Opening packs for inserts

[burlsink]

I have seen ebay sellers who claim they can guarantee a pack they are selling contains an auto or gu. They say it's easy to tell. Does anyone know how this is done? The auto cards are usually similar to a regular card and I know the companies are using tricks to combat the feeling method. I'm thinking a marking or code on the wrapper somewhere. One of the packs they were selling was 2003 bowman chrome. I just won 100 packs from ebay (pulled $150+ bv for $80) and went through each pack after opening them and didn't see any difference except the black marks under the flap. Unfortunately I didn't see the auctions till after I had already trashed all the wrappers so couldn't compare which packs had inserts. I'm just curious, it would be great to have a trick to pull the good packs from the walmart.

On a side note, walmart occasionally has good boxes. I recently bought (2) 2003 Flair Hobby for $30 each. I only saw 2 in all the walmarts in town (5).

I collect Jaguar cards (all players from when they were on team). I am selling or trading everything else. My ebay store is Super Heroes Etc if you want to see some of my better stuff and I have another 100 cards I'm working on.

[Really Big Show]

Pack searching is quite frowned upon in this hobby. Prepare to get blasted by the members for asking this question.

If you were buying cards at Walmart and all the "good packs" were already searched through, you'd be pissed off.

As far as the scummy pack searchers, there is no code or marks on the packs. What they do is open boxes/cases, and pull all the good cards, then they take the leftovers that they know will have a game-used or auto in it and either feel it, weigh it, or more likely reseal it.

[Snowmanlikeme]

All i can say to you is fill your pm box so as not to get any scary pm's from upset collectors. Your kind of asking for it when you ask how best to pack search. Good luck to you.

[burlsink]

I didn't think there was a way to tell, but I figured that ebay seller may have figured something out. Our stores here are terrible for searchers. I have bought a pack that was opened at the top and since then make sure the packs I buy are sealed. I have tried to feel as I'm sure everyone does occasionally, but gave that up and now just pick random packs. I keep telling myself to give up buying packs because I never get any good cards from them.

[pwaldo]

I don't get why anybody would waste money on these since if they were so great then the seller would have opened them. But your in America and you can do what you want I guess.

Since you asked though I'll tell you where 99% of these come from.

The people get a crappy game used or autograph and then with the correct amount of cards they reseal the pack that they opened so that they "know" it contains a game used or autograph.

Then people buy the pack for $15 thinking they will get some $500 autograph and get some nobody that the guy normally wouldn't have been able to sell for $3 in his shop or whatever.

[burlsink]

That makes sense. And maybe they put out some good pulls so there feedback will reflect it.

[SingleDaddyof2]

For a setbuilder/dedicated packbuster like me, buying buying sealed boxes is the way to go. I usually go to the local cardshow (which is held twice weekly) where I see the same selection of dealers all the time--no one-time rip-off artists! Occasionally, I'll buy sealed retail boxes, too. With sealed boxes, I don't have to worry about pack feelers rummaging through my packs. The hard part is saving enough money to afford boxes of cards.

[pwaldo]

Originally posted by burlsink
That makes sense. And maybe they put out some good pulls so there feedback will reflect it.

Yeah sure why not. They could also include cards made out of solid gold and pixie dust in there. You'll never know until you open them.

[CrawfordFan13]

IF you pack search-pack feel thats pathetic I thought it was a hobby for having fun and getting cards of players you like not oooh I got a GU Im gonna go sell it. Youll be looked down on if you packsearch.

[pr0phet]

Yeah, most of the members have very little hope for somebody thats wants in on pack searching.

I have heard many things my self from pack searchers and know how its done but the biggest one is the box code. They have dedicated sites in which they can look at the box code to get the necessary pack with a gu/auto. Once they find that they they sell it on ebay for double the hobby price.

If you have connections to a shopko-walmart-target. To be able to get at all the fresh boxes get 10-20 packs your looking at a 200 dollar payday+

that is the only way I will say for now.

Jay