First Buzz: 2025-26 Topps Chrome NBA cards

[IronCladLou]

As expected, did not win but neither did anyone else so fml

[mossoholic]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

I think the hobby gave up on whole sealed boxes/cases for the poors a long time ago - if you have little money, your only choice is to get into a break.

It’s funny, the poors are the ones who started group breaking in the first place - they were ironically the ones who created this monster that we know today.

We have finally come full circle. If individuals who want to open boxes can’t get the boxes, neither should the box flipper bois. This is what fanatics has wanted from the start.

Fortunately, for singles collectors, nothing has changed. We no longer waste money on breaks, we just buy what we want and there is more out there to choose from than ever before.

For the box flipper bois, you are now stuck camping overnight at Walmart trying to scrap a blaster or two to flip and feed your pets. No one ever wanted fair, the only lamentations we hear now are from the box flipper bois who are being exterminated from the hobby.

After all those years of driving up box prices for everyone else, it’s now our turn to say:

1. Go back to school and get a better job so you can afford the new product releases.
2. You are just bitter because you missed the boat.
3. You need to adapt to the hobby because it’s leaving you behind.
4. If it’s no longer fun, leave. There are other scalping opportunities in other industries.

I really don't get how you can be on here every day and not understand this.

Has nothing to do with being poor or not. There are plenty of boxes and cases people can buy for the prices Topps and Panini sell to breakers and direct members. Panini has also ran auctions for years and there has always been deals even if fewer than normal. Even recently you could have bought a Phoenix Football Fireburst set /350 and a 1/1 card in every box for barely over $400. Panini has had countless FOTL and hobby box auctions sell out under $250. Topps has had countless good products for $100-$300 over the last year. But good luck being able to buy them for that price.

The problem is you can't buy at those prices they sell to their friends for. Only the chosen few can. You can't even buy for 25% more. You could buy at or around that MSRP price for all of history until 2020. For most of the last 5+ years a decent amount of times you could get some good products from Topps for their set price. Not anymore. Going forward odds of getting anything worth mentioning are close to 0%. They are basically 0% on cases. Even if there is a junk product you want or sleeper product you will be capped on what you can buy from Topps.

Are you too dumb to realize the entities that you know with 100% certainty will be doing some form of flipping for every box and case are now getting their highest percentages ever? I'd love to know how prices would be the same or higher if in some form close to 100% was sold to the general public instead of the other way around.

With a few exceptions, no one with a brain has been to a Walmart or Target camping out for sports products for 3+ years now.

Again have you not seen how the box prices are going with Topps? It's because of the artificial scarcity. That's what has changed.

As I have said several times recently I want it all now to go 100% the way they want it. Torch the whole industry. Then in the future everything has a chance to stabilize. I thought it would happen by now but idiots have proven for 6 years they won't stop buying into breaks. So far, average return, and chances of actual huge hits has not mattered. It's by far the worst form of gambling on earth.

Yes I realize I shouldn't have even responded because I'm just setting myself up for the never ending argument with someone that somehow doesn't realize what's been happening with Fanatics the last 4-6 months. Which I would have thought would be an impossibility for someone thats been on here every day for years. If all you care about is buying singles and nothing has changed, as you claim, I have no idea why you continue to post here thousands of times a year.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by mossoholic

I really don't get how you can be on here every day and not understand this.

Has nothing to do with being poor or not. There are plenty of boxes and cases people can buy for the prices Topps and Panini sell to breakers and direct members. Panini has also ran auctions for years and there has always been deals even if fewer than normal. Even recently you could have bought a Phoenix Football Fireburst set /350 and a 1/1 card in every box for barely over $400. Panini has had countless FOTL and hobby box auctions sell out under $250. Topps has had countless good products for $100-$300 over the last year. But good luck being able to buy them for that price.

The problem is you can't buy at those prices they sell to their friends for. Only the chosen few can. You can't even buy for 25% more. You could buy at or around that MSRP price for all of history until 2020. Even you want to spend more, you still can't buy from Topps unless it's a junk product because the later sales are only offered to the chosen few. Even on junk products you're capped on the amount.

Are you too dumb to realize the entities that you know with 100% certainty will be doing some form of flipping for every box and case are now getting a the highest percentages ever? I'd love to know how prices would be the same or higher if in some form close to 100% was sold to the general public instead of the other way around.

