of them printed, but only 149 are serial numbered. This allows them to overprint, just the way they did and the junk wax era.
@@BestintheMidwest84 I totally agree!!!! I may make a video on this in the future
@@BestintheMidwest84 is that for collecting a rainbow effect?
Someone should do a comparison breakdown on how much of a return you get if you spend 500 dollars on a box of retail, hobby, and lottery scratch of tickets 😊
Haha! Great idea! I just don’t have 1500 to spend haha
Prices are double from 5 years ago and the odds went to half. It’s a scam
@@Review-This It is bad. It’s gotta come back to nominal levels eventually, right? Let’s hope!
My nephew bought one Blaster Box of Mosaic Football, and he pulled a Marvin Harrison, Jr. Stain Glass, Mosaic Prizm and Silver Prizm . . . I think he did pretty good for a $35.00 box!!!
Nice!! I haven’t opened any mosaics but heard the blasters were not bad.
Yea, it was super dissapointing getting mega boxes for my kids for Christmas and watch them get shut out on anything good. The problem is Hobby Boxes are way too expensive now, so it's all or nothing.
Yup unfortunately that’s what it’s turning into
He's right because I've bought a few boxes last year and the hits are always low end hits like he said. In addition you'll NEVER get a super duper valuable card. 💯👍🏾
Sometimes you may get a hit but percentages say they are more low end cards. There are always exceptions. But in hobby boxes, they have more high end tier cards. Thanks for commenting!
Before covid though it was crazier than it is now that whole year before covid people used to line up out here they would limit boxes people would sleep in the parking lots overnight it was really bad right before covid that whole year leading up.. yeah flippers suck get ready for them to come out for optic and Donruss Mega boxes..
It really seems to be true. So many breakers getting incredible pulls from retail boxes. Bought $400 so far in blasters and megas and haven't pulled anything of value. Last year, I did the same thing and got multiple hits. You may be right, smh.
I could be right or I could be at a low sample size and just a string of bad luck. I would need more input from everyone as to what they are getting. I think we will have to make a discord for everyone so we could try to compare/compile data. Thanks for reaching out!
I've only ever bought retail and have pulled downtown and cj stroud auto and joe burrow honeycomb. I've got several genesis mosaic. So really it's all just luck of thr draw
Yup!
buy singles people, your collection will look so much better in a few years then if you rip boxes/join breaks etc.
Yup, thats what I'm doing now
Buy singles. Never buy another hobby or retail product ever again. It's a lost cause. If you're not buying by the case, expect zero returns. Topps is a complete joke with how it's being run into the ground with their very obvious allegiance to breakers and over-printing of product.
Agreed. In the video I kept saying singles are the way to go. Imagine having $1000 and buying singles from that $1000 or using that $1000 to buy blaster/megas/hobbys, whose collection would be better? Singles are def the way to go, especially for your PC. Thanks for reaching out!
I don't rip packs anymore, unless they are a gift. I buy sets from rippers that sell the "junk" cards for next to nothing. I once ripped a Hanley Ramirez Topps 1/1 auto worth about $100 to $200, but even with that, never recovered what I spent. I now just buy the cards I want and skip the gambling.
$200 on retail from Walmart... It's guys like you that are the reason there is never any product on the shelf. Glad to hear you took a bath on em', I've bought hobby, I've bought tins, Megas and retail blasters, I've done pretty well on retail but then again I don't drop $200-$300 at walmart on cards because if I'm gonna spend that kinda money to rip I'm ordering online or going to my LCS.
Well I’m glad you have what works for you and what you like to do. Anything else?
As someone who just got back into the hobby a few months ago, I am still completely bewildered that people are okay with PSA grading cards and not telling you why the card got the grade it received despite you paying the money you pay for their services. So you just have to sit there confused and shrug and say okay and accept that? Lol it’s so ridiculous yet it can change the price of a card dramatically it’s wild
Yeah the grading companies can be a bit of a mystery.
