Is this really a steal?

Jdurg

E-Bay Link

Now I wonder, is this really a steal considering how worthless the cards contained within really are? I just thought I'd bid $0.25 on this set as I need an unopened 1988 Wax Pack for my collection. Little did I know I'd win the auction for one penny. Lol.

EagleEyeKid

If the pack is for your collection, then that's all that should matter regardless of what you paid for it. On the other hand, do I think it's a steal? My answer is NO. You won it for .01 plus $4 for s/h so you paid $4.01 for the pack. You can generally get these packs for .25-.50. A box for around $5.00. I just realized that if this seller can get $4.01 per pack, that's $144 for the box....wow!

mreuter

If it's worth it to you, what does it matter, I go overboard for Tim Dwight cards I need and a lot of people think I'm crazy, including myself.
I thought this was kind of funny, the guy has 7500 feedback, I checked back quite a ways and they were all from selling cards, yet every auction states he doesn't know anything about them. I think it is impossible to have that many and not know what they are. Also, if you look in the feedback comments, several times people responded that his "huge lots" contain 24 cards with duplicates.

hotmush

Beware a bit. I bought a few unopened packs from this guy in an auction that closed Feb. 24. Still haven't gotten them. That's the longest I've had to wait for an e-bay delivery in ages.

Jdurg

<< <i>If the pack is for your collection, then that's all that should matter regardless of what you paid for it. On the other hand, do I think it's a steal? My answer is NO. You won it for .01 plus $4 for s/h so you paid $4.01 for the pack. You can generally get these packs for .25-.50. A box for around $5.00. I just realized that if this seller can get $4.01 per pack, that's $144 for the box....wow! >>



True, but no matter where you go there will be a shipping charge. That is, unless you know of someone selling packs and not charging anything for shipping?

EagleEyeKid

There are several shops in my area with this stuff. One has alot of 1988 - 1990 baseball, basketball, hockey, and football for .50 a pack in large bins. They can't move them. Buy 10 for $4 and so on with discounts. I occasionally pick this stuff up when I'm bored and feel like ripping. Bottomline is, a lot of shops will still have this stuff just sitting on shelves collecting dust. I know it's a hassle to go look for this cheap stuff when sleezbay is at your fingertips.

Jdurg

Well where I am (Southeast, Connecticut) there are literally no baseball card shops any more. There used to be one around a few years ago, but he had to pack up shop due to increasing rent costs and virtually no business. Every now and then I do see a shop in a shopping plaza, but every time I try and go there the shop is closed even though it's during their business hours. So my ability to walk into a shop and look around is gone. It's kind of sad really, but all of the card shops around here died in the early to mid 90's when baseball card collecting itself died. We used to have card shows all over the place every year, but I don't remember when the last one was. So I need to rely on E-Bay and the online world as my "card shows".

I was thinking about just getting a box of the cards from the later eras (something I may be forced to do for some years) but then I'd have a huge inventory of spare packs of cards that I would really have no use for and, judging from the fact that I won this auction for $0.01, there probably isn't a whole lot of demand for them. (And right as I'm typing this the Fed-Ex man showed up with my package from BBCEX. I feel like a little kid again seeing these packs of cards. I may now have to get involved in the next box rip that is done here as I haven't had this feeling of excitement in a long time).

Anyway, here is a REAL steal! I couldn't believe the closing price was this low. Only $67 total for the set, and the only other place I've seen it sells it for $119 plus shipping. Yeah the shipping seems a bit high, but these sets weight a ton. The package I got which had the D-Rays set and the Marlins and Rockies sets weighed a TON. I was happy to have gotten free shipping on that one. Winning that auction completed my Inaugural parallel search. Something I didn't think I'd finish for a long, long time.

colebear

<< <i>Anyway, here is a REAL steal! I couldn't believe the closing price was this low. Only $67 total for the set, and the only other place I've seen it sells it for $119 plus shipping. Yeah the shipping seems a bit high, but these sets weight a ton. The package I got which had the D-Rays set and the Marlins and Rockies sets weighed a TON. I was happy to have gotten free shipping on that one. Winning that auction completed my Inaugural parallel search. Something I didn't think I'd finish for a long, long time. >>



I would question sales like this. The way these sets were sealed were with a topps iconed cellophane and the cellophane on this set does not look to have it. This can only mean one thing that the random cards inserted in this set have been looked at or replaced with a card of less value. I may be wrong but I supersized the picture and did not see a Topps logo on the cellophane. Hopefully I am just suspect, but be wary.

