Cautionary Tale For the Elite Busters

[lisu]

I do have to admit, I thought the product was going to skyrocket in sales, I have been able to pick up my Brewers prospects for a fraction of what I thought they would sell for.

It's still a buyer's market obviously. The economy has picked up slightly, but it's still the off-season.

 

[masonphillip]

I do have to admit, I thought the product was going to skyrocket in sales, I have been able to pick up my Brewers prospects for a fraction of what I thought they would sell for.

It's still a buyer's market obviously. The economy has picked up slightly, but it's still the off-season.

Plluuuuus the market is flooded right now.

You still have tons of BDP singles out there from wax crackers, tons of Sterling singles from wax crackers and now you have elite singles...there just isn't enough money to go around.

In a few weeks the market will begin to sort itself out and on some cards, I think prices will rise.

 

[rainmanesq]

That’s always been the case w/ee, more so than w/bowman chrome, imo. @ least w/bowman chrome, you can rip/flip + in general, make pretty good $ on ALL cards (totaled together). w/ee + bowman sterling, you pretty much have to hit “the big ones” (or be the very first to list) to make good $. Part of ripping wax, like going to vegas, is being willing to take the gamble that you may not “hit the jackpot.” It’s why for most people, buying singles is the best option. Most people who make $ on products rip cases + do so in bulk (5+ cases). if you see the checklist for a product is huge/not very strong (right now) outside of a few “big guys”, it’s probably best not to rip if you’re doing so solely to “make $.”

Know when to hold them, know when to sell them.

 

[Crash Davis]

Theres no reason to blindly scoop up eery 1.99 auto, that s really obvious. Again, like I said, knowledge is key.

I bought a mess of Homer's for around $5 or so when they arrived and sold most at, I believe, $40 or so each.

I also cashed in nicely on Eric Campbell. Again, as I wrote, you also have to know when to sell.

Always will be bombs. Thats Baseball, thats Prospecting. I never bought a Pluoffe card for investment. Never saw anyting in him I liked. Light hitting guys dont do anything for me.

Its been like 5 years, but I think I bought a 4-5 card auto lot of Gallardo for less than $20 shipped when they arrived. I dont, as well as other prospectors dont throw our money arouind on anyone with a $2 auto.

Ive kept track of EVERY case Ive bought and opened since 2006 (only prospect products I buy) and I can honestly say that I have made money on every single one and still have somewhat of an invesntory left from them, some much more than others.

Bragging? Nope, not me. Just pointing out that if you know what you are doing, you can do well prospecting. Takes time, patience, knowledge and knowing when to sell and hold.

EEE Homer Baileys NEVER sold for $40. They may have topped out at $20-25. They had one of the highest print-runs in the whole set. The Bowman Chrome Draft autograph may have sold for $40-50.

 

[Codasco07]

Color me shocked.

Pujols Elite Auto

 

[prospectorgems]

Color me shocked.

Pujols Elite Auto

Wow, what an ending price! :shock:

I figured maybe at least $150-$200.

 

[jrinne]

I don't understand why someone would rip this product and sell it right away. Sure you sell the low number cards first because they will get a little return on your investment but the higher number cards you hold onto. This product is a prospectors heaven. I don't see a turn around on 95% of these players for at least 3 year. Prospecting doesn't take weeks or months, it takes years.

 

[jcmint]

Yes Mike but the longer you hold the more you loose. You know that. Just because you hold 20 cards back and one guy gets hot for a bit does not mean your making money.

Looking foward to busting 12 boxes later today and finally adding some "quality" cards to my 2009 Prospect section which is pitiful due to the crap BC had put out in 2009.

Also looking forward to selling off one by one each prospect who gets hot over the next few years for big money.

Been prospecting for over 20 years and EEE since 2002. I know how one minute Joe Schmo is a common 1.99 auto and the next hes a $30 auto. Been there done that....many times.

Hands down, no questions asked, this is the best prospect product of 2009.
But like always, Im also eagerly looking foward to those who NEED to dump their autos for 1.99 each.

 

[jcmint]

I don't think that you can buy a product and expect immediate profits. In 2007, you couldn't get squat for some prospects within a few weeks of release. But now there are several high dollar cards in the set. Compare this year's prices now vs. 6-8 months down the road and I think that the RI will be more to your liking. There are too many of these "kids" that don't even have any minor league experience to prospect on. Give them time to be truly scouted. When a product first comes out, the market is saturated with the good prospects cards, thats where we get our bargains. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you want a quick buck, stick to high end products with big hits. If you want to prospect/invest in the future, then this is your product.

While some of the cards increased over time many of the cards that were gate busters are now toilet bowl dwellers. It is a fact by "holding" all of your hits you generally will not make money. You gotta know what to sell and when to sell. This separates the players from the pretenders.

 

[jcmint]

Prospecting in general will NEVER be like it was in 02-04. It is just not gonna happen. The margins on case breaks is just getting smaller and smaller. Single buying is way harder then it use to be again the margins are never gonna be where they were back in the hay day. Too many people come on here and talk about not loosing money and this and that. It just aint true anymore. Prospectors are loosing more and more each year do not get me wrong people can ad will still make some money but it is nothing like it was. Some people gotta take a look in that mirror.