Flippers are not only in sports cards. Thanks to the online mark place. No one needs a brick and mortar. People are buying all kinds of things and flipping the items online.
Yea without a doubt. Thanks for chiming in.
Pre covid we were getting in physical confrontations to get a couple blasters....maybe a mega haha It was wild for those couple years. $20 for a blaster, and flip it for 150-200. If you snag 4.....flip a couple. Open a couple
Yea that is crazy! It’s not that bad anymore but the prices are ridiculous.
Until you realize that ripping product is gambling, not collecting. Without value to all cards, you will be disappointed 80%+ of the time. The inserts are ruining true collecting.
Miss the days when the even the mems in retail were actually game used
I know right
Only time I pulled autos was unlicenced products (except 2021 and 22 NBA chronicles
,,, Paolo hometown hero auto (fat pack) and a few small others
4 autos so far and I dont buy more than 2 fat packs at a time.
It happens
But hasnt been good to me in anwhile admittedly
@@TheHonestTruth I’ve gotten autos from blaster boxes but low end. Never any high end and I’ve opened lots of blasters/megas.
Yes, i felt like when i bought 3 prizm nfl football blasters. Did not get anything of value. I was so mad. I told myself no more football. Stick to baseball. Football, if it's not a top qb, is pointless. Aleast baseball, you can get some type of money back. With more position players. I saw some mega prizm at walmart did an esay pass
Agree with all y’all .. last 2 years I’ve strictly only bought bowman chrome football .. and I have to say it’s been fun and not broke my wallet . I know college is sub par to nfl but my nerves are a lot better and my bank account is better lol.. I get the rush and fun but not breaking the bank even with hobby . Just my 2 cents .. find a product u really enjoy ripping if that’s your thing and u will be better ..
@@Wolfgar-jx5kl Yup! Thats why my kids like to rip Big League Baseball…still can get cool cards and they won’t break the bank too much. Kinda overpriced still but that’s what you get in this day and age. Thanks for checking in!
I just got back into it a couple weeks ago. I pulled an Xavier Worthy Explosive. So ofcouse I bought a few more boxes and didn't get shit. I quickly realized, it's just like lottery, the more you pay, your chances are better but way more risky. I'm going to try the auction or breaker route from here on out and see what happens.
That’s awesome! Hope you can get some other big hits!
I feel your pain. BUT do you honestly think that Topps is going to let only their good stuff come out of hobby? Everyone would stop buying retail and vice versa. Topps is going to spike the retail with hits one year and hobby the next. It goes is in spurts for each format. They certainly don't want us to know which is going to have the most hits because they just want us to both retail and hobby.
@@jibsripnflip Yup!!! Well said!
Yeah I think I'm backing off from collecting. I bought a hobby box of 24 archives and got ripped off. Never received it ! And retail is crap. That's if you can find it in my town! To many people are dishonest in the hobby now.
@@CHRISROYALSCHIEFSFAN I can barely ever find anything at my local retail too. It’s bad. Things are gone in a day. How did you not get the box? Was it eBay or fb marketplace?
Ive realized the same. Hobby is where its at. There are some ok super boxes but im done with the small retail boxes. Im a newbie to card collecting and ive learned quick. Those small boxes say look for autos and ither cool stuff its a lie.
@@CardAddict23 and if you do get one, it’s usually a low tier that’s worth maybe $5-$10. If you are fine with that for your collection then that’s great. It’s a shame though because those blasters/megas should not be that expensive.
Opening boxes should only be done for fun, you are going to lose almost all the time. Hobby is just as bad if not worse, you drop $450 on a Bowman Best or Bowman Draft box and value wise get $30-40 back, feels really bad. I open about 50/50 retail/hobby. There are still big hits in retail, in the last month I have pulled a JJ McCarthy Kaboom and a Caitlin Clark Select RC out of 149, my last few hobby boxs have been terrible(Bowman Draft and Bowman Best).