With a few exceptions, no one with a brain has been to a Walmart or Target camping out for sports products for 4 years now.

Again have you not seen how the box prices are going with Topps? It's because of the artificial scarcity. That's what has changed.

As I have said several times recently I want it all now to go 100% the way they want it. Torch the whole industry. Then in the future everything has a chance to stabilize. I thought it would happen by now but idiots have proven for 6 years they won't stop buying into breaks. So far, average return, and chances of actual huge hits has not mattered. It's by far the worst form of gambling on earth.

Yes I realize I shouldn't have even responded because I'm just setting myself up for the never ending argument with someone that somehow doesn't realize what's been happening with Fanatics the last 4-6 months. Which I would have thought would be an impossibility for someone thats been on here every day for years. If all you care about is buying singles and nothing has changed, as you claim, I have no idea why you continue to post here thousands of times a year.

Hey, I’m in the same boat as most everyone here. I buy boxes as well.

However, the big difference is that, instead of reselling the boxes, I actually open them for enjoyment.

At this point of the game, I don’t care about what fanatics wants for their boxes. If they want more than what I want to pay, I pass. I don’t care if someone is getting those boxes for “cheaper” because they are paying for it on the losers as well. I’m glad I’m not locked in to a subscription from fanatics - the price to pay for being their friend.

My happiness in this hobby doesn’t depend on if I can get sealed wax at what I think can be flipped. Let the compulsively degenerates break, and I’ll gladly take their free play tokens from their breaker losses.

We share the same vision - torch the industry. Who is going to get burned the most? The box flipper bois and degenerate gamblers.

I’ll sit on the outside and watch it burn. The fire has already started.

[Asian62150]

Originally Posted by mossoholic

I really don't get how you can be on here every day and not understand this.

Has nothing to do with being poor or not. There are plenty of boxes and cases people can buy for the prices Topps and Panini sell to breakers and direct members. Panini has also ran auctions for years and there has always been deals even if fewer than normal. Even recently you could have bought a Phoenix Football Fireburst set /350 and a 1/1 card in every box for barely over $400. Panini has had countless FOTL and hobby box auctions sell out under $250. Topps has had countless good products for $100-$300 over the last year. But good luck being able to buy them for that price.

The problem is you can't buy at those prices they sell to their friends for. Only the chosen few can. You can't even buy for 25% more. You could buy at or around that MSRP price for all of history until 2020. For most of the last 5+ years a decent amount of times you could get some good products from Topps for their set price. Not anymore. Going forward odds of getting anything worth mentioning are close to 0%. They are basically 0% on cases. Even if there is a junk product you want or sleeper product you will be capped on what you can buy from Topps.

Are you too dumb to realize the entities that you know with 100% certainty will be doing some form of flipping for every box and case are now getting their highest percentages ever? I'd love to know how prices would be the same or higher if in some form close to 100% was sold to the general public instead of the other way around.

With a few exceptions, no one with a brain has been to a Walmart or Target camping out for sports products for 3+ years now.

Again have you not seen how the box prices are going with Topps? It's because of the artificial scarcity. That's what has changed.

As I have said several times recently I want it all now to go 100% the way they want it. Torch the whole industry. Then in the future everything has a chance to stabilize. I thought it would happen by now but idiots have proven for 6 years they won't stop buying into breaks. So far, average return, and chances of actual huge hits has not mattered. It's by far the worst form of gambling on earth.

Yes I realize I shouldn't have even responded because I'm just setting myself up for the never ending argument with someone that somehow doesn't realize what's been happening with Fanatics the last 4-6 months. Which I would have thought would be an impossibility for someone thats been on here every day for years. If all you care about is buying singles and nothing has changed, as you claim, I have no idea why you continue to post here thousands of times a year.

This is the problem.

People won't stop buying into breaks. It's an addictive habit and people think throwing $25 away for any given team is better than paying $500 for an entire box.

Breakers are making so much money they can afford to pay whatever Topps is asking because their customers just want another hit.

It's honestly sad but breakers have found a way to prey on people's addictive nature without having the overhead casinos or even pharmaceutical companies do.