Personally I am all about buying anything for x and selling for y prospects or not. I am finding the prospect/rc stuff harder and harder to make money. I will buy anything now if I think it is a good buy. I can careless who is the hottest prospect at the present time etc. Those people are the ones who loose 9 outta 10 times. Just look around at the showboaters here pimping their brand new 300-400 new just released cards. Great cause it is January you are gonna have to wait until March to see any movement at all. In that time who knows whats being released and how the market will react. Again these guys are prone to getting killed profit wise.

 

[kentuckyderby]

nobody likes to post about bad investments (except in the occassional hensley muelens, sam horn threads)

people love to show off the times they were right but not the times they were wrong with BDP gold autos, Razor /5 black/silver sigs, etc

nature of the beast

 

[brouthercard]

Frankly, you should issue a cautionary tale for EVERY single product that comes out.

You have to approach EVERY product and EVERY card you purchase the same way.

If you are purchasing products to make a flip or make an investment you ultimately decide if you are going to sell now or sell later, regardless if it is a prospect or not. Whether you pull a Mychael Givens elite auto or a Ian Kinsler letter auto patch for sp authentic, you either sell now cause you don't think it'll ever be more expensive, or you hold it hoping the player gets hot, regardless if it is a prospect or not.

Some people open boxes cause they have enough discretionary income to blow. There's virtually no difference between putting $80 on a hand of black jack, or buying a box of elite, except for the elite crack lasts longer, and you have the potential to make some money back in the future even if the immediate returns are low. If you are going to flip immediately after cracking elite, though, it is the same as playing a hand of blackjack.

Then again, there are actually those people who ENJOY opening a box, keeping all the cards, and never selling any of the cards. They simply like collecting the cards.

 

[011873]

Theres no reason to blindly scoop up eery 1.99 auto, that s really obvious. Again, like I said, knowledge is key.

I bought a mess of Homer's for around $5 or so when they arrived and sold most at, I believe, $40 or so each.

I also cashed in nicely on Eric Campbell. Again, as I wrote, you also have to know when to sell.

Always will be bombs. Thats Baseball, thats Prospecting. I never bought a Pluoffe card for investment. Never saw anyting in him I liked. Light hitting guys dont do anything for me.

Its been like 5 years, but I think I bought a 4-5 card auto lot of Gallardo for less than $20 shipped when they arrived. I dont, as well as other prospectors dont throw our money arouind on anyone with a $2 auto.

Ive kept track of EVERY case Ive bought and opened since 2006 (only prospect products I buy) and I can honestly say that I have made money on every single one and still have somewhat of an invesntory left from them, some much more than others.

Bragging? Nope, not me. Just pointing out that if you know what you are doing, you can do well prospecting. Takes time, patience, knowledge and knowing when to sell and hold.

EEE Homer Baileys NEVER sold for $40. They may have topped out at $20-25. They had one of the highest print-runs in the whole set. The Bowman Chrome Draft autograph may have sold for $40-50.

Wrong. In the Spring /Summer of 2007 I sold them at $40 per when they were booking for $60 and higher. And many dealers were selling them around that too at WP show.

There are other ways to sell besides ebay.

 

[porcello94]

A general rule to live by is if it's a .99 auto, hold it.

You're not loosing anything.

 

[Greg Cleveland]

Color me shocked.

Pujols Elite Auto

That is why that even though I am a Pujols fan, I would sell one if I pulled one. I'm lucky enough to have three Pujols autos (two IP, and one pack pulled) so getting rid of this one--it really is unattractive, on-card or not--but that is an easy decision to flip. I could but multiple Pujols autos for the price of that one.

 

[Moonlight Graham]

Theres no reason to blindly scoop up eery 1.99 auto, that s really obvious. Again, like I said, knowledge is key.

I bought a mess of Homer's for around $5 or so when they arrived and sold most at, I believe, $40 or so each.

I also cashed in nicely on Eric Campbell. Again, as I wrote, you also have to know when to sell.

Always will be bombs. Thats Baseball, thats Prospecting. I never bought a Pluoffe card for investment. Never saw anyting in him I liked. Light hitting guys dont do anything for me.

Its been like 5 years, but I think I bought a 4-5 card auto lot of Gallardo for less than $20 shipped when they arrived. I dont, as well as other prospectors dont throw our money arouind on anyone with a $2 auto.

Ive kept track of EVERY case Ive bought and opened since 2006 (only prospect products I buy) and I can honestly say that I have made money on every single one and still have somewhat of an invesntory left from them, some much more than others.

Bragging? Nope, not me. Just pointing out that if you know what you are doing, you can do well prospecting. Takes time, patience, knowledge and knowing when to sell and hold.

"Its been like 5 years, but I think I bought a 4-5 card auto lot of Gallardo for less than $20 shipped when they arrived. LOL I think I know where you got those Gallardo's... Workinggirl didn't put her best title up and it looked like 1 auto, not 5... either that, or someone else scored too...