Rip & Flip Conversation - Your thoughts?

It's an interesting topic IMO...

I personally don't buy much new product and when I do it's just for fun or with AIC on here in his draft style baseball breaks. No matter what, odds are pretty good I'm looking to hit something huge and flip it or just flip everything all together.

Which brings me to some questions and thought it'd be an interesting discussion...

Do you rip and flip? Does everyone at some level?
Do you buy product with the intention of keeping it all?
How do you feel about people who do rip and flip?
When did this really take off? Once eBay took off?
Has the hobby come to a place where it's just a gamble?

Don't get me wrong, I like people who rip and flip because they supply my Albert Belle cards :twisted:

I remember back in the early '90s going to the LCS, buying product I thought looked really cool, opening it and then sorting it into my collection. Then it'd only leave my collection if someone I met wanted to do a trade or if I had something worth a lot, I could go to a LCS and see if they were interested or something.

IMO the "hobby" has turned into a rip and flip game and it's more of a form of gambling now a days with high priced packs and the high-end hits, etc. than it is a true hobby where everyone in it is in it for the love of the hobby, what actually is on a card and how it looks, etc.

It's sad to think but if you were a teenager, you couldn't just go to the LCS and afford half the product out there because it's all one pack per box high-end stuff which would of made me mow like 10+ lawns back in the day - just not happening.

Anyways, what's your take? How do you feel about the entire conversation?

Rip & flip has hurt the hobby I think.. Most seem to but solely with the intent of resell.

Everything I buy is with the intent to keep, I think the most I would sell are the duplicates I have, I collect any baseball cards I can find so almost surely anything I buy is just gonna contribute to the collection.

I also think rip & flip are taking out LCSs one at a time, the card shops just can't compete with sellers prices and it seems they jack their prices up to offset lack of sales.

On the other hand, these people selling all these cards give people access to card(s), singular or in bulk, at a much cheaper price usually.. Which is good for the individual, but bad for the hobby IMO

I feel 80% are in it for any resale value and the other 20 actually for the love of the hobby

I don't care what others do. I may think it's kind of foolish but it's their money. Of course I don't play the lotto either. I'm the type of collector who keeps as much of the stuff I pull as I can. I used to just keep star players(base, inserts, gu, autos) but I always felt that buying a box for $100 was a waste if you're not keeping hardly any cards. So I decided I wanted to set build, get my hands on multiple products, and increase my hobby experience. That way, I get a set going, some inserts and autos as well as doubles for my PC, and have really gotten something from the product.

Naturally, high end stuff doesn't apply to me a lot. These packs where it's $100 for one pack and you get a few base cards don't help me maximize my collecting experience. So I'll buy singles or just maybe one pack every once in a blue moon.

As far as how I feel about rip and flip, like I said, it's their money. I just don't understand why you've decided on cards as the form of your gambling. To me, if I'm going to do something like that, I have to have a mental separation from it as an investment, not a hobby. If you're gambling with cards, cards are not your hobby. Gambling is. You've just decided to do it with cards. Is it wrong? No. It's just my opinion that it's and odd choice to invest in. If I'm making an investment, it'll never be in cards. It'll be something a lot more lucrative.

I cant really nail it to a certain timeframe, like when ebay came around. I feel it started to go downhill when people would open packs and not look at the cards, but skim thru the cards they just opened looking for just the hits. When the person pulls out the insert and sets the base cards down without even giving them a second look, thats when i knew the hobby had changed. It had become all about the hit and what that person could get for it.

How is this any different than pre-eBay? I remember ripping packs of 89 UD/Fleer/Etc looking for Griffey and not caring about the bums.

I think it is more in your face because of eBay but it has always happened imho.

This thread just came up in March of 2010...hopefully members won't get too upset at you for rehashing this topic...
Personally, I like it!
I rip blasters like from Target any chance I get a few extra $20 and I happen to be there. THere is nothing I'd pull that I would dream of keeping, so rip and flip is the only reason I do it. Lottery ticket, scratch ticket, pack or box of cards...it's all the same to me.

