Well Done Upper Deck

[10-4 collector]

I agree with everyone. I used to buy at least 10 cases per year. I think I bought 1 or 2 in 2020. I love breaking cases and selling but I don’t like being in the hole about 1000$ per case! I just buy stuff for my pc and invest in graded rookies. My joy in the hobby as been limited to that lately.

[Stryfex]

I had started another thread a week or so ago whining that series 2 PRE-orders were up to $125 (which is about $30 more than any other year) and that I was out as the price was just too high to make any sense

well since then it's now up to $150 to PRE-order boxes of series 2 (CDN)

insane

[canucksfan007]

Where are you guys getting boxes?

I have Artifacts available to me at $130CAD all in per box. Can pick up 4 tomorrow and most likely will.

While I do agree prices for wax have increased, so has the value of a lot of cards in the secondary market.


If you think its bad in Hockey, try opening Basketball or Football.

Contenders Football was just released .... SRP is $150USD and people are buying these boxes at $600 - $650USD.


You really just need to be on top of your game ordering early. The days of walking into your LCS and grabbing the hot new product are over. You need to secure your box(es) early. Im sure everyone saw how fast UD1 sold out, and the increase of their boxes literally 24 hours after release .... its foolish to think every other product wont be the same thing. Wait till we start getting into more limited products where your LCS will be even more heavily allocated .....


There is a lot more money floating around our hobby right now, and to think its just Superstar singles is wrong ...... other sports see whats happening with their cards and their boxes, its coming to Hockey

On the other hand, hockey collectors are mad UD1 cost $10-$20 more a box this year

[canucksfan007]

i'm not quite at quitting-stage - but I'm close.

The prices and quality of the wax is embarassing. I'm absolutely not buying into series 2 at the cost of wax for it - and that'll be the first time in many years that I don't buy a few boxes of series 1 or 2 (i did buy series 1 this year)

Tim Hortons actually makes sense from a cost-perspective - maybe i'll just shift to only collecting that

i also DGAF if it's UD vs distributors vs retailers ultimately causing the cost increase either - I blame UD for not controlling it like manufacturers do in just about any other industry

You know what the other manufactures do ....... create FOTL ( First off the Line - can only be purchased straight from Panini ) products that promise ONE extra numbered card or auto in your box. They completely bypass Distributors and Retailers .... sell solely on their site and often run Dutch Auctions.

For those of your who dont know what Dutch Auctions are, they start a box at lets say $10,000 a box, and every allotted time frame the price drops. Buyers can choose to hit the BIN whenever they want, and the auction goes till the boxes hit a minimum (like a reserve price) or they sell out.


And if anyone think my $10,000 starting price is crazy ..... keep this in mind:

2019/20 Panini NBA FOTL Eminence Basketball ( 10 cards per box ) - released earlier this year via Dutch Auction

Starting Prices - $50,000USD per box

Prices fall to minimum - $20,000USD per box


And here we are complaining our Hockey products are up what ..... 20 - 30% up on previous years. Inflation is everywhere, its bound to be in wax prices sooner or later. In al fairness, we probably paid $80 - $100CAD a box for 2005-06 Upper Deck Series 1 .... if UD 1 and 2 are only $30 - $50 more ..... 15 years later ..... thats not too bad

[10-4 collector]

Where are you guys getting boxes?

I have Artifacts available to me at $130CAD all in per box. Can pick up 4 tomorrow and most likely will.

While I do agree prices for wax have increased, so has the value of a lot of cards in the secondary market.


If you think its bad in Hockey, try opening Basketball or Football.

Contenders Football was just released .... SRP is $150USD and people are buying these boxes at $600 - $650USD.


You really just need to be on top of your game ordering early. The days of walking into your LCS and grabbing the hot new product are over. You need to secure your box(es) early. Im sure everyone saw how fast UD1 sold out, and the increase of their boxes literally 24 hours after release .... its foolish to think every other product wont be the same thing. Wait till we start getting into more limited products where your LCS will be even more heavily allocated .....


There is a lot more money floating around our hobby right now, and to think its just Superstar singles is wrong ...... other sports see whats happening with their cards and their boxes, its coming to Hockey

On the other hand, hockey collectors are mad UD1 cost $10-$20 more a box this year

Even at 130$ Artifacts is way too expensive. That is a ''good price'' since some stores are selling them for up to 199.99. And yes I am mad that boxes are up 10-20$, I would say more like 30-40$. Artifacts was 100$ at release no too long ago and there was an auto and 3 relics in every box. Half the boxes don’t have autos and 3 relics now. I am mad because I just can’t purchase anymore. Losing too much money. Also, 05-06 was way under 100$. I purchased my first case ever from 09-10 series 1. Paid 960$.

[Stryfex]

Inflation has absolutely nothing to do with it - box prices were sub-$100 CDN last year and even last series (so like 3 months ago) - box prices are only going up now because Distributors are charging whatever they want/can for them and retailers are marking that up accordingly to customers - which they are absolutely within their rights to do - the prices are effectively higher because of supply and demand.