Singles are king for building a collection, and I find it almost as exciting to chase down a rare card and win it on Ebay. I think you just need to define what do you want to collect and set a goal, personally I like chasing Rainbows of Braves or Royals players, it is fun and exciting and keeps me very engaged trying to track down all of the variations for a card.
@@yardgnome02-r2h Singles are def. the way to go because you can get what you want and sometimes at a decent price. Thanks for checking in!
Between re-sellers, use of weighing packs, scanners, the non guaranteed and non-game-used jerseys and sticker autos, oversaturation of even low numbered cards because of the amount of different releases (how many different 1 of 1 rookies are there of each rookie player across all releases? Dozens. Hundreds?) I just can't justify buying ANY unopened product, most people don't have the amount of excess money necessary to buy a, lets say $200 lotto ticket - on a regular basis, even if they win back $500 every 10 or 20 boxes. Even too expensive for breaks with the unreasonable prices, even less of an average ROI as well, I've been effectively priced out of unopened boxes completely, for the fact that 95% of the time you'll lose big, the 5% doesn't make up for the 95% even close. I buy singles for cheaper than I could buy boxes in which I'd find a card of equal value 1 in 10 boxes, so I'm content doing that. Buying cards I like takes 100% of the disappointment out of the hobby for me, because I don't expect every card I buy to go up in value, the return on investment is off the charts better than buying sealed anything (retail from resellers, retail straight from wal-mart, or even hobby).
@@basketballhistory6151 Agreed! Especially with these boxes being outrageously priced. But they still fly off the shelves - they may last a day! Thanks again for your comment!
@@Sportscardhustlersbecause alot of the shops buy them out and then sell them at their shop.
Funny story on how crazy people are. My brother was on phone with me at Wal-Mart a few months back. Well we were looking at baseball and he tells me this guy beside him loaded the display end cap of Pokemon cards into his buggy. The guy put not just the boxes but display end cap as well, so my brother grabs a couple of blasters and heads out to pay with the Pokemon guy in front as well heading toward self checkout. Well we are talking and my brother goes....holy sh*t....the guy ran with buggy straight out the door lol. Totally got away with it scott free, my brother goes "should I say something"? I said f**k no!! I told him he doesn't get paid for their prevention loss and that their workers rob them themselves all the time(I used to work there I know...and I enjoyed all those free drinks in the warehouse in back hahaha) and Wal-Mart is a cult that many people do not realize. I am not some big pro union guy but there are posters all over the break room, in the back, etc saying if you hear anyone suspected of or talking about unionization then please go to you're supervisor immediately(at least that is the case here in East Tennessee), but I digress. My main point is people are crazy and will continue to buy/steal the retail as the ease of access v.s going/finding a local hobby store is more difficult.
@@joerussell9574 Especially when you can take up to 900$ scoff free in some states! Ridiculous!! Let’s hope all this ridiculousness ends soon. I made a video (probably a few months back now) how if you put gold bars on the shelf next to, for example, Donruss Optic Football 2023, the cards would go first! lol! It was meant to be a joke but honestly, I just don’t know anymore. Thanks for reaching out! I enjoyed reading your comment! Cheers !
@@Sportscardhustlers You are welcome I just found You're channel and subbed! Please keep up the good work!
Retail gets stolen so much the pull rates HAVE to be abysmal.
I have def. seen open boxes at target/walmart. Ridiculous.
The problem with both hobby and retail boxes is that the big name rookies that collectors are chasing are not guaranteed to be in a single box. You can pull (5) Kobe Buffkins in a box and not find one Wemby base card.
That is a big problem in the hobby now.
Does anyone remember 2018 nba optic Megas? You got 2 packs of base cards, and a pack of all optic shock cards all rated rookies lol Luka, Tatum, mitchell, all them dudes. Megas were I think 30 bucks
good times lol
I've pulled 3 Downtowns in the last 6 weeks from about a case worth of random blasters from different stores. Pulled an Optic Downtown of Bijan Robinson last year. Hobby is too expensive to spend hundreds of dollars at a time. I only open football and basketball tho.