When I do rip and flip (rare but sometimes it happens) I only rip a Bowman or Bowman Draft product and will rip 4 cases minimum. I think it is good for the hobby since it allows both the players collectors and prospectors opportunities to bulk up on their guys (prospectors) or pick up those rarities.

I'm tracking a 12 case 2013 BDP break to see how much value we actually get out of it over time. The intent is to treat all cards as prospect inventory, and sell when we feel value is at a high for a player, and hold for those who we feel are low. So far I've got about $850 in sales and that only really includes about 15 cards. I'd say we had an average overall break. It should be noted that we're also grading a good deal of the higher end cards to help their resale value.

I buy boxes to build sets, because it's fun opening packs, to get trade bait, and lastly the search for a big hit. I don't bother "flipping" anything unless it sells for over $50 or is really hot at the moment and will go way down in value soon.

Well since I'm 15 l don't open that many packs, but when l do and l hit something nice l usally try to sell it to fund my Eaton PC . But l don't buy packs just so l can sell the cards l get.

dbacksfan4life said:

Well since I'm 15 l don't open that many packs, but when l do and l hit something nice l usally try to sell it to fund my Eaton PC . But l don't buy packs just so l can sell the cards l get.

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Do you find it nearly impossible to go to a LCS and buy packs/boxes because of the price?!


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Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

Dilferules said:

I buy boxes to build sets, because it's fun opening packs, to get trade bait, and lastly the search for a big hit. I don't bother "flipping" anything unless it sells for over $50 or is really hot at the moment and will go way down in value soon.

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I feel like you're in the minority - buying product to build the set, etc.

Agree here? Seems to be the only true way to buy product with the intention of keeping outside of hits, which are inevitable.


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Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

Gwynn545 said:

This thread just came up in March of 2010...hopefully members won't get too upset at you for rehashing this topic...

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AHHHHHHHHH!!!


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Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

I buy boxes with the intent to sell off non PC stuff. Usually there's one or two players/cards I'm targeting and if I don't hit those, I sell.

For instance, I bought 8 packs of EEE last week hoping to hit a Bryant auto or Padres autos. Since my two autos were neither of those, I sold right away as value is highest now.

MansGame said:

Do you find it nearly impossible to go to a LCS and buy packs/boxes because of the price?!


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Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

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Yes! It is nearly impossible for me to go and get packs unless l find an odd job. I've never bought a box on my own, my Dad split the cost with me once for an Update jumbo box but it got lost in the mail . So I've never had a whole box to myself.

I haven't bought any unopened material in at least 10 years. I have no interest in 99.9% of the cards in packs, so I would end up just selling the cards no matter if it's a common or a $1000 RC. I'd much rather just check out the box break boards to see what other people get and cherry pick the cards I want that appear on Ebay.

If it wasn't for rip and flip people, I wouldn't be in the hobby anymore probably. They source 99% of all my pick-ups haha. I sure as hell aren't buying product in hopes of a Belle hitting lol


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Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

George_Calfas said:

How is this any different than pre-eBay? I remember ripping packs of 89 UD/Fleer/Etc looking for Griffey and not caring about the bums.

I think it is more in your face because of eBay but it has always happened imho.

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When I was a kid I went to our county fair and some guy was selling cards.I bought a pack of '89 UD and was lucky enough to hit a Griffey.At that time it was a $175 card, and not once did I ever consider moving it.Still have it to this day.Every time I look at that card I remember the thrill of opening that pack and seeing Griffey's name stamped next to a Star Rookies tag.

chromerookies said:

When I do rip and flip (rare but sometimes it happens) I only rip a Bowman or Bowman Draft product and will rip 4 cases minimum. I think it is good for the hobby since it allows both the players collectors and prospectors opportunities to bulk up on their guys (prospectors) or pick up those rarities.

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Yah but, you are the most interesting prospector in the world!!

The start of ur message sounded like the beer commercial.

gmsieb said:

Yah but, you are the most interesting prospector in the world!!

The start of ur message sounded like the beer commercial.

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lol! I didnt even realize that, nice!