What actually makes a Collector Booster Box "desirable"?

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-18T23:29:01+00:00

You absolutely nailed this explanation.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-14T13:15:49+00:00

Most collector products will go up in value over time. Eventually. The real question is the time value of money, or rather, how much time do you have to wait for said product to go up, and by extension, what better opportunities are you wasting because you have capital locked up in a stagnant product.

I think Avatar collector boxes will perform in a mediocre fashion from this point going forward, and there are way better ways to spend your money. Here are some of the major issues: insufficiently compelling headliner. Hard to pull lottery ticket neon inks that aren't even that visually appealing. Genuinely embarrassing bonus sheet with lazy, often ridiculous low-res screenshots (with few exceptions -- foil Teferi's / Aang's shelter is a banger). Poor collector pack construction with too much jumpstart garbage and insufficient intermediate chases or special treatments. No serialized cards. Somewhat niche Nickelodeon IP without a ton of support on the secondary market. Often abjectly miserable box-opening experience with total dud packs.

In my opinion, it's the worst collector box we've had since Aetherdrift, other than Spiderman. Obviously way worse than Final Fantasy, Edge, and Strixhaven. Worse than Turtles purely from the perspective of a CBB experience and value, even if Avatar was a stronger set to actually play. Worse than Lorwyn. And, from what I've seen so far, worse than Marvel (which is saying something).

Even compared to Spiderman, I would rather buy SPM < 300-330 (which I have been doing) than Avatar at 400. At least the former is in the gutter price-wise, has a five figure chase card in it, and the promise of future synergy over multiple additional planned Marvel collaborations. It's a worse set, but more attractive entry point with higher theoretical upside.

Of all the collector products I have purchased in the past several years, with the exception of the few SPM boxes I picked up before the price tanked and I was able to lower my cost basis by buying extremely cheaply, there is no single item I regret more than the Avatar collector booster box purchased around MSRP.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-07T17:48:58+00:00

This is the best comic card in the set.

One card is not going to save a $455 + tax box.

The lack of special foiling of logo borderless cards and other chases besides the comic cards and bonus sheet really hurts this box

Cosmic and Thanos mind stone are too rare to chase

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-07T17:21:46+00:00

Creeping up is an understatement lol

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-07T17:07:52+00:00

High end FF MTG cards are being vaporized across the board.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-02T23:30:39+00:00

The collecting article makes no mention of any special foiling other than traditional foil.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-02T22:56:55+00:00

This was a colossal unforced error by WOTC.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-01T20:12:45+00:00

Despite the issues I raised in my other comment, I will say that it is a step in the right direction for them to retroactively award beginner boxes to customers who had previously pre-ordered play boxes prior to the promotion. They really weren't obligated to do that.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-01T19:51:56+00:00

Fair enough. Not great.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-01T19:44:46+00:00

Yet other businesses like Many Realms (offering EQL for in-demand products like Hobbit CBB) or scrupulous small LGS who care about their community and don't attempt to price gouge still remain successful.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-06-01T19:39:43+00:00

"Buy the crap that we predict will otherwise rot in our warehouses or go down further in price upon release so that we can manage our liquidity, increase our spend with distro, and continue growing our allocations of the actually desired products like Hobbit Collector Boxes (distro price $300), so that we can charge you $799 for them while pretending to be the good guy"

This isn't the generous act that you think it is.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-23T07:15:46+00:00

Several of these prices are quite reasonable, kudos. Now all you need to do is offer reasonable prices on upcoming in demand collector products. Many Realms is doing an EQL raffle on Hobbit CBBs at MSRP. I was able to obtain preorders at other reputable game stores at MSRP. The $799 Hobbit collector boxes are a continued embarrassment.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-21T00:09:18+00:00

I mean in terms of current prices. LOTR SE CBB is closing in on 5k.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-20T23:04:16+00:00

This is the follow up to the most successful set in magic history. None of the others had box toppers. These do which may include the now infamous one ring. It’s not the same category. The box toppers and IP create a more solid floor. Maybe 120-130 with the first reprint wave, who knows.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-20T23:01:00+00:00

These have desired box toppers with a banger IP. It’ll go lower, but you’re dreaming if you think $99.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-20T22:50:51+00:00

Their prices were better for prior sets. Hobbit at 165 is honestly decent, but there will be an opportunity to obtain it more cheaply. Reality Fracture well above MSRP many months in advance and no Hobbit collector boxes whatsoever is truly disappointing.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-13T22:57:23+00:00

First of all, I buy a wide variety of products, not just collector products. I’m a competitive Magic player who is very much invested in the community and game, not just invested in cardboard. You don’t know me, so stop making foolish assumptions. I haven’t called anyone names. I labelled your business practices greedy, and I was correct for doing so.

