Prices of complete sets relative to singles

[JollyElm]

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

Darren you know how to keep us entertained

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

Darren you know how to keep us entertained

Sometimes I think it's just we Long Islanders who seem to get it.

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

Ahh, didn’t realize vintage cardboard was that abundant and priced on how they’re manufactured/packaged. Figured I’d get some bs responses. But I’ll hold out for actual, as I’ve dealt with plenty of solid people here.

[joshleon]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

Ahh, didn’t realize vintage cardboard was that abundant and priced on how they’re manufactured/packaged. Figured I’d get some bs responses. But I’ll hold out for actual, as I’ve dealt with plenty of solid people here.

I actually think Elm's response is a pretty good one. There are transaction costs inherent in every sale. Buy one set, one transaction cost, hence it's cheaper.

Another thought I had is to think about it this way: Which cards do people want?

99/100, when buying a 63 Topps card, are buying Aaron/Mantle/Mays over a complete set, or an Earl Francis card. The market for complete sets is much thinner. Therefore it makes sense that when selling a set, to most of the public you are selling the bluechip cards. Set collecting is more niche and won't demand a premium over the big cards.

[BCauley]

Me personally, I'd rather pay a little more piecing together a set by myself. It's a project, takes some time so it keeps me occupied, and I can pick each card that I want. Buying a full complete set is kind of boring to me.

I think less people are looking to build sets than there are people just looking for the pieces of the set so the demand is less. Just a guess though.

[chadeast]

Originally Posted by BCauley

Me personally, I'd rather pay a little more piecing together a set by myself. It's a project, takes some time so it keeps me occupied, and I can pick each card that I want. Buying a full complete set is kind of boring to me.

I think less people are looking to build sets than there are people just looking for the pieces of the set so the demand is less. Just a guess though.

+1. I'm a set collector, and most of us enjoy putting the set together just as much (or probably more!) than owning the set. And if you are somewhat picky about card condition, like I am, there are bound to be a large number of cards in any complete set you would buy that you'd want to replace right away, which is a good reason not to pay "full" price for a complete set. I also think if a set was nice enough to be pieced out and sold card by card in a set break, it likely would be, so if it is being sold as a set there is probably a reason for that.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

Originally Posted by joshleon

I actually think Elm's response is a pretty good one. There are transaction costs inherent in every sale. Buy one set, one transaction cost, hence it's cheaper.

+1

[dfletch00]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

awesome - thats the best laugh I had all day and much needed given the shit going on... thanks Darren....Darrell... 2rs and 2Ls

[Carter08]

My main issue with set building, speaking from doing a gran total of 1 so far, is that it’s fairly annoying when there’s a card or two that just never pop up. I guess I need to have a few different balls in play to stay busy or pick a popular set.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by Carter08

My main issue with set building, speaking from doing a gran total of 1 so far, is that it’s fairly annoying when there’s a card or two that just never pop up. I guess I need to have a few different balls in play to stay busy or pick a popular set.

Yep. What most people do to stay busy is come on Net54 and complain about random stuff.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

Yep. What most people do to stay busy is come on Net54 and complain about random stuff.

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It is their hobby.

When I put the 55 Bowman set together the shipping cost was a huge part of putting the set together. For me the fun of putting a set together is worth the extra cost of just buying a completed one.

[FrankWakefield]

Is there value for a set being intact? Yes. But it isn't monetary value. The value is in the self-satisfaction of having completed a set.

If it's all about the 'more money', then collect the cards that you like in a given set, then move on to a different set; don't "lower" the value by completing a set with cards you don't care about.

I recall when the sales tax in Kentucky was 3% when I was a kid. At some point, might have been 25 cents, the clerk would add a penny for tax. Hmmm, so if I bicycled over to the store that sold baseball cards, with enough coins to buy 8 packs (40 cents), then I'd make two trips through the cashier's line. 8 packs at once would cost 41 cents. Two purchases of 4 packs each would cost a total of 40 cents. THEN, to my outrage, in March of 1968, the Governor and state legislature got a law passed that would change the sales tax to 5%, and I think at 15 cents of a total sale they'd add the first penny of tax. I was shattered. Much of my early ball card money was from picking up Coke, Pepsi and RC bottles out of ditches on Saturday mornings. I'd get 4 cents for returning a Coke bottle, and 3 cents for the others. So a penny tax was frustrating to a bicycling kid. By 1968, paying a few cents occasionally for tax was not an insurmountable burden. But I still didn't like it.

[Jobu]

I am not a set collector, but in addition to the posts above talking about the enjoyment of putting together a set, there is also the issue of the total amount of money in a single transaction.

There are a lot more people whose budget allows them to buy a card/handful of cards here and there without going into the red on their bills that month than there are people whose budget allows them to spend what it takes to buy everything at once, even if it does come at a bit of a discount.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I suspect it's for the same reason that buying 24 individual cans of beer is 'dumber' than simply purchasing a case of beer.

As I am almost exclusively a set collector/builder, I wholeheartedly agree with this analysis. My explanation always is around a car. A car already built costs much less than if you purchased all the individual parts and built it yourself.

I now like the beer analogy much better!!
Thank you.

[glynparson]

I’ll give essentially the same answer I just did in another thread. Prices are determined by supply and demand not just supply or demand.