@@dustin66896 Nice!
The last box I bought from a Walmart I pulled a Randy moss card that going for about $200 dollars
Big win! congrats
Blasters are always crap imo on the top 3 major sports. I picked up like 15 blasters of ufc and pulled 7 autos from them. Picked up 1 mega bowmans chrome and pulled a /5 bowmans first card worth 100 bucks. I will buy megas but no blasters of baseball, football or basketball. Star wars, hockey, ufc, and wwe megas are fun retail imo. Topps baseball hamgers were great, i pulled some good cards. The holoday megas was fun, pulled freddie freeman /75 santa patch.
Yea my daughter loves the Topps holiday. She pulled a Santa card and was so excited. That’s what it’s all about. I just wish they were more reasonably priced! Thanks for the comment!
@Sportscardhustlers agree 👍
a box of baseball cards is more expensive than a box of cereal !! ...
@@markhellman-pn3hn Crazy how this is true.
Haha...they got good prizes in cereal too!
I refuse to buy retail anymore. I've been hosed in any Baseball or Star Wars cards I've bought.
@@MotU91775 I haven’t gotten into Star Wars cards (love Star Wars). Was going to grab a box back in the summer to see what it is all about but never did.
LCS’s, Ebay singles, and vendor malls are my go to. I try to avoid the gambling side of the hobby as much as possible.
Yeah, I just can’t understand why they water the products down and raise The price. And look let’s not pretend like hobby is as good as it used to be either. It’s all watered down. I mean they’re giving out patches that are not from any certain game or event? There’s stuff like that that’s the insult to injury for the price increase.
Yea the patches honestly make me mad. I can care less about patches, would much rather get an auto.
Just buy singles or if you really just want one team get into an affordable break with a reputable breaker.
Yup that’s what I’ve gone into
Got lucky this past 7 months with about 12 autos, but nothing super stellar.
Best card was a 1/1 Nick Chubb in a Select Megabox.
I totally agree though with all the points you make. It's wildly overpriced with returns being very unlikely. That optimism and hope/thrill drives it.
Its seeing Reddit groups post great pulls that give me FOMO and false hope. Working on being more disciplined.
Same here. Thanks for checking in, much appreciated! Keep in touch.
I pulled a yamamoto auto /75 out of 2024 bowman blaster. Sold for 1300.
@@justinscott850 wow!!
I just bought a 24 pack retail box of A&G . Wish me luck 😬. I've had incredible luck with 4 hobby boxes. Based on what i get from this retail box will determine if i buy another
Good luck!
I buy vintage only, but I am finding more vintage cards trimmed or altered, so beware !
Same here. Def. beware! Do your DD.
CT scanning is happening a lot. I see breakers cool with people on TH-cam that are texting each other and I watch the break and the same dude’s getting 1/1’s big cards. The hobby is rigged now. I buy from blowout, one of the biggest distributors myself for big money purchases and I still don’t see the return or a big card. I just got back into it in Jan ‘24 and been buying 2017, 2018, 2020. The best card I hit was a green prizm Jayson Tatum rookie that got my hyped to start collecting again. I spent around 30,000 in 2024 and my collection is not what it should be. Would have been better to buy graded cards off eBay for way cheaper
Yup. I totally agree. I didn’t nearly spend as much as you and the best card I pulled in 2024 was a Green CJ Stroud from Optic and sold for 250$. I put that money back into some boxes and got nothing for it. It’s a crapshoot unless you are a breaker.
I got lucky at Christmas out of retail. Pulled 2 Skenes RC and did a Yordan relic numbered out of 199, but yeah retail is usually a bigger letdown than hobby. Last year for Christmas I got gifted a box of football hobby I did very well in as well. There are just TOO DAMN MANY VARIATIONS these days! I do not personally purchase anything for myself beyond 2019 baseball, that set is not overloaded with 10 bazillion tiger striped, blue chromatic, blast off refractor, down town whatever lol!