Boopotts

<< <i>

<< <i>If the pack is for your collection, then that's all that should matter regardless of what you paid for it. On the other hand, do I think it's a steal? My answer is NO. You won it for .01 plus $4 for s/h so you paid $4.01 for the pack. You can generally get these packs for .25-.50. A box for around $5.00. I just realized that if this seller can get $4.01 per pack, that's $144 for the box....wow! >>



True, but no matter where you go there will be a shipping charge. That is, unless you know of someone selling packs and not charging anything for shipping? >>




You can probably pick up an entire box for $10-$12 delivered. Seems a little strange to a) pay $4 for a 1988 Topps pack, and b) feel so proud of it that you'd start a thread about it. But, hey-- if you're happy then I'm happy.

Jdurg

<< <i>

I would question sales like this. The way these sets were sealed were with a topps iconed cellophane and the cellophane on this set does not look to have it. This can only mean one thing that the random cards inserted in this set have been looked at or replaced with a card of less value. I may be wrong but I supersized the picture and did not see a Topps logo on the cellophane. Hopefully I am just suspect, but be wary. >>



Actually, these weren't sealed with a Topps Logo Cellophane. I picked up the D-Rays version from a reputable dealer and the cellophane only has a sticker on there stating "Limited Edition of 5000" and then the individual number. There's not a logo to be seen. In addition, this seller has sold these sets before and the feedback has been positive. In addition, this is a parallel set. Each card has a gold-foil logo on it. As long as the cards have the foil logo on it then I'm happy. This is a legit set and I'm willing to put my life on the line to prove it. When it gets here, I'll take photos along with the other three Inaugural sets I have. I also just looked at BBCEX and see that none of the Topps sets have logo cellophane wrapping on them until you get to the year 2000, then the sets have the Topps logo on the cellophane.



<< <i>You can probably pick up an entire box for $10-$12 delivered. Seems a little strange to a) pay $4 for a 1988 Topps pack, and b) feel so proud of it that you'd start a thread about it. But, hey-- if you're happy then I'm happy. >>



Well, I'm happy because I won an auction for a penny. I had never done that before. Plus, I don't want a whole box. I just wanted one pack. Having a boatload of 1988 Topps cards around isn't all that great of an idea for me. In addition, I can't just throw them away so basically I'd be paying $15 plus shipping for one pack of cards and a bunch of packs taking up room.

Boopotts

<< <i>

<< <i>

I would question sales like this. The way these sets were sealed were with a topps iconed cellophane and the cellophane on this set does not look to have it. This can only mean one thing that the random cards inserted in this set have been looked at or replaced with a card of less value. I may be wrong but I supersized the picture and did not see a Topps logo on the cellophane. Hopefully I am just suspect, but be wary. >>



Actually, these weren't sealed with a Topps Logo Cellophane. I picked up the D-Rays version from a reputable dealer and the cellophane only has a sticker on there stating "Limited Edition of 5000" and then the individual number. There's not a logo to be seen. In addition, this seller has sold these sets before and the feedback has been positive. In addition, this is a parallel set. Each card has a gold-foil logo on it. As long as the cards have the foil logo on it then I'm happy. This is a legit set and I'm willing to put my life on the line to prove it. When it gets here, I'll take photos along with the other three Inaugural sets I have. I also just looked at BBCEX and see that none of the Topps sets have logo cellophane wrapping on them until you get to the year 2000, then the sets have the Topps logo on the cellophane.



<< <i>You can probably pick up an entire box for $10-$12 delivered. Seems a little strange to a) pay $4 for a 1988 Topps pack, and b) feel so proud of it that you'd start a thread about it. But, hey-- if you're happy then I'm happy. >>



Well, I'm happy because I won an auction for a penny. I had never done that before. Plus, I don't want a whole box. I just wanted one pack. Having a boatload of 1988 Topps cards around isn't all that great of an idea for me. In addition, I can't just throw them away so basically I'd be paying $15 plus shipping for one pack of cards and a bunch of packs taking up room. >>



Well, I can certainly relate to not wanting an entire box of 1988 Topps kicking around the house. I missed where you mentioned that it was for a pack collection. Seen in that light the purchase makes more sense.

Jdurg

<< <i>[Well, I can certainly relate to not wanting an entire box of 1988 Topps kicking around the house. I missed where you mentioned that it was for a pack collection. Seen in that light the purchase makes more sense. >>



Yeah, that's probably why I could not seem to find anybody selling just one pack. The only things they were selling were boxes or cases. 1988 Topps has to be the most worthless set in the existance of baseball. No really good rookies in there, nothing spectacular or rare, nothing good at all. One of these days if I move onto full box collecting I may decide to pick up a box, but I'm pretty sure I can start that collection ten or twenty years from now and these cards will still cost the same.