2021 Gypsy Queen

vinnieb · 01-14-2021, 03:07 PM

How has the price of a hobby box increased over 50% in the past week (was $129.95 last week, is $199.95 now), before it's even been released? Is there any value at all in buying a box of these?

I was lucky enough to pick up two boxes of 2020 Gypsy Queen last year before the price gouging started, and, at about $90 per box, I still didn't get anywhere near that value back in the cards I pulled. Therefore, at nearly $9.00 per pack, how can you possibly expect anywhere near that value back in what you pull from this set?

And, yes, I know that you shouldn't expect to get a 1 to 1 price to value ratio when buying cards, but why are people willing to spend that much for this set in particular. I can make the same argument for a box of Topps Series 1 for $130, but that's a post for another day.

It seems like we are all stuck in the middle of a battle between the LCSs of the world and the flippers, where the flippers buy up all of the supply (hobby and retail) at one price point, throw it up on e-bay at 20-50% mark-up and the LCS then counters by pricing the items at or near the flippers price, and we all lose. And it sucks. It's not a fun hobby if you can't walk into a Target or Walmart and casually pick up a pack or two. Having to fight flippers and/or bribe someone at Walmart to get the stocker's schedule in order to maybe be able to buy retail packs the second they are put on the shelves is not fun. Having to pay a 25-50% premium to counter the flippers is also not fun. Having to say "sorry, no cards again today" to your kids every time you go to Target is not fun. I don't know, maybe I'm just a whiney little baby, but this seems unsustainable as an industry.

01-14-2021, 03:07 PM	#1
vinnieb Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 227	2021 Gypsy Queen How has the price of a hobby box increased over 50% in the past week (was $129.95 last week, is $199.95 now), before it's even been released? Is there any value at all in buying a box of these? I was lucky enough to pick up two boxes of 2020 Gypsy Queen last year before the price gouging started, and, at about $90 per box, I still didn't get anywhere near that value back in the cards I pulled. Therefore, at nearly $9.00 per pack, how can you possibly expect anywhere near that value back in what you pull from this set? And, yes, I know that you shouldn't expect to get a 1 to 1 price to value ratio when buying cards, but why are people willing to spend that much for this set in particular. I can make the same argument for a box of Topps Series 1 for $130, but that's a post for another day. It seems like we are all stuck in the middle of a battle between the LCSs of the world and the flippers, where the flippers buy up all of the supply (hobby and retail) at one price point, throw it up on e-bay at 20-50% mark-up and the LCS then counters by pricing the items at or near the flippers price, and we all lose. And it sucks. It's not a fun hobby if you can't walk into a Target or Walmart and casually pick up a pack or two. Having to fight flippers and/or bribe someone at Walmart to get the stocker's schedule in order to maybe be able to buy retail packs the second they are put on the shelves is not fun. Having to pay a 25-50% premium to counter the flippers is also not fun. Having to say "sorry, no cards again today" to your kids every time you go to Target is not fun. I don't know, maybe I'm just a whiney little baby, but this seems unsustainable as an industry.