@@joerussell9574 lol yea it’s crazy. I do like all the different kind of variations because some look cool, but when there are 50 different kinds of Topps boxes (I exaggerate, lol) and each have 50 different variations, it is very overwhelming.
@@Sportscardhustlers Oh I agree I do love the variations and also agree it's the number of variations that hurts the product. In 2019 I pulled a Tatis update RC holofoil and sold it for a good return. Nowadays there are just so many it hurts the value and the feeling of hitting it when one knows there are 50 other /10s out there and it devalues the whole. My lowest hit is /10 2020 Topps Alonso red and I just can't bring myself to sell it as it so hard to hit something like that in retail(especially back then). if I hit something like that today...ah well there are tons of other parallels out there lol.
I tend to agree with you on this video! I only got one decent relic card and it was damaged! Not pulled on auto out of any topps retail products.
Yup it’s not worth it in my opinion
@@Sportscardhustlers I agree and I will most likely never buy another one. I am so upset about the lack of a great card every nos and then, I am shipping all of my opened packs, and boxes to topps today and see if they will throw me a bone!
Collector here. Still pulling auto n relics. Collectors see cards buy cards. Wherever whenever. Still enjoying ripping packs no matter the source.
Love ripping packs with my kids. Every now and then I will get a blaster or mega.
Thx for the insights.
I like Prizm retail.
Hope the video gave you some ideas/help. Thanks for watching
There's better retail then some. You have to do your research. Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary is one of the best retail products you can buy. Blasters of TCPA have cards you can't get in hobby.
2022 update and 24 Topps update hangers are loaded with hits. Stadium club is decent.
Panini baseball is complete trash.
I've hit decent autos out of retail and I've hit garbage autos out of hobby. The Paul Skenes 1/1 Platinum was hit out of a blaster last month as well as Julio Rodriguez platinum 1/1 from a hanger.
Hits in hobby doesn't mean you'll get anything great. You'll get numbered cards and a so called "guaranteed autos OR relic" in hobby but still not guarantee a big named star.
I've seen big cards come out of retail.
In the end, its a gamble what ever box you buy. It's rare that you get get your money's worth from either hobby or retail.
Agreed! Thanks for the insight! Cheers!
Hobby boxes = gambling
Retail boxes = gambling
Buy singles 😂
Yup!!!
Really good points you made. Keep up the good videos and being a positive force in the hobby we need more like you
I appreciate that! At the end of the day, it’s a kids hobby and love opening with my kids so really that’s all that matters. Cheers!
I stopped opening retail as soon as fanatics took over and hobby , unless your lucky your just throwing your money away as a collector I buy stuff already opened now not as fun but you get what you want.
Yup!!
I just pulled a Puka downtown out of a blaster from Walmart. Trust me I know I was lucky because the 10 boxes I bought from target had no case hits.
Nice! How much was it worth?
In socal target and walmart where the biggest place to get retail o.c. cali for the last 5 years you can't n find cards in stock about 15% of the time and trust me I buy alot of different things tcg/sports and there almost impossible to find. And card shorts mostly selling very high end card and low end retail. There is very little low end hobby.
It's getting harder and harder to find cards in retail stores, I'm hearing it in a bunch of groups I am in as well as our comment section.
What's scarier is alot of retail can now be found at hobby shops. To much.
There’s nothing better then walks in Wally or target and seeing products on the shelf it’s an awesome feeling and this is completely from a 45 year old man BUT couple hundred later and you have it nothing but what you described makes me feel like crap..I’d rather pull a card out of wax then buy the single bc it’s just fun.. basically this hobby is a money pit and not about collecting it’s all about $$$$$
GREAT VIDEO!!
