Price Check: English Base 1st edition Boosters

So, the original WOTC packs didn’t each contain one holofoil? I’m almost certain the original Japanese packs each contained a holo.

EDIT: Seems I am wrong, at least for the Japanese Base packs.

The English packs did not all contain a holo, the Japanese packs did.

Thanks for the feedback/correction. Do you happen to know if these ratios were documented anywhere? I checked some packs I have here, but none of them indicate the breakdown.

No, you’re the only one :rofl:

Again, thanks for the info…

I recently opened 24 JP. base set booster packs and received 10 holos, right around that 1/3 pull rate. (*1.25/3 off the top of my head)

Also just to throw my 2cents in, weighing packs should not be justified because of monetary gains/losses. It’s like trying to justify Coca-Cola representatives blowing up a Pepsi factory so Coke can make more money. Obviously maybe not THAT serious, but it should give an idea how unaccepted weighing packs in the hobby is to most of us collectors.

Thanks for all the reactions!

I decided I won’t weigh the packs. I never did before, but because these packs cost a lot more than other English Boosters I gave it my thought.
But what will happen with the packs I weighed and sell as weighed?
Will people keep them in a Booster collection, or will the resell them as “normal” packs in hope of making a profit??

I don’t want to be a part of that. So I decided to sell them all sealed and not weighed, and maybe in the future I’ll open some Boosters based on luck.
It maybe isn’t the smartest thing to do, but I don’t mind.
At the end I’m not in Pokémon for the money, but for the fun of collecting. And I know how it feels to open packs that were sold to me as normal but were 100% weighed (20 Neo Destiny Boosters and not a single Holo).

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Expect both, it totally depends what buyers motives are. You should just focus getting best buck out of your items. :blush:

If you have an itch to open old booster packs, why not buy some older packs that are A LOT cheaper?

Just to clarify…

Nobody was encouraging abv to bring weighed packs into the market (possibly even unnoted). Weighing them was just an advice if he decided to open any number of packs and keep the remaining for his sealed booster collection and in that situation to avoid pulling trainers and having holos packed away.

But luckily there is no need to go on with this (altough I would really like to, considering some of the silly stuff that has been said) since a decision was made, so best of luck for selling your packs @abv150!

I know. I asked what I have for options and what will bring in the most money. And weighing is an option. But it’s an option I won’t use so nobody has to discuss it any more.

I’ll try to sell some packs. If they don’t sell maybe open some in the future. Maybe just keep them all sealed and wait what prices will do in 5 years time. I’m not in a hurry to sell them, but with the money I could buy other great cards when I do. And more cards is always a good thing!! :wink:

The only silly thing about this discussion, which go figure, the topic only spawned in the past few years when the fast money guys appeared, is that weighing packs in general is not logically sound.

Weighing packs only works on an individual level. If everyone did it, not only would it stop working, but it would destroy the market. The only reason second hand individuals have the option to weigh packs is because pokemon and the large distributors who they purchased their box/packs from did not. If every distributor buying thousands of boxes weighed everything, it would ruin the market.

Imagine if pokemon shared this lovely mentality of selling packs that were weighed and not weighed. Would they charge more for weighed packs? How do you justify a price point? EX cards range dramatically. More specifically, the majority of people buying new packs are players. A large bulk are parents buying for kids. These players/customers who dictate the market exist because they can buy a few booster boxes and get good playable cards. If they had to buy everything individually, and even more absurdly, through weighed and unweighed packs, it would be a huge disincentive.

Moreover, the packs were not intended to be distributed this way. They were supposed to be random. I had a 19 year old customer who went to target and weighed packs in the store, and left the rest. Oh and he also did not finish a payment plan and constantly re-negotiated. Point being, the idea only works for people who are looking at it individually. If you understand how business works, as this customer was clearly young and only saw his own personal gain, it would bother you more than just, “I got mine and I am fine”.

The bottom line is that people who weigh packs typically do not see the short sided aspect of it all. Sure, guys selling stating they weigh packs is better than ones who do not. However, that almost sounds like a legal waiver/statement that you hear at the end of a commercial. Well I told them they would get diarrhea, so I am free and clear of any ethical dilemma. No, the issue is that the diarrhea shouldn’t occur at all. If the product were sold as it was intended, it wouldn’t create diarrhea, it only does because of the second hand individual weighing it and re-selling it.

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Do you notice that you are blowing this way out of proportion just to make a point?

This advice was given in an individual case regarding a handful of packs (for personal use and not for resale) and in complete disregard of what “most people” do, should do or should not do. I also never advised him to sell weighed packs, nor did I incite anyone else to do so. Obviously the things you pointed out are bad, but in fact they have nothing to do with this actual situation.

No. It is unethical and not what this site is about. If it is being discussed at all, it is not being blown out of proportion. In fact, a bulk of this conversation has been about weighing packs. More specifically, it is a realistic problem buyers face buying packs, especially old ones.

I understand. The problem is that guys admitted outright they sell. Either way, the points made in the previous post are to help better understand the reality of weighing packs. It benefits the OP, or anyone reading who will probably reach that crossroad in the future where they consider weighing their packs to re-sell.

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I weigh my envelopes to see how many stamps are required.

Anyway, I think it is good that this is discussed.

Fair enough, but these are two different issues. If you want to address pack weighing and its negative aspects in general, no problem I share your opinion. But like I said before my advice was not to deceive other people, I made a suggestion how to get the best out of opening a number of packs and keeping a number of packs…

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Sorry but I have to borrow this thread quickly:

I was approached by fellow collector who would like to sell his 1st ed. base set booster packs to me. The price he is looking from all 3 artworks is $495 shipped, fair enough I should take the deal ?

He also has blister pack with 1st ed. Venusaur pack in it ( currently waiting for pictures + offer for it ). How much these pack have sold in the past? Haven’t seen too many in my life.

$495 for the three artworks is quite fair. He’d be able to get around $600 fairly easily. Blisters go for more, but Venusaur would be around $250 in my experience.

If your buying them for a pack collection or to display as packs then that price s right.

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Thanks for the feedback, I guess I’ll try to score a deal then.

Yes they’re going for sealed item collection, generally I prefer boxes over packs but since they’re 1st ed. base set I can make an exception. :blush: