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Do you think it's ethical for card shop owners to..............?

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Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
Alright, I know we have some card shop owners here, so I thought I would ask this question.


Based on a lot of my own personal experiences, card shop owners that I have encountered in person are scum bags for the most part. Sans two card shops (Mikey B's Bleacher Bums, and Fox Sports Cards) every other card shop I have ever been into, the owner of the shop has either struck me as crooked, or exhibited to me he is a scum bag.

So that leads me to my question.....



Do you guys think it's ethical for card shop owners to open their own packs that they have for sale in the shop?





I remember when the 2005 Skybox Autographix came out. I went to the only place in my town that sold baseball cards. The ONLY card in the entire set I wanted was the David Wright autograph. The cards went for $40-$45 on eBay at the time. So I go in there, I spend like $50 busting packs of Autographix in hopes of pulling that card, and for the fun of it in general. So I don't pull it after spending all that money. And I know my limits, so I stop spending. After I stopped, the guy starts just opening pack after pack out of the two boxes I was buying packs out of. About the 5th pack he opens, he pulls the freaking David Wright auto. I told him I'd give him the $45 that I had in my pocket, and that's exactly what they're going for on eBay. The mother-f****r told me NO. And then he put it in his case and marked it up to $75 bucks. Last money I ever spent in there.

Later I came to find out that the guy had regularly been busting packs out of the new boxes that he opened and put on the shelves and pulling the hits and then trying to sell the garbage packs.
 
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mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
As a former shop owner I think it is crazy for any shop owner to open packs. You are throwing away any profit that one would have when packs are opened by the owner and you can potentially lose customer loyalty such as what happened to you. With tight profit margins, opening packs will lead down a road of bankruptcy and closed doors.
 

Jared

New member
Oct 22, 2009
1,608
0
In short, no I do not think it's ethical for card shop owners to open packs that they have for sale and then if they get the hits keep the packs out for sale.

Owners of card shops need to keep business and pleasure separate. If they want to open entire cases by themselves they should be able to, but if they open two boxes out of a case and pull say a gold refractor autograph or better and sell the rest of the boxes I think that is a little sketchy as well. Just my personal opinion.

And for the record I opened I think 2 boxes in 2012 and had extremely lucky breaks, so I am not a big time box or pack breaker. I rather spend my money on singles and know exactly what I am getting.
 

phillyfan0417

Well-known member
Administrator
Aug 7, 2008
43,551
43
Greenfield, Wisconsin, United States
As a former shop owner I think it is crazy for any shop owner to open packs. You are throwing away any profit that one would have when packs are opened by the owner and you can potentially lose customer loyalty such as what happened to you. With tight profit margins, opening packs will lead down a road of bankruptcy and closed doors.


basically its like the drug game...dont get high on your own supply.
 

jbrown

Active member
Nov 28, 2009
1,450
0
KY
My local shop opens 1 of nearly every box that comes in. He does this so customers can see what the cards look like and to have singles for his player collectors and set builders. But he never just opens random packs. And he never knowingly puts a box with all of the hits missing back on the shelf.
 

Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
I honestly don't have a problem with owners busting their own entire boxes. They're the ones who are wasting their own money, unless they get a major hit. But to rip packs, then try and sell the left over packs after pulling the hits, I have a major issue with that.
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
Uhm, no I don't think it's cool but I know of at least one place around here that does it. The way I look at it, the only things I'll buy from a shop are things they generally won't fool with. Supplies, sets, unbusted wax, maybe singles every now and again. I'm to the point where I don't generally go to a shop expecting anything in particular. I'll go in, shoot the bull with them, and buy what I want. But for the most part, I don't think I've ever been to a baseball card shop where I totally liked everything I saw. That's not to say there aren't good shops around here. There are quite a few where everything is great as far as the shop is concerned. But I might still see or hear something I'm not too cool with. This hobby for some reason really attracts some unsavory characters. That's one thing I noticed about the comic book hobby vs the sports card hobby. Sure there were people up to some crap. But I'd say all in all, it's not as widespread as it is in the sportscard hobby. I'd go to a comic shop and receive excellent service, the people were nice to everyone no matter how much they spent, and they'd stop what they were doing and walk over and answer any question you could think of. I have yet to experience this or feel this way with any sportscard shop except for one.
 

Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
Smart shop owners don't touch them.


It's one of those things though where the customer never really knows, and may always be sketchy. Because I know that from now on, any card shop I ever go into, I will never buy packs because I will think all of the boxes have been searched. And for me, that makes me sad.
 

James52411

New member
Administrator
May 22, 2010
4,531
0
Tallahassee, FL
The practice you are referring to is similar to a grocer who keeps all the fresh produce and best cuts of meat and attempts to sell the left-over, substandard goods. Eventually, the customers are going to find a new grocer. Plus, as Chris pointed out, even without customer attrition, the shop owner is likely to have less profit opening wax than selling packs. If the opposite were true, shop owners would open all their sealed wax.
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
This is a funny post because back in the olden days, dealers would of course open their own boxes. That's how they'd get a lot of singles to sell to people who wouldn't buy packs and boxes. Risk/reward finances aside, doing that is now taboo?

A better question is what if someone randomly picks the one best pack out of a fresh box, "killing" the rest of the box for everyone else? Is it ok if a customer does that, but not the dealer? What's a dealer to do then?
 

Gwynn545

Well-known member
Aug 29, 2008
5,526
44
North Seattle
I would say every shop owner would take advantage of opening packs when they know there is a good chance to pull the "hit"...They will never admit it, so it's a mute argument, but I just think it's too easy of money to pass up for them, they'll never get caught, and it's a no lose situation.
For the OP, the bad news is that the shop owner did it right in front of him.
 

James52411

New member
Administrator
May 22, 2010
4,531
0
Tallahassee, FL
This is a funny post because back in the olden days, dealers would of course open their own boxes. That's how they'd get a lot of singles to sell to people who wouldn't buy packs and boxes. Risk/reward finances aside, doing that is now taboo?

A better question is what if someone randomly picks the one best pack out of a fresh box, "killing" the rest of the box for everyone else? Is it ok if a customer does that, but not the dealer? What's a dealer to do then?

As a customer, if other customers beat me to the best items in a store, I don't mind because I know the store offers the best of their product to customers. If the store itself is keeping back the best items, I mind because the store is not offering their customers the best of their inventory.
 

sawmillthug

New member
Dec 21, 2012
601
0
Chillicothe, MO
It would be all to easy to pack search as a shop owner. Poor autograph placement in boxes makes it easy to find, 1/1 and/or booklet placement in cases I'm sure can be found. Hell they could weigh the boxes to see what's in there. Also if they open a fresh box they could feel for thick packs. I only buy sealed cases or from someone I trust completely. In other words I don't open a lot of wax unless I bust a case.
 

goldenegg1

New member
Aug 7, 2008
4,100
0
I used to go to a comic book shop that sold cards. 9 times out of 10 the guy would have the box hit pulled by the time anyone could bust any. He used a price gun on each pack and he would even say, "this one felt funny!" Not sure if he is unethical or just that stupid.
 

rico08

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
3,219
0
Los Angeles
Is it unethical for a shop owner to open their own product? No. But if you're intentionally box or case searching that's a different story.
 

DiebytheCubs

Member
Dec 2, 2012
262
0
Chicago suburbs/Ohio
I've seen it happen but have never thought about how ethical it was though. That's why I always ask if the box I'm buying from has had any hits pulled though, just so can get an idea of my odds.
 

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