Buying WOTC booster packs to open = not the best idea

I’ve read that many people buy wotc boosters and then open them. Why would they do that?
I think that is such a poor decision from financial perspective.Price for a base set pack is about $80-90 per pack. Unless you pull a Charizard you loose money. Most of the holos you can get for like 15-25 bux in NM condition (besides Charizard). So what’s the point? Oh and did I mention that most likely you will get a weighed pack? Even if the seller says it’s unweighted.

Yep. Same thing it’s dumb to go to the casino and dumb to play the lottery. But people spend billions a year on them. Won’t ever change.

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As cincy said…it’s fun:)

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So many people LOVE @thecharizardauthorty doing all his booster pack opening videos… why? They get the thrill without spending the cash, but it’s that joy of opening a pack that makes people want one. I can’t wait to open some of my packs, but it is getting hard to open a booster box at this point.

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On rare occasions, I open a heavy vintage booster pack. It’s an exciting experience. Not everything has to be about turning a profit.

@jcincy101 , I don’t personally enjoy the casino, but if a person budgets properly and enjoys the night out then you can’t call that dumb. There’s value in an experience. Casinos put significant effort in to making people spend money and I don’t support that, but that’s another discussion.

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And therein lies the misunderstanding. Not everything is about making money.

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If you’re looking to make the fiscally responsible decision, you should not collect Pokemon cards at all!

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A lot of people do it for the views man! Got to rack up them YouTube views dude. I personally would never again open anything vintage and sealed, but I can totally see why people do. It’s a freaking blast to open up those packs! In the two years I’ve been collecting, when I first got back into collecting, I opened up two packs, both fossil Unlimited. In one I pulled a holo magneton and let me tell you, the joy I received from that was borderline immeasurable. It’s an awesome feeling pulling sweet cards from packs!

And on the casino note, casinos freaking rule cause most the time they have complementary soda!

^^^^^ Homerun comment!!!

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It depends you collect. Sometimes it’s easier to buy boosters for a common card which isn’t being listed on ebay.

I’m glad I didn’t take your “no collecting” advice 20 years ago😉

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I understand what you’re saying. Personally, I don’t see the point of opening loose packs unless you know 100% they weren’t weighed. It’s definitely a set up for disappointment. Maybe opening Neo Destiny for the chance at a Shiny or Pop Series 5, I think would be fun. If Given the chance to open any vintage booster box though, I definitely would regardless of loss. Just for the experience.

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People opening packs is the reason why sealed is a safe investment.

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I have a lot of fun opening these packs. They are not as financially terrible as you think. I do mine on youtube so that there is ad revenue, but also get a lot of EPN revenue (way more than youtube) from where others join in on the nostalgia trip and go buy something on ebay. There are also so many collectors out there. You can just about sell any PSA 10 for $20-$30 minimum, com/unc/rare, and a pack gives a decent shot at most non-holos.

Personally, opening packs here and there helps me now stay away from my sealed collection. I will gladly pay to open someone else’s packs or boxes.

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I can imagine the UnlistedLeaf videos brought a lot of traffic. People can say what they want about his over-the-top excitement regardless of pulls, but dude is obviously very talented at marketing and advertisement.

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That guy seems to love every box he buys as he keeps coming back for more. He is over the top but I love that he is professional about everything with me.

Another thing to add about opening these up is that I have gained so many new connections and people are constantly wanting to sell their collections. It keeps the ball rolling for business. I may run through some packs that wont make any money at all themselves, but it is hard to see immediately what is gained through all the extra conversations. Those same people just watching for a trip back to their childhood may turn into a collector really helping to build onto the Pokemon community

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As said before, it’s not always about money :blush: I bought some base and rocket Japanese packs recently to open and it was as awesome now as it was when I was 10 years old :blush:

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Actually, opening for youtube is a completely different story - you open on video, you get more views, you grow your channel, so basically you investing, so that’s not a waste. I was thinking more of a people who just buy for themselves and open them hoping to get a Zard.

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I have opened a stupid amount of packs and mostly post pokemongo hype. Looking at the numbers is sometimes unsettling, but watching the videos and looking at the cards I know I pulled from packs myself is well worth it!

Now, the majority of my collection is sealed packs and boxes. I hope one day money is not an impacting factor on my life so that I can open it all!

I rarely even send to PSA too. I am here to relive some of my happiest memories and create new ones as well in a binder. We are here for a short time, so enjoy it.

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It’s just an entertaining experience. You get $0 for going out to a concert, play, sports game, museum, amusement park, dinner, etc. But people pay to do it anyway for the experience.

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