As for the condition of the industry. Nothing stays the same and in corporate business profit is the only driving force. So if the market allows higher priced products and moves toward a bizzare place where the autograph from the same player is valued more just because fewer signatures were used in an edition and you paid $200. plus for the box. Heck its still the same authenticated autograph so why not group it all together in the universe of autographs. The market demand is completely fabricated and manipulated.

So how evil are those pack searchers? On one hand free market spririt would dictate that since its not apparently illegal this is a natural evolution for the purpose of generating higher profits by being more efficient. On the other hand, the image of some guy fondling packets of cards while hunched over a wall mart or target counter is almost too strange to do anything but pity the poor bastard that has dropped his self respect so low he probably has much more serious emotional issues. (Get a Life already).

And I am certainly not near being an authority on the card companies but from what I can see their rhetoric is for stopping this but they stop short of actually revising packaging and dealing effectively with weight differences. They remind me of what we know of the cigarette industry. They have historically placed packs of cigarettes on open displays near counters so that children will steal them and hence become replacement smokers. In a different way the industry enjoys profits from ethical and unethical folks - they all buy product.

I just hope the industry understands the aging out of the baby boomer market and the need to attract new hobbyists by providing reasonably priced products that retain their value

Next, I do not believe that I was naive in my opinion, as articles on “pack searching” has appeared for YEARS in publications like Beckett, Sports Collector’s Digest and Tuff Stuff. Even Toys R Us and Wal-Mart at one point (in the mid to late 1990’s) posted “No Pack Sorting” signs! There is no need to treat this interesting blog (site) like it’s about how to build a bomb or something so sinister.

You do however make a valid point, as questions like those from Jesse (between our posts) suggests! There will be those who look at this site for information on how to do things wrong, but I would hope those numbers are not that high. The only reason I happened upon this topic was to determine if my initial hunch was correct - that “Hot Packs” being sold on eBay were most likely the result of deceptive practices! I would never condone them, or support these sellers, as I have a law enforcement background and actually ran a sportscard shop in West Palm Beach several years back. Still, you a are most definitely entitled to your opinion. Happy collecting!

Steve

Thanks for taking the time to post a very interesting article. I searched for this “Hot Packs” topic to alleviate some confusion about them. I was looking for an indicator on the pack itself, and then realized that this was somehow another “scam” and blemish on the industry. I disagree with “Brandon” above in that he feels YOU are giving away this technique - this is no secret. In fact, even back in the 1970s, deceptive individuals were opening and resealing wax packs!

In my opinion, which is probably shared by thousands of others, the sportscard hobby will never, ever recover from the 1990s and return to a kid’s collectible. There are too many problems to analyze here, but sorting packages to re-sell as a guaranteed jackpot, is a major black eye. This lottery mentality is not criminal, but is rather unethical! In the end, only some get richer, and the true collector - loses! Who is the greater victim here? The manufacturer? The outlet store? The hobby shop? The card shark? …Or the collector? Now, who among these is the real winner?

Things will not change, until the card companies do something about it. But, why should they - especially now, when their revenues are so high! Come on, $100 packs! $1,000 boxes! Oh, they will stop this madness - right! We only have ourselves to blame. We have to educate ourselves and make better decisions. I learned the hard way.
I used to spend a few hundred dollars a month on NEW cards, simply as a collector. I could not even sell those cards for a few dollars today! What was HOT then, is NOT now. Take Griffey, Jr. for example - now with a Book Value (BV) at 1/3 to 1/5 off of what he once commanded. Canseco, Justice, McGwire? All big money cards a decade ago. Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana? Where have they all gone?

Sure, its all supply and demand, and today’s stars are where its at, but I laugh at those who can afford to buy a $1,000 Lebron card, instead of using that money for a few NM Topps cards of Bird, Magic or Dr. J! Better yet, put it in the bank or buy your parents something nice.

One final thing as I close, is another pet peeve of mine - “some” (not all!) hobby/sportscards shops. How about these:

Hobby shops who routinely open up a “few” boxes of brand new product and display the fruits of their labor - at full BV or more! Then, when you ask for the same product, they either: 1) Do not have any more available, but they can build team sets or offer you singles (from the half dozen boxes they opened)! or 2) They have the product marked up significantly over the release date MSRP - like a few extra $ per pack / $25-50 a box! and 3) Get visually upset when you decide to only buy some supplies and/or marked down cards from yesteryear, ultimately passing on the new stuff! Sorry, $7-10 for 5 cards is no longer “smart” to me. LOL!

Thanks for taking the time to view my rant and thanks, again for a very interesting post! Happy collecting and Peace! Steve - heroesandhobbyz.

Thanks for opening the discussion.

There are other ways we hot pack selectors find items. You are correct with some of the ways mentioned. I have nearly 3,800 game used and about 1,100 autographs that I have pulled and will eventually give to my 2 boys. I often show kids in Wal-Mart or Target how to pull cards because I remember how I hated not getting good stuff. Kids are why this hobby was started, and I feel the price of packs have killed this for the younger generation. I obviously show them very basic ways of pulling packs without scales and other means. Decoy cards are not commonly used, and when they are they done in obvious ways by the companies. If you do your research before buying a pack most people will realize this due to where the patch would be on the pack. I will share another basic way for your young readers sine I feel that your doing this for the right reasons. If you get a shirt or soft cloth and grab a pack between your thumb and forefinger and slide your fingers up and down both sides of the pack you may feel a void in a pack indicating a game used card. Many present day companies are doing bulk autographs and are getting lazy, and they use stickers that are just stuck to cards at a later date. When you are using the above technique you may feel a raised area, which could possibly indicate an autograph. The main thing is to always do your research before buying. Take care and good luck!

Like all retail products though, don’t expect too much from blaster boxes. You’re really just better off saving up for a hobby box.

Another problem is with the Topps cards and the authenticity seals they place on the backs of the Auto cards. Those are very easy to find and are usually at the edges of the cards making fanning a useful method for finding these.

I think that companies are making a half-hearted effort to curtail pack searching. The most effective method of preventing searching is making the cards indistinguishable from the commons, either by the use of redemptions or autographs ON THE CARD with NO authenticity seal.

Even the retail blister packs you mention can and are being searched with similar methods you mention. The weighing method would obviously work but one other method you left out is pinching the packs (which works for the blisters but is more difficult). This method involves squeezing the pack between the thumb and forefinger and running your fingers along the pack as if sealing a zip-lock. Since the cards with jerseys and autos have a unique thickness where the jersey is, the pack will be thicker at that point and you can feel the transition.

I agree that the only way to ensure you hve a CHANCE at getting a good card is supporting the local hobby shops. Get to know the owners and make sure you trust them. I have known owners that will let their friends/customers search their hobby packs. Some owners will post pictures of customers pulling good cards from their product. If yours doesn’t do this, encourage them to. That is the best proof that you and everyone else have an equal chance of getting the autographs and jerseys you are hoping to pull.

By supporting the local hobby shops, the only ones shopping at the retailers will be the pack searchers. The retailers will be forced to either crack down on pack searching to bring back “honest” customers or stop carrying cards. They will not be able to justify carrying them when they have to return 23 of the 24 packs they sell because a pack searcher took the only pack actually worth the $3.99 price tag.