2 Questions

[alibas]

1. Approx. what % of boxes (the ones around $100) contain enough value to cover the cost of the box.
2. What is your approx NET annual outlay on cards.

[joshpackham]

1. I'll go out on a limb and say 2%, remember to break boxes for fun, not return value
2. Personally, since I'm only a player collector I try to keep it to $100-$150 a month

[DeanCrandall]

1. Don't know never break boxes, wouldn't guess that percentage is higher then 10%, when you think the math/economics. Some boxes would be substantially higher with the 1/1 hits or other big hits. I would say any box which contains 1 of the 2 key rookies that year or a Crosby/Ovechkin/Gretzky auto would cover the price of the box, so whatever that percentage is. That's the gamble box breakers enjoy.

2. Annual output, always higher then most of us want to admit , all part of the addiction :) In my case at least above $6000/yr. And that is NET since I have never sold a card. Less then 2 years collecting, main part of collection over 60 Tavares autos (140 non-autos) and 70 Bossy autos.

[kroetche]

1. I would say about 5% of those boxes cover the cost. Nobody realy want base or inserts now a days. Even gamers and autos are starting to become a "dime a dozen" But people will still buy them just like they do lottery tickets!!

2. I spend about $2000 a year on cards

[FlamesFan2428]

I found that whenever I bought a box of cards I wouldn't come close to get the same value I paid for the box. So now instead of paying $100 for a box I just spend $100 on cards I would enjoy. I enjoy it better this way, of course the excitement of opening packs is gone but I'm happy with putting my money with the cards I will want to keep.

[Blargh]

If you base it on Beckett BV, 98+% of all boxes exceed what you pay. If you base it on real life, I'd say 5% or less.
I spend about $1000. More if I make it to a show or two during that year.

[edthesandwich]

1) There's a caveat to this question. If you go ahead and buy something that has just come out (and I mean JUST ... like, that day or within the first three days) and sell it quickly, you will usually make 25-50%. Rarely less. Often more. After that first week, ROI plummets like the Colorado Avalanche down the standings.

2) I spent over $7,000 last year. This year? Probably a tenth of that. New mouth to feed ... had to adjust my priorities accordingly. :)

[Fred Bear]

1) It depends on the product and when you are busting it. As has been said, when a product is 'new', it is 'worth' much more because there is higher demand. If we reserve ourselves to 'new' product, on a low-end product the 'value' is there about 5-10% of the time (1-2 boxes in a 20-box case). On the high-end product, it seems much, much worse because the products are much more 'swingy' (i.e. the low-end is much worse than the box price), but the 'value' is there in probably 17%, give or take, of the time (1 box in a 6-box case of The Cup or 2 boxes in 12 of SP Authentic or similar).

2) This is a hobby and everyone needs to decide for themselves what they can afford. My budget swings from year-to-year depending on a number of factors.

[iamthej]

I would agree with the 5% mark. For the excitement factor, I usually buy Jersey Auto Lots on eBay. Ones with blurry pics so I don't know what I'm getting!
It usually works out to around $1 - $1.25 /card

As for what I spend... Depends on the year but probably around 2000

[marekschwarz33]

1. Less than 10% of boxes contain enough to cover the cost of the box.
2. I personally do not spend much. I will just put an average guess at around $200 a year net. I probably spend more, but am able to make quite a bit by breaking up lots bought from local dealers and selling individually. This is probably outside the norm though, plently of others spend a lot more!