[boxbuster7]

I'm just here to say that what I'm picking up 2025 topps chrome nba cards for is laughable considering how much these boxes cost.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Asian62150

This is the problem.

People won't stop buying into breaks. It's an addictive habit and people think throwing $25 away for any given team is better than paying $500 for an entire box.

Breakers are making so much money they can afford to pay whatever Topps is asking because their customers just want another hit.

It's honestly sad but breakers have found a way to prey on people's addictive nature without having the overhead casinos or even pharmaceutical companies do.

With zero regulations, too! How great is that?

[BackToWax]

I did not win EQL, not remotely surprised by this.

[Datboibird]

Unpopular opinion, but are we certain that breakers are the problem? Put differently, how is 28 people going in on a box break any different than you or I walking into the LCS and buying a box to open?

It seems to me that the root cause is Fanatics routing all product to said breakers/shops, releasing very few direct to the public, and thereby creating scarcity. The breakers (and shops) are then incentivized to feed into the scarcity and hype because the same boxes they got from Fanatics at 1k get broken/bought at 8k.

Do we not like the breakers because they created a method to actually be able to sell very expensive product at volume, and think that if they don’t exist then nobody buys at the increased prices?

Lastly, plenty of opportunities to flip exist, just need some foresight and a bit of courage. Anyone that jumped on the TC Hangers made a tidy profit.

Did not win the EQL, am sad.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Datboibird

Unpopular opinion, but are we certain that breakers are the problem? Put differently, how is 28 people going in on a box break any different than you or I walking into the LCS and buying a box to open?

It seems to me that the root cause is Fanatics routing all product to said breakers/shops, releasing very few direct to the public, and thereby creating scarcity. The breakers (and shops) are then incentivized to feed into the scarcity and hype because the same boxes they got from Fanatics at 1k get broken/bought at 8k.

Do we not like the breakers because they created a method to actually be able to sell very expensive product at volume, and think that if they don’t exist then nobody buys at the increased prices?

Lastly, plenty of opportunities to flip exist, just need some foresight and a bit of courage. Anyone that jumped on the TC Hangers made a tidy profit.

Did not win the EQL, am sad.

It’s not the breakers specifically, it’s the entire breaker culture.

30 compulsively degenerate johns collectively paid $8000 for a box, which is way higher than what one single individual would be willing to pay for the whole box to open themselves.

Fanatics is simply going where the money is.

[Grave252]

I’ve been watching and participating in breaks of various sports for 4 years and I have never seen people throw money at a product like this. $400 for a team in a 2 boxer, $3,800 for a team in a dual case, etc. Literally lighting money on fire. The odds of hitting anything decent are astronomical, and I truly can’t believe what I am seeing, and I thought I had seen it all. The breakers have to be over the moon right now with the cash flowing in.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Grave252

I’ve been watching and participating in breaks of various sports for 4 years and I have never seen people throw money at a product like this. $400 for a team in a 2 boxer, $3,800 for a team in a dual case, etc. Literally lighting money on fire. The odds of hitting anything decent are astronomical, and I truly can’t believe what I am seeing, and I thought I had seen it all. The breakers have to be over the moon right now with the cash flowing in.

Just shows fanatics could have sold this for $4000 per box and it would have sold out instantly.

Good for them.

[imbluestreak23]

2 random sapphire base cards from seller Wally's Cards.

Thousands and thousands of dollars for this crap quality?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Humans are truly stupid

[thenightman]

Zero tears shed.

[weatherwarrior]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

I'm just here to say that what I'm picking up 2025 topps chrome nba cards for is laughable considering how much these boxes cost.

This is the key right here! Take advantage for what people are dumping things for. If they are selling too low buy it up.

I swear every day is like Christmas with the packages from ebay!

I love the opportunity to buy right now.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[weatherwarrior]

Originally Posted by Grave252

I’ve been watching and participating in breaks of various sports for 4 years and I have never seen people throw money at a product like this. $400 for a team in a 2 boxer, $3,800 for a team in a dual case, etc. Literally lighting money on fire. The odds of hitting anything decent are astronomical, and I truly can’t believe what I am seeing, and I thought I had seen it all. The breakers have to be over the moon right now with the cash flowing in.

