Prices of complete sets relative to singles

[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