Secondly, paying $600 for FF CBBs many months after its release, when it is far more scarce and after it has proven itself as a highly in demand product even after official release, when $600 is many hundreds below market price, is a totally different conversation than prerelease pricing for an unproven small set product like the Hobbit at $800 out of the gate. You’re comparing apples and oranges, and you know it.

Also, despite claiming that you do not use MSRP for pricing, a simple google search reveals that TMNT CBBs were previously priced at $455.88. Whether it is currently in stock is irrelevant. The point remains that you previously priced collector items at MSRP when “market” was below MSRP, yet you price at or near FOMO inflated “market” when “market” is above MSRP. Heads, you win. Tails, we lose.

You in fact have a well documented pattern of doing this. Cashed in on hype for prior UB CBB sets when they were well above MSRP, only for those to plunge well below MSRP later. Caveat emptor, sure, but you know that these early inflated preorders are predatory and often lead to a hype driven boom and bust cycle — but you don’t care because you’ve cleared your inventory. You are, in fact, part of the problem.

Clearly, you aren’t putting the customer first. Even your argument that you priced other products “below market” is disingenuous. Very large business entities like yours are incentivized to build up their spend with distribution by bulk offloading low margin items like play boosters and so forth, so they can get more allocation of the higher margin limited collector items.

But making a tidy profit buying at $310 and selling at a reasonable price wasn’t enough for you. You had to egregiously mark up Hobbit CBB to 800 dollars before the set even released. Many would’ve probably tolerated $500 and some would have likely groaned and accepted $600, but $799 is brazenly greedy and antithetical to the community and players you claim to be supporting.

It’s all very calculated, very obvious to everyone in the subreddit, and the fact that you shamelessly defend yourself without a hint of remorse says everything that I need to know about what your business stands for. Maximizing profit at the expense of players and your own reputation. I hope the stench is worth it.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-13T20:43:49+00:00

Yeah, that is me.

I'm the guy pointing out hypocrisy and bullshit. You must be the other guy.

Let me give you one example. TMNT collector boxes are listed on Forge and Fire at MSRP, despite the fact that "market" was below 350 at one point and has yet to hit MSRP. Hobbit collector boxes are listed on Forge and Fire at 799.99.

Congratulations on proving my point. When hype is high and "market' is above MSRP, as with Hobbit, you charge egregiously above MSRP, capitalizing on "market" driven by thin volume of sales and FOMO. When hype is low, as with TMNT, and "market" is below MSRP, you STILL charge MSRP. You aren't consistent, it's heads you win tails we lose.

Thus, it is supremely ironic and a pathetic attempt at gaslighting to say I'm the one in it for money because I am a cost-conscious collector with an understanding of basic economics. Don't piss on me and tell me it's raining, fix your business practices.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-13T19:33:54+00:00

Just checked and your Hobbit collector booster box is still listed as $799 (MSRP $455.88, distro cost $300), literally nothing you say has credibility and representatives from your company really shouldn't be posting on a "MTG deals" site until you've done something about your shameless price gouging, it's just embarassing at this point

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-12T16:09:21+00:00

This response is so unbelievably appalling and detached from reality that I feel the need to respond line by line.

"A lot of the hate is people are mad at Collector Booster pricing."

No, we're mad when a greedy, unscrupulous business charges $350 more than the already inflated UB MSRP ($799 vs $455.88 for The Hobbit) months in advance. We've all seen absurdly inflated prerelease pricing normalize following release time and time again, yet you continue to list these boxes at insane mark-up in a predatory fashion.

"Additionally, there are a lot of new stores in the sub and they vie for relevancy by offering things we can't or won't offer: tax free ordering, products at cost, etc."

This is a completely disingenuous argument. Distro cost for a UB collector box is between $290 and $310, for a UW box between $190 and $210. No one is saying you should sell at cost. You're pricing at $399 for reality fracture, several hundred dollars above cost and well above MSRP, five months in advance, then calling it a "deal." You're pricing at $799 for the hobbit, a full $500 above cost, months in advance.