Prizm, was /is the same way. Over 2k per peizm forl boxes with this draft class in football is borderline insanity.

Nothing like 2k for a Spencer rattler 2nd year auto.

They all do it. Before fanatics had the license panini was sending loaded stuff to breakers. These companies are the same. They dont care about customers. They care about investors. And not cardboard investors.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[h00perstar34]

Does anyone else find it weird basically nobody in the US other than breakers got this, yet there are a bunch of eBay sellers from UK and Germany with multiple listings of confirmed orders????? Lmao nice one Rubin.

[Tonic3]

The last few pages of certain individuals going on and on about how Topps isn't being fair to whom they sell to and for what price need to remember one thing.

Cards ARE NOT a necessity of life, they are a luxury item. No one needs little pieces of paper with pictures/scribbles on them to live and survive. It's not like Topps is monopolizing the worlds supply of food, water, and shelter. Anyone who's bought and opened boxes in the past will be able to go on living without a $1000 box of Topps Sapphire. I'd like to open boxes as well like I did in the past, but I'm not going to pay Rolex prices for something that's essentially a Timex.

In the long run this removal of the middle man/flipper bois is a good thing for actual collectors. It will take a while but more and more people will sit on the sidelines and choose not to pay Topps high prices. The more that happens the sooner prices will adjust down. Simple supply and demand. However, as others have stated...as long as there is an outlet to breakers/degenerate gamblers and the money keeps flowing in....nothing will change. People need to make their voice heard with their pocketbooks. Stop buying high priced boxes, stop buying into breaks...do that and things change. Until that happens...nothing will change.

[weatherwarrior]

Added these 4 from Cards HQ in Atlanta for less than a mega box.

Nothing earth shattering. But I was visiting some employees in the are and decided to stop by.

They had blasters at 59.99. I couldn't help but laugh. Just grabbed these 4 qnd some supplies.



Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by h00perstar34

Does anyone else find it weird basically nobody in the US other than breakers got this, yet there are a bunch of eBay sellers from UK and Germany with multiple listings of confirmed orders????? Lmao nice one Rubin.

Every other Topps country website had EQL's as well. International EQL's are a bit better odds wise to hit.

[msink28]

As a degenerate participant in the Topps Chrome Sapphire EQL, I feel attacked! (Don't worry, I lost).

To be fair, morality has never been a calling card of the sports card hobby.

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Some people just can’t help it. They can’t resist that someone else is going to profit by flipping their boxes so they feel the carnal obligation to participate as well. They will justify it by publicizing some sob story, like they can’t afford this hobby unless they flip sealed boxes.

Very few are able to stand their moral ground.

[hermanotarjeta]

Since nobody here actually got this product, I’m going to be sad that we’re not going to be able to enjoy any pump/ego fondling efforts on sapphire, which, I have to admit, are some of the most, er, entertaining posts that smoke out who the box flipper bois are.

Box flipper bois who won EQL - “wow, product of the year!”, “you pulled a gold sapphire Rudy Gobert gold in your box??!? Sick mojo let’s goooooooooooo!!!!”, “I can’t believe how loaded this product is”, “ I’m so glad I got ten cases of this product!!!!!”

Box flipper bois who got skunked on EQL - crickets

[Coach Ditka]

Did anyone on here actually want a box to bust? I'd assume nearly everyone would have stashed and/or flipped.

[tgriffey30]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Every other Topps country website had EQL's as well. International EQL's are a bit better odds wise to hit.

I thought I saw a post that Topps Japan wasn't EQL and it was $1200 USD

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Coach Ditka

Did anyone on here actually want a box to bust? I'd assume nearly everyone would have stashed and/or flipped.

Let’s extend this question and ask the peanut gallery :

If you knew a big box retailer was buying these boxes from the public for $2500, and you found one for $2000 at your local shop, would you open it or flip it/stash it for resale?

[msink28]

Depends how much you like your local card store. I could see letting them know if I had a good relationship.

I personally do not trust myself to actually follow through with the sale so it would probably stay in the basement like all the other stuff that I don't trust opening.

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Let’s extend this question and ask the peanut gallery :

If you knew a big box retailer was buying these boxes from the public for $2500, and you found one for $2000 at your local shop, would you open it or flip it/stash it for resale?