It's not a foreign concept or mystifying in any way but it's annoying and angering since most of us complaining about this are in this as a HOBBY not working on our investment portfolios. Because cards are extremely heavily weighted to top-1% rookies almost everything else is worthless so for collectors just looking to enjoy their hobby the costs have risen waaaayyyyyy up to just build a set or enjoy the thrill of firing through some packs.

It's fine - all this complaining isn't going to do anything to change the industry because of the money involved - distributors are loooving it - but as hobbyists it's just driving us away to find other ways to enjoy our time (and money).

You know what the other manufactures do ....... create FOTL ( First off the Line - can only be purchased straight from Panini ) products that promise ONE extra numbered card or auto in your box. They completely bypass Distributors and Retailers .... sell solely on their site and often run Dutch Auctions.

For those of your who dont know what Dutch Auctions are, they start a box at lets say $10,000 a box, and every allotted time frame the price drops. Buyers can choose to hit the BIN whenever they want, and the auction goes till the boxes hit a minimum (like a reserve price) or they sell out.


And if anyone think my $10,000 starting price is crazy ..... keep this in mind:

2019/20 Panini NBA FOTL Eminence Basketball ( 10 cards per box ) - released earlier this year via Dutch Auction

Starting Prices - $50,000USD per box

Prices fall to minimum - $20,000USD per box


And here we are complaining our Hockey products are up what ..... 20 - 30% up on previous years. Inflation is everywhere, its bound to be in wax prices sooner or later. In al fairness, we probably paid $80 - $100CAD a box for 2005-06 Upper Deck Series 1 .... if UD 1 and 2 are only $30 - $50 more ..... 15 years later ..... thats not too bad

[10-4 collector]

Inflation has absolutely nothing to do with it - box prices were sub-$100 CDN last year and even last series (so like 3 months ago) - box prices are only going up now because Distributors are charging whatever they want/can for them and retailers are marking that up accordingly to customers - which they are absolutely within their rights to do - the prices are effectively higher because of supply and demand.

It's not a foreign concept or mystifying in any way but it's annoying and angering since most of us complaining about this are in this as a HOBBY not working on our investment portfolios. Because cards are extremely heavily weighted to top-1% rookies almost everything else is worthless so for collectors just looking to enjoy their hobby the costs have risen waaaayyyyyy up to just build a set or enjoy the thrill of firing through some packs.

It's fine - all this complaining isn't going to do anything to change the industry because of the money involved - distributors are loooving it - but as hobbyists it's just driving us away to find other ways to enjoy our time (and money).

I totally agree and retailers don’t care if they don't sell to customers, they’ll just throw boxes in overpriced group breaks, an easy quick way to get rid of their boxes and cases at ridiculous prices. When you add up the prices per team on some of these break, their profits are borderline ridiculous.

[canucksfan007]

Inflation has absolutely nothing to do with it - box prices were sub-$100 CDN last year and even last series (so like 3 months ago) - box prices are only going up now because Distributors are charging whatever they want/can for them and retailers are marking that up accordingly to customers - which they are absolutely within their rights to do - the prices are effectively higher because of supply and demand.

It's not a foreign concept or mystifying in any way but it's annoying and angering since most of us complaining about this are in this as a HOBBY not working on our investment portfolios. Because cards are extremely heavily weighted to top-1% rookies almost everything else is worthless so for collectors just looking to enjoy their hobby the costs have risen waaaayyyyyy up to just build a set or enjoy the thrill of firing through some packs.

It's fine - all this complaining isn't going to do anything to change the industry because of the money involved - distributors are loooving it - but as hobbyists it's just driving us away to find other ways to enjoy our time (and money).

Its not Distributors, its your LCS.

My LCS got their boxes for $100CAD from Distributors. Sold cases to regulars for $125 a box all in. The shop owners are gouging their customers

[10-4 collector]

Its not Distributors, its your LCS.

My LCS got their boxes for $100CAD from Distributors. Sold cases to regulars for $125 a box all in. The shop owners are gouging their customers

Are you sure they’re only paying 100$? 125$ a box all in, they’re left with about 10% profit. Not enough for a company to survive...

[canucksfan007]

Are you sure they’re only paying 100$? 125$ a box all in, they’re left with about 10% profit. Not enough for a company to survive...

Maybe $95??

And and LCS should not run solely based on Hockey cards. He does all sports, all TCG and figures / Warhammer.

Point is, its not the Distributor gouging stores, its your friendly LCS owner gouging you.

I bought 2 boxes today at $125 a piece …. no reason other LCS's are charging $200CAD a box

On a side note, his shelf price is $149.99 + tax. But when you buy from someone for years, and provide them a lot of retail spoils … where you make a little and they make a little ….. you get a little better deal