At the end of the day, I open everything with my kids. I try to budget $50 per month, so that $200 I said in the video was saved from the summer since my retail stores NEVER have any product. We don’t flip boxes, or even sell cards too much. Just trying to rebuild my (actually I guess it’s my kids’ future) collection. They enjoy ripping packs and that’s all that matters. I just wish they would put better cards in these $50 boxes. At least give us a $10/$20 card, not 20 $1 cards. I get it that not all packs can have a decent card but $40 for a blaster box is steep. They gotta throw us a bone here and there. Maybe it’s regional, maybe breakers are getting all the good cards, maybe LCS get better boxes, no one knows for sure but I’ll be trying to research this over the next 6 months! Thanks for commenting!
Hello from the rising sun Japan 🇯🇵 I am a new subscriber
Welcome, thanks for subbing!
For retail I enjoy rookie and stars football blasters but other than that I prefer opening hobby products once in a while
Yah they’re just so expensive
You are spot on. Appreciate the honesty, because lord knows Im fooling myself😂But it’s the rush and chase rolling the dice in retail. The hunt is half the fun. Singles or hobby for me in 2025.
Just trying to be straight with everyone because it’s hard to judge people on here. But what you see is what you get. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m correct all the time but just trying to inform everyone because I don’t think a lot of people on TH-cam/social media have these discussions. Thanks for checking in!
Buying singles is the answer. Buying boxes is just gambling. For the price of some of these boxes you can buy graded singles of just what you want. Buyer's remorse is a terrible feeling and the boxes are just not worth it.
Totally agreed! Def mentioned that in the video a lot of times. Thanks!
@@Sportscardhustlers I just found your videos today. Great stuff!
@ Thanks! I’m glad we are reaching out to a greater/wider audience! Awesome stuff. Keep in touch.
GOING WAY DOWN IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT ITS GOING TO BECOME LIKE IT WAS BEFORE THIS OVERPRICED BUBBLE. Also hobby is a bigger waste of money, just buy a hanger box or a few hobby packs if have to rip.
Yeah I agree. I didn’t know Ace had boxes need to go look 😂 no I really think I will get back out of the hobby since it’s not the same as the old days. Just need to sale all I have. Just over 5k cards. I’ve never bought hobby.
Ya it’s so random lol but I hear ya it’s definitely a rough time to be in the hobby
Modern cards are complete trash…so the retail boxes are full of TRASH. Simple😉
Well said lol
trash
I'm not buying wax nor am I buying newer singles. This hobby has to many people who want to gamble and that isn't changing it seems. I'll simple buy older cards that is being ignored by the influencers. I've stopped even wanting to watch people break cards as it pains me to see them spend 1k on a box and end up with $60 in cards.
I know. Boxes are so overpriced. I just feel bad for the kids. Thanks for commenting!
I spend thousands on hobby got maybe 2 great cards but on hundreds in retail a year can't count them
It's all a gamble
That it is! Thanks for commenting!
Poor stay poor and rich get richer my man.
Indeed
Your way off on bowman blasters being 1 auto in every 10 boxes. Open a case and you’ll see it’s a big difference. You can’t judge it on buying a few boxes here and few boxes there. You should buy from same source/same case to really see how the hits/autos land
So do you think it’s more or less?
at my walmart there guys with scales and handheld metal detector thinking they will get better pulls
oh forgot im on moms pc
🤣 Next time you gotta video them because that’s absurd!!!
Yeah that's the move I'm making now.. saving up for a Hobby.. come out better that way most likely
Buy Singles. Its far easier making money if that's your goal this way. Opening packs is just a scratch ticket. Don't do it. The hobby is going to go bust in a few years or sooner so collect what you want and brace.
Yup thats what I just started doing myself
People need to stop going to breakers
Sorry, I should just wait till the video is done before I start comments lol but I think what you do is well for me. I’d have to justify it by starting my break channel. That’s the only way I can justify the money I’m burning. I have two channels I just haven’t started them
It’s all good. I appreciate your insights and comments. Do whatever you want! It all is appreciated.
Doesn't it go both ways...If you hit as often as you did in the "good ol'days," wouldn't the cards be less valuable?
