Why have box prices not gone back down to pre-2011 prices?

[zonacats8]

I just got back into the hobby at the start of the 2012 calendar year, so still on the back end of 2011 products.

And from what I gathered in my early days back in the hobby, it was that box prices SKYROCKETED that year due to the Cam craze in addition to the rest of that very solid class.

Then last year they obviously stayed high due to the QB class.

But why have all of this years products been released (and for the most part kept) at similar prices to those years?

If those two years were much higher than they ever were before, why didn't they fall back down to a lower initial asking price to begin with this year?

is it pure greed by Topps/Panini?

And if so, why didn't distributors refuse to buy them (at least in large quantities on almost all products outside of Chrome/Contenders) at those prices that were still inflated thanks to the 2011 price hikes?

[pjnjjsdad]

In my opinion, collecting since end 07/beginning 08, release date prices have stayed nearly EXACTLY the same from year to year.

[zonacats8]

Originally Posted by pjnjjsdad

In my opinion, collecting since end 07/beginning 08, release date prices have stayed nearly EXACTLY the same from year to year.

Interesting

I have no reference point as I wasn't in the hobby pre-2011, or really, pre Cam's 2011 explosion at the start of the year

But I thought I remember seeing on here everyone discussing how much box prices went up after Cam came out of the gates on fire in 2011

[JHinGA09]

Box prices have always been high.
The less cards in a box, the higher the box prices.

[k13]

They won't drop the price just cause it is a bad rookie class at least not on release....they might drop later when no one wants them.

See 2012-13 UD Hockey......

[pjnjjsdad]

Originally Posted by k13

They won't drop the price just cause it is a bad rookie class at least not on release....they might drop later when no one wants them.

See 2012-13 UD Hockey......

For sure

Pretty much any fluctuation in price between year to year prices is after the initial stock dries up and the market gets to determine the value.

See Timeless Treasures

[hche]

The rookie class has nothing to do with the initial release price. It is the companies production cost and how much they decided to make on them. Some companies also set a minimum box price on how much a distributor or a shop can sell the boxes within a certain time after release.

The box price 3 to 6 months after release is more accurate in determining how good the rookie case was and how much people like the product.

[jcduncan]

I think the rookie class does have at least a little impact in prices

[MeteoriteGuy]

Originally Posted by hche

The rookie class has nothing to do with the initial release price. It is the companies production cost and how much they decided to make on them. Some companies also set a minimum box price on how much a distributor or a shop can sell the boxes within a certain time after release.

The box price 3 to 6 months after release is more accurate in determining how good the rookie case was and how much people like the product.

Exactly. They are companies who plan these products 6 months ahead of time. Also, this year isn't near as bad as people are acting, and 2011/2012, wasn't as great as people act.

[blevins26]

Originally Posted by zonacats8

I just got back into the hobby at the start of the 2012 calendar year, so still on the back end of 2011 products.

And from what I gathered in my early days back in the hobby, it was that box prices SKYROCKETED that year due to the Cam craze in addition to the rest of that very solid class.

Then last year they obviously stayed high due to the QB class.

But why have all of this years products been released (and for the most part kept) at similar prices to those years?

If those two years were much higher than they ever were before, why didn't they fall back down to a lower initial asking price to begin with this year?

is it pure greed by Topps/Panini?

And if so, why didn't distributors refuse to buy them (at least in large quantities on almost all products outside of Chrome/Contenders) at those prices that were still inflated thanks to the 2011 price hikes?

I absolutely think box prices are higher now, especially when you factor in major increases in print runs and deeper rookie checklists--both of which water down the value.

I think in most cases, the simple answer is that the economy is way better now than it was then. The Dow was about 10,000 in Feb 2010 and now it's about 15,000. I think box prices going up are just a reflection of the broader market.

The problem I have is that the singles market is now over-saturated due to the production increases of the past 3 years and I think we are actually in the midst of a major correction where only the BEST players and BEST sets sell for anything more than $50 on the singles market.