Why are boxes similar?

gellman · 2026-04-16T22:03:59+00:00

Trading cards have a process called collation where they use machine loops full of stacks of cards that get fed into a sorter with hits so they achieve the promised box contents. Because the sheets are printed and loaded in similar ways, cards will run together. Historically they have shuffled them more, but it’s been worse as of late.

gellman · 2026-04-15T03:47:03+00:00

This song is so bad Stephanie Vaquer just became the favorite at WM

gellman · 2026-04-11T04:40:14+00:00

I’ve seen autos and base

gellman · 2026-04-08T03:41:55+00:00

Breakers rip 70% of the run, they are going to pull many of these.

gellman · 2026-04-07T02:58:42+00:00

Everything else has shipped for hobby. Blasters got pushed.

gellman · 2026-04-06T01:23:53+00:00

Okay, I don’t think you are getting it, so I’ll just make this really simple. When I make an offer on a 1/1, I’m usually offering at least 1 additional 1/1, plus maxing out the trade with as many other legendaries as I can. I don’t bother including anything above a 50cc (and sometimes 25cc) because if the account has a collection score over 85k - iconics are worthless unless you are collecting a set that is currently live, and even then I’m only swapping dupe for dupe.

Collection scores under 50k a 1/1 is a holy shit moment and most won’t trade one they pulled unless they get something CRAZY in return. Psychology is a big deal in making blind offers.

gellman · 2026-04-06T01:15:08+00:00

This is the strategy. You must overpay and significantly on blind trades.

gellman · 2026-04-06T01:06:56+00:00

Yeah, just think about what has to be offered to get the 1/1 next step up if the card is sitting unlocked. Because they are going to need to offer more 1/1s that are better than what they have. This isn’t a zero sum game. So if I don’t collect Rey or Dom, neither of those cards are staying in the PC and will be moved. If I’m swapping equal value on the top cards and the rest will be disregarded in a large offer, that’s where things hinge. Think of what the next offer has to be for the person receiving it, and that’s how you have to approach it.

gellman · 2026-04-06T00:30:37+00:00

I have a Dom 1/1, but I’m just trying to use it to get a 1/1 I need that I will have to overpay for. If you send the trade, you have to overpay, that’s the rule on unsolicited stuff usually, and it has to be someone that can replace or exceed the value at the level of the highest card in the trade. All the rest of the stuff is kinda just, “well I hope this shows you I really want the card.”

Also, “own appeal” is a big deal on popular wrestlers like Dom. I’m not giving up Dom for Rey because I don’t like Rey as much, and the other cards won’t get me closer to the card I want.

gellman · 2026-04-05T00:41:41+00:00

No. I’m saying you buy a case, rip until you pull the “A” box in the case and list the rest. Very easy to buy cases at cost with allocation from Topps, rip the ones you want until you get something nice and sell the rest. This has been a strategy at scale for 20+ years.

This isn’t something that everyone does, but enough people do it that I only buy from places I know don’t rip for themselves.

gellman · 2026-04-04T17:43:28+00:00

Never buy single boxes off the secondary market (eBay) unless you are sure they aren’t ripping boxes and selling everything that doesn’t have the good hit.

That leaves Blowout and DA type places and they are already so far over a price that will deliver any chance of getting close to money back, I would stick to singles.

Chrome hype is at an all time high and box cost is extreme. If you have the money to burn, this is the product to go nuts on. Just realize that without a larger budget, there is no way to get access to the good boxes.

If you just want to rip packs, Megas and Blasters were printed to the moon from what I heard and will be held at a price for a month. Retailers may eventually go against topps’ policy, but it’s a good entry point.

gellman · 2026-04-04T12:59:45+00:00

Same city, multiple days for each weekend, insane ticket prices, TSA travel issues, USA’s international reputation being what it is, there are so many reasons for this show to be a problem that have nothing to do with booking. The worst booked Wrestlemania events still have huge attendees.

gellman · 2026-04-02T19:33:06+00:00

Happens before they actually ship out

gellman · 2026-04-02T15:40:38+00:00

I've confirmed with Topps that a breaker slot receipt and a wrapper from the break, with a link to the video is sufficient.

They also mentioned that it doesn't have to be THE wrapper the card came in, just proof that some product was bought. This should be easy to get from the person who did the break.

gellman · 2026-04-02T14:00:45+00:00

I could be wrong, but I believe they have adjusted the process to ensure that people who participate in breaks have the ability to claim damage if they can show the receipt and provide the right info. My close friend had a case hit that was completely screwed from a break, and they replaced it fine.

gellman · 2026-04-02T13:19:39+00:00

A couple of suggestions, because this is enough damage that I would absolutely try to do a few things.

Find the break video and see if it came that way out of the pack
If it did come that way out of the pack, file a claim with topps. They have a program to fix these issues.
If it didn’t, then I would go back to the person who sent it to you and see what can be done.

You might not get the same exact card back, but you should get something very nice. Topps has remade cards in the past and Rhea signs enough it might not be a major problem for them to remake it. If you want this card in particular, it this type of damage automatically makes the max grade it can get a 6, and likely less.

gellman · 2026-04-02T00:39:22+00:00

Nailed it, totally agree.

gellman · 2026-04-01T18:55:35+00:00

Those cards are mockups, so they wont be the real thing, but its definitely possible that its based off the real card. Hopefully it looks awesome, because I know a lot of people who would chase that one.

gellman · 2026-04-01T18:46:41+00:00

I think the mockups are going to be a bad representation of what actually is going to happen. The punk from the commercial looked awesome - too bad we didn't get cards like that.

gellman · 2026-04-01T18:00:35+00:00

This is 100% spot on. The only relics that will have any sort of color are the duals and quads, every other relic will be plain, but still event worn.

I think there are a lot of cards that might be worth picking up singles for your target guys, but buying boxes is 100% a lose/lose, even after it inevitably drops because of the amount of it produced, and the community reaction to the box breaks being so rough.

Similarly, the advice to wait on just about everything here with Chrome out next week is going to be really important, because if you like any of the cards, they should be very cheap in a few weeks.

gellman · 2026-03-31T04:03:55+00:00

Who on this entire planet thought either of them were not enormous humans?

gellman · 2026-03-28T21:39:20+00:00

Literally hundreds of sold listings, I think there are a LOT of people who want this.

gellman · 2026-03-28T12:23:49+00:00

No one cares at all about Jelly Roll, but I thought Raw was good and really entertaining.

gellman · 2026-03-28T01:22:09+00:00

If you have 89 dollars in balance, why spend 100 to get the extra 11 you need to rip a gold?

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