Long time collector's - Buying Habits in 2019-20

[Stackfan]

Just curious what other long time basketball collectors buying habits were in 2019-20... and did they change much; compared to years past?? I'm talking like folks that have been collecting basketball at least the last 5 years.


Personally i typically buy a handful of boxes per year and maybe spend about 1500$-2500$ per year on cards.

In 2019- 20 ... out the gate i purchased quite a good amount. Think i spent about 2K alone in Prizm hobby on day one; and didn't get much to speak of. Got some retail prizm, some optic retail and Hobby; then one hobby box of select and Mosaic ; and 2 Court Kings... Spent maybe 4-5K total this year/season' up until about June/July this year with about the same amount of actual boxes in years past due to 2-3x prices. Really didn't get many special cards this year; considering how much i spent. I just can't justify these prices anymore. Especially at the rate it's being produced. Have others curbed their wax spending this year?? Or had MORE success and bought in more??

At this rate; i'm not going to even bother much with next years products; until things settle down. I'll keep an eye out for singles; and continue to sell my other cards. At "normal" prices i'd be in; but 200-300$ for a box of hoops... i'll pass. I don't even want to guess on next years prizm prices. yikes.

[Arianny_Fan]

Before Covid I could buy Kobe refractors for $50 all day. Nowadays I've been buying prizms of new school guys like Curry, Kawhi, etc.
Pretty sad times

[mindcycle]

Sell hype, buy PC. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve haven’t broken any wax for at least 2 years.

[drobfan8]

I never bust.

But grabbed some cheap retail Packs of Mosaic and Court Kings because I was able to preorder some in Australia. Can't wait for the flood.

I will continue to mainly purchase singles as that is the best way to not lose the farm in this "Hobby"

[regularp]

I was able to get a box of Hobby, Retail and Cello Prizm at MSRP. That was the only wax I broke this year. Couldn't find any retail after Prizm released.

I've been consolidating into rarer, high end cards as well as low pop ones as the year goes on, especially with the insane increase in prices for fairly common cards. I'm old school in the belief that rare will always command a premium and continue to rise in price even if the market at large regresses.

[ThoseBackPages]

as a collector of retail wax, it was a rough year

[thelistofjustin]

Originally Posted by mindcycle

Sell hype, buy PC. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve haven’t broken any wax for at least 2 years.

Same. My Barkley collection got way better thanks to MJP bubble hype.

[myusasets]

wow never big on panini, ended my wax buying. buy hoops set each year, two team sets hoops also. usa offerings base only, most are a joke now and don't care for 3-16 colors of the same card. bust a few packs for fun. pick up a rookie here and there. mostly just build older sets pre 2008 and upgrade vintage here and there. sell or give away enough to keep the number of cards as even as i can, and the dollars going out close to the dollars coming in. works for me.

[flashinitup]

Spent less than $500 on opening Wax in 2020, and sold a bunch of raw base from those openings for over $1500 already after the COVID base boom, with another $500 or so left in value to sell. I didn't get a single big hit, it was all just base, which goes to show you how insanely overpriced base got during that peak. I am not holding any base long-term and want no part in it.

2020 on the whole was all about the PC though. Anything I sold and profited from, I put the money back into my PC and got some awesome cards that I am really happy and proud to have acquired. Moving forward, my strategy is going to be to continue to sell off my sealed wax to create cash flow to go after some big cards which I have been after for a while but haven't really surfaced. To be ready on the sidelines.

Regardless of if Base has another massive boom come the start of the next season, I don't really care. I have learned that money spent on singles for my PC is actually the best money spent.

[Archangel1775]

I just bought retail but with how hard it is to find, I haven't bought anything since the Prizm Blasters earlier this year. Not basketball but I'm seeing Facebook littered with Mosaic retail boxes at $30 each. One guy had 10 cases. I hope they do the same with retail basketball this year. 1990 Hoops all over again.

[jcardstore]

I probably fell into that $1000-2000 a year range for the last couple years but I’ve doubled it this year, at least.

I had boxes of stuff that was absolutely worthless until this summer and I sold a ton of it. I don’t really know what I spent on it exactly but I know it was pennies compared to what I sold stuff for. I’ve essentially used all that money and reinvested it into mostly KPJ.

I had a fairly large Triston McKenzie PC that I just sold recently and I’m investing that money as well.

This year is different for me because I’ve decided to look at what I buy as investments. I see lots of people very successful with it and there’s no reason why, if I didn’t put some thought and effort in, that I couldn’t be successful too.

I’ve kept records for all of the KPJ and Cam Reddish cards, what I paid for them plus the shipping and taxes etc... I intend to flip everything and reinvest that money and so on.

I think with a little time I’ll be able to find a sweet spot with 2nd year players after the rookie hype dies down. Maybe I’ll try my hand at grading eventually

[DajuanWagner]

2020 is the year to sell......


With all the sneakerheads/GravyVee sheeple/investorbois/get-rich-quick-20 year old flippers, etc. the hobby is littered with money. This is good if you are a seller (or a Mart/Target/Meijer with retail), but a collector is going to struggle.

Finding deals/steals in 2020 is dam near impossible. And I ain't talking no first year Optic holo of Curry for $350.00. That might be a steal in the year 2020, but give me the good-ol'-days prices of 2019 when buying was affordable. Will we ever go back to 2019 prices? Doubtful. So, this might just be the new age of collecting. People call it "the junk wax era". Really? I thought the junk wax era was boxes for $5.00 a piece (like 90 Fleer basketball). Where can I find the new wax for $5.00 a piece?

Maybe next year will be different.....


Then again........

[byronscott4ever]

Junk wax my axx....

Still buying PC stuff, stocking up on veterans (but harder to do)

Buying retail wax for fun if it’s found

Selling base off when possible