Kids today are priced out of the hobby

[MadduxTheGoat]

I have a 13 yo. His allowance is 125 a mo and extra if he takes on extra. He wants to get into collecting but he doesn’t have the budget. When I was ripping packs in the 80s it was cheap.

[onenineeightsix]

Sounds like with his allowance he’s been adjusted for inflation. Grab a blaster or two at Walmart. I got a $5/ week allowance when I was maybe 9-10. Got two packs at the LCS with it every time. $125 a month as an allowance is most definitely not “priced out”.

[LittleJimmies]

$125 is a great budget for singles.

[no10pin]

He's priced out with a $125 monthly allowance at 13 years old? What exactly do you think he should be able to buy at 13?

Packs were .40 when I was 13, but it's not like I was buying multiple boxes every month.

[fabiani12333]

Buy singles and collect. Pack ripping is for adults with disposable income to burn.

[KhalDrogo]

Increase his allowance to $1250 a month.

[mc1]

Base sets, maybe!

[EBCollectibles]

Some kids maybe priced out. I seen two 13 year kids at a show in N.C that had over $5000 ea in their pockets. I could no believe what I seen.

[Triple B]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Increase his allowance to $1250 a month.

This. Sounds like needs to be spoiled more.

[swerve]

Sounds like an opportunity to teach about budgeting. $125/mo can easily buy some nice cards, or save up a few months to buy a better card. Same can be said for wax if that is what he is most interested in.

[discodanman45]

$125 on COMC can go a long way. Now if your kid is watching Geoff Wilson or his son on Card Kids, he will be upset because he can't invest.

I just started a new collection of on card autographed cards of golfers with major championships. I bought 6 off of COMC for $25 combined. $125 is not enough for collecting? :P

[LVDan]

My card allowance doesn’t sniff $125/mo currently
Teach him how to flip bums maybe.

[JeremyNick]

Responsible adults are priced out of the mainstream hobby right now.

Fanatics is going full Donner Party on the hobby right now.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

Responsible adults are priced out of the mainstream hobby right now.

Fanatics is going full Donner Party on the hobby right now.

They are priced out on the wax with breaking, but the secondary market is fantastic.

[Braswell10]

I am sure most people here were only getting base and rookies of their favorite players when they were 13 years old. Base cards of the best players and various rookies can be had for literally a couple dollars each.

He is definitely not priced out. Now, if he wants to collect only 1/1s, Flawless, or pre war vintage, then yes, he is priced out. $125 a month is more than enough for a 13 year old to start a nice collection, you just have to be there to help set expectations.

Also if he wants to open product just buy retail stuff, or he can buy Topps heritage or Topps flagship products, which can be had for less than $125 a box.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by discodanman45

They are priced out on the wax with breaking, but the secondary market is fantastic.

No it’s not.

I mean you can still participate in the hobby if you are smart, but there is no rationality in a significant portion of the secondary market.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

$125 a month!!! Holy crap! My allowance growing up was $0. I got cards/comics occasionally for good behavior, birthdays, and Christmas.

$125 a month is exactly 5 blasters from Target a month. That will help him build a great collection in no time. As other have said, he can also buy nice singles of his favorite players.

Kids don’t need to buy hobby boxes to be involved in the hobby!

[Brady7799]

so many ways to enjoy this hobby. if i can't find a way to enjoy baseball cards with $125 a month, then i'd be looking for another hobby.

$125 a month into a platform like comc could turn into so much more. buy and sell singles (don't want to say the dreaded flip word around here lol) and build up your credit to buy a card you really want. or if ripping wax is the only way to enjoy the hobby, then cash out with BO and send some wax home.

[majestik101]

This 'hobby' isn't for kids anymore. Hasn't been for kids for a couple of years now.

Also $125/month allowance? Moneybags Richie Rich.

[Brady7799]

Originally Posted by majestik101

This 'hobby' isn't for kids anymore. Hasn't been for kids for a couple of years now.

agree here. returned to the hobby in 2016 and realized quick, this hobby was for guys like me (junk wax kid) more than for the kids.

nostalgia rules but i've had to constantly evolve how i hobby to end up where i am now and i'm loving it.

[Philthy]

There are a lot of adult collectors with a smaller budget than $125/month.

You can buy a lot of cool singles for that.

[ClevelandIC]

There are plenty of products he can get a hobby box or two for that price per month. Build sets, pull some decent hits or like many have said buy singles with.

I would suggest a Panini Draft Pick product or Panini USA product if he wants more volume. Can help with watching college baseball or "prospecting" minor leaguers.

If you want new products with stars and shots at big hits Flagship Topps has been providing this for years. Can open 2021 Series 1 Hobby Box with plenty of history (70 years of Topps Inserts), star studded base checklist and the chance at decent hits!

2023 Topps Series 2 Hangers will miss on major stars (because they're in Series 1) but has a deep RC checklist he can track for years, pull some redemption inserts (Topps Now & Home Run Challenge) and the WBC Inserts are pretty awesome to extend past current MLB.

A lot of people feel priced out of "The Hobby" but there are so many ways to enjoy and attack cards than just ripping wax but ripping wax is still very possible if you do a little research and know exactly what you want to get when ripping.

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by MadduxTheGoat

I have a 13 yo. His allowance is 125 a mo and extra if he takes on extra. He wants to get into collecting but he doesn’t have the budget. When I was ripping packs in the 80s it was cheap.

If your kid is thinking he can't collect cards on $125 a month then you have bigger problems.

[ClevelandIC]

Also, $125 Per Month. This is a troll post right? If I had $125 even now to start fresh with baseball cards I could buy a LOT of cards.

Originally Posted by ClevelandIC

There are plenty of products he can get a hobby box or two for that price per month. Build sets, pull some decent hits or like many have said buy singles with.

I would suggest a Panini Draft Pick product or Panini USA product if he wants more volume. Can help with watching college baseball or "prospecting" minor leaguers.

If you want new products with stars and shots at big hits Flagship Topps has been providing this for years. Can open 2021 Series 1 Hobby Box with plenty of history (70 years of Topps Inserts), star studded base checklist and the chance at decent hits!

2023 Topps Series 2 Hangers will miss on major stars (because they're in Series 1) but has a deep RC checklist he can track for years, pull some redemption inserts (Topps Now & Home Run Challenge) and the WBC Inserts are pretty awesome to extend past current MLB.

A lot of people feel priced out of "The Hobby" but there are so many ways to enjoy and attack cards than just ripping wax but ripping wax is still very possible if you do a little research and know exactly what you want to get when ripping.

[Bcr]

I can assure you your kid is not priced out of the hobby at $125 a month. Plenty of lower end options available for wax or singles. If they are only interested in the higher end items I would suggest a different hobby until they get a job.