Sure it does but it’s a bit of a different beast than it was in the 90s. We didn’t have Walmarts/targets/hardware shops/pharmacies selling cards. I don’t even remember where I got cards from other than card shops or shows or stadiums. And the problem is now that they are ridiculously overpriced for what you get. And everyone going after that HYPE card drives demand up which then drives the prices up. Breakers create excitement which is great but some believe they get better cards than the person buying retail which then causes high expectations and overspending. It’s way more than just valuable or not valuable unfortunately. And I didn’t even mention the flippers. Phew, too much to go over! Ha. Thanks for checking in.
Anymore? Retail has been trash for decades
@@fastesteddiealive I’ve hit some good cards with retail.. nothing crazy but every now and then we open a pack or two. Kids like ripping - my daughter loves the holiday packs because she is always in search of Santa/elf/candy cane bats/elf hats/ and still looking for Mrs. Claus
dude makes this video but also promotes his insider for restocks😂
just because I'm not buying retail doesn't mean others won't
Hangers are bangers bud
Thanks for your comment, Mike. Retail has not been kind to a lot of people in my fb/discord groups and on here. Could also be regional as well. Hopefully it gets better in 2025.
I spent over 300 just on contenders football and got absolutely nothing it was such a letdown
Mega boxes?
@ yeah
What did you expect from legal gambling? Kinda like going to the casino. House always wins bud. Scratch offs aren't any better.
You are not wrong! Just hoping to open some blaster boxes for reasonable prices and maybe find a cool $20 card with my kids. Not 20, $1 cards. Topps/panini/etc. can do better with their qa/qc.
@@Sportscardhustlers Absolutely. It's about the kids. Or at least it was.....in my opinion. I started collecting in 1986. The big named sports card companies got greedy over the years. I go to the local card shop now and it's so overwhelming with the card choices I get vertigo 😂 I won't be buying much retail now with your PSA 👍
insider
@@lizowns33 You can access the insider club here. 👉 sportscardhustler.com
You have got to know what to buy my friend! Do your research know what to buy! I have had incredible luck with retail this year honestly! And I don't have the money to go in and spend three and four hundred dollars on boxes! I have the best luck when I go in Walmart and just buy one or two boxes it seems like I hit something every time! I went to Walmart last night and I bought one Donruss Football Blaster box for $27 maybe $30 and I pulled a $50 downtown from it. And I have pulled countless case hits this year buying boxes the same way! Don't go in and be greedy and buy every box on the shelf because that's probably karma kicking you in the butt and not letting you hit anything! I don't buy hobby boxes and even if I had the money I would not buy one! Because I have seen too many people lose their butts on them
I appreciate you changing/editing that comment because it was not going to be a good response. 🤣🤣But I was just trying to compare the two and how you get better tier cards from a hobby on average. Hobby boxes are ridiculously priced (everything is) and I am by no means saying to go out and buy hobby boxes…really only breakers do this anymore…I barely have enough $$ to go for a blaster box and open with my kids (I’m a teacher!). But overall on here, on some discords/reddits/fb groups that I am in, the hits have been way down with retail over the past year or so and we have a pretty good sample size from around the country in these groups. You are right though, you def. need to know what to buy. Everyone really needs to do their DD. ‘Preciate the comment.
If this were true there would be some way to identify the difference in products. Some kind of ID number on the boxes. Without that, it's purely conspiracy theory.
Dented boxes?? 🤣
@ scalpers weighing boxes is the only way this is happening. Otherwise, there would be a systematic way to identify better boxes going to hobby shops vs retail. Topps isn’t operating some massive conspiracy based on denting boxes.
@@friendo6257 I don’t know, but if I were Topps and had all this attention on breakers and it was garnering momentum towards the hobby, I would most definitely pack these boxes differently than retail. At least I would increase the hit rate with hobby which would then increase momentum with everywhere else increasing sales. There’s no conspiracy about it, it’s just logic and running a business.
@ that’s why you’re not running the company. You’d be caught engaging in fraud and would get fired, sued, and convicted of real crimes. Keep believing the conspiracy theory though
Yeah it’s your story, not m8ne
I reckon