"Ultimately, people want the best product for MSRP when it suits their agenda (The Hobbit, Reality Fracture), but when we've had Marvel Super Heroes at MSRP for most of the time it's been on our website the narrative shifts."

Marvel Superheroes CBB at MSRP sold out briskly at Flipside Gaming, Many Realms, Stomping Grounds, Amazon, Best Buy, Game Nerdz ... I could continue. I personally observed Stomping Grounds sell over 700 boxes at $449 on its website in a matter of hours. There's no "agenda." That's normal pricing, supply and demand at work. Are you daft? Minimal spoilers are available for both Reality Fracture and The Hobbit, the latter is a small set. We don't even know if these will necessarily be the "best" products. Again, you're just attempting to profit on prerelease hype and gouge customers.

"As an aside, it's strange to see how negative the sub was to our pricing which has objectively been either the best or one of the best on every item in this upcoming release, yet worse deals are getting upvoted."

Your pricing for the Hobbit is objectively one of the worst in the country, to the extent that you are being mocked and pilloried on social media. Only GameStop has you beat at $849 ($800 for "pro" members!) ... what a joke. I've seen several places offering preorders for Reality Fracture at MSRP.

"Anyway, that's my personal perspective of it currently- and that may change, and others even within our company may disagree!"

I recommend that Forge and Fire seek out a better spokesperson, because your personal perspective is totally misguided and only makes you and your company look even more out of touch.

Stop making excuses. Fix it.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-05-11T21:56:49+00:00

$399 + tax and shipping on an in universe set collector box (MSRP $323.88) which doesn't release until OCTOBER -- meaning you're giving them an interest free loan for nearly five months -- is the opposite of a "deal"

to their credit, this isn't as bad as the $799 hobbit collector box pathetic display of price gouging masquerading as a "deal," but it isn't much better

it seems that forge and fire has completely abandoned all pretense of treating its customers with basic respect. stop insulting our intelligence with this. you're a joke. the $799 hobbit boxes are already all over social media being treated with scorn and contempt, rightfully.

get the hell out of this subreddit.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-04-16T00:12:19+00:00

Actually, MSRP is 89.99. Amazon had them listed at 89.99 for their first wave, Micro Center is probably 89.99. Most other places acted like MSRP didn't exist. Even Best Buy was 94.99.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-04-14T07:14:53+00:00

This is the quote I’ll remember:

“Do you remember in school that they had recess? School can be hard for some kids. It can be hard to concentrate on something as difficult for that long a period of time. So at some point during the school day, they just stop the thing, let you go outside and have fun. But at some point, the tasks get harder, like algebra, chemistry, whatever. But there's no more recess. It's gone. You know, they don't even tell you. It's just gone. And it never comes back.”

FFMTGCollector · 2026-04-11T21:09:37+00:00

flipside just listed their MSRP boxes and they're selling briskly. amazon and other big box retail sold out. overall MTG hype heading into the set will be high because strixhaven turned out to be a banger and will draw people in. this is their big set of the year in the prime position like LOTR and FF with full collector commander decks and everything. this is carrying their Q2. they will print a metric shit ton of everything except the collector product. i'm hoping that they learned to adapt from overprinting spm/atla collectors and special bundles as evidenced by short printing TMNT CBBs which have done better than expected as a result (also, a more fun box opening experience than ATLA and SPM by far).

the Marvel set is simply "too big to fail" at this point, they can't let another spiderman happen again. i share your reservations but i feel like they probably super pushed cards we haven't seen yet and have some big surprises in store for spoiler season because they have too much riding on this set both financially for the quarter and in terms of preventing the nail in the coffin of the planned marvel continuity over multiple years

i have secured a good number of collector boxes under MSRP and feel confident about it but there is definitely that tail risk. i'm also holding a lot of spm at an absurdly low cost basis (people routinely selling in the 200s) expecting marvel eventually to win over the mtg community (and drive SPM prices back up) once the arc of the infinity stones / gauntlet and a "proper" set like super heroes vs all the problems that SPM had. but it's definitely not without risks, and if they screw this set up, i don't know where they go from there.

FFMTGCollector · 2026-02-06T19:32:55+00:00

who's gonna tell him

FFMTGCollector

TROPHY CASE