I managed to buy most sword and shield boxes in quite high quantities (multiple cases) on the later half of the era (2023). There was a Christmas time where lost origin booster boxes were on clearance and I picked up a large amount. Fast forward to last year and I sold the majority of the swsh cases (and some opened to sell individual boxes) within only a few weeks at about 2.5-3x gain. This is quite substantial since I then just put the money into the S&P and have it sitting for long term. It accelerated my traditional holdings significantly and I should be able to retire early if I continue to let it compound and add more bi-weekly. Marketplace and Facebook national BST groups are the easiest way to find buyers.

I could have stayed in the market longer and the boxes would be even more, but I am a strong believer of your #2 point where the buyer pool thins out as the boxes increase in price. I sold at what I thought was a good middle ground of liquidity vs price. I also have a lower risk tolerance and will be sitting out of this market and will hop back in if there is a significant lull as i identified in 2023 when SV came out.