I don’t know, my opinion is if a scammer wants to scam, it will happen no matter what. I’ve opened a Base Set 2 booster box recently that I had for a while, and have no interest in the empty box to be honest…if I can sell them on eBay for like $15 I’ll do it - otherwise it’s like me throwing away almost a $20 bill in the trash. Maybe to some high end Pokemon collectors that’s not much but to me any bit helps. I’m sure others feel like me and only care about the cards and have zero interest in an empty box.
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I’d tend to agree with @zacheggers here. That and stuff like Base 1st Edition packs that have been opened super carefully anyone could just reglue them and pull a quick $1000+ scam on an uneducated buyer. Buy $50 pack, insert $100 worth of NM cards. Profit.
Or… send to PSA and get a 9-10. I wish I was joking.
However, I see the other side as well. If I had that kind of product just collecting dust I’d probably sell it as well. At the end of the day, it,s true that scammers are going to scam no matter what so all we can do is be careful and knowledgeable about the things we buy online, especially from people we don’t know.
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@zacheggers I can definitely see where you are coming from with this to some extent; so don’t take this as an “attack” - just another collector / seller perspective!
However, the prices of booster boxes / booster packs are increasing drastically; some of which have already rose to the point where they are inaccessible to many collectors - look at the past sale of the 1st Ed. Base Booster Box / Booster Packs. Most people cannot afford to purchase something of this magnitude; however, they can still purchase empty boxes / wrappers - giving them an AWESOME display piece! Plus, these empty boxes / wrappers are still collectable and they’re much more affordable! And this isn’t just a “Pokemon-Thing” - take a look at the vintage Sports Card Market and/or even the Non-Sport Market; empty booster boxes / wrappers can be insanely expensive!
Why should we punish these legitimate collectors by making it harder for them to find and purchase boxes / wrappers? It’s not right to “ban” all of these items / sales simply because some dirtbag MAY PURCHASE something and attempt to sell-off as an original. The collectors looking to purchase original booster boxes / booster packs (at least those of high value) have the knowledge to either determine the authenticity of the booster box / booster pack and/or know where to go for information to determine the authenticity.
It’s like saying we should “ban” people from listing / selling any Shadowless Charizard - it’s simple for someone to purchase a 1st Ed. Stamp and simply create a 1st Ed. Charizard - look at all the fake stamps we have seen recently just here on E4. Then where does it stop: all Shadowless Cards, all Unlimited Cards?
Obviously, the 1st Ed. Stamping takes this thread to an entire different issue that the OP was not intending, that was just the closest example I could think of off the top of my head though.
It’s not right to allow this very small minority (scammers) to control the market; we shouldn’t have to “fear” to list something simply because someone may purchase that item for ill-legitimate reasons. No matter what we do, these scammers are going to find a way to keep doing what they’ve always been doing (sad to say, but it’s true)…
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Couldn’t the same argument be made against sealed booster boxes? If you sell sealed booster boxes, someone might weigh the packs, sell the weighed ones, then fill the booster box again with bunk packs and re-sell it. So we better not sell sealed booster boxes either!
My point being, there’s no reason to get annoyed with someone selling something legitimately because of the possibility that a scammer might buy it and use it to scam. Anything could be used to scam. Selling a real Illustrator card gives the scammer a template to make fake ones. Selling booster packs allows scammers to fill it and sell bunk packs.
“Literally everything is a weapon, son. That folder in my hands is far deadlier than this bow in yours." - R. Swanson.
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I disagree heartily. If someone buys a knife and stabs someone with it, the guy who sold the knife is not to blame. Pretty much anything can be used for evil in evil hands.
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Preach. Shitty people will find ways to do shitty things. It’s not like a counterfeiter is gated by empty boxes. They’ll counterfeit in other ways if they want. Some good people legitimately want empty boxes so it’s unethical to tell them they can’t have them just because of the possibility of somebody doing something with them that’s not legal.
Where have I heard this argument before?
I couldn’t disagree more. Cmon guys.
The first thing that popped into my head was well then you can’t sell Shadowless cause someone could alter it into a 1st Ed…but oldschool beat me to it.
And someone else mentioned then you can’t sell sealed boxes cause after emptying someone could reseal them.
Finally, who the hell has the right to tell anybody else what to sell just because they don’t like it?
I’ve never sold one (besides 50 Base Unl to someone here) but I have an amazing empty box collection. I just might sell some now because of this thread;)
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I can certainly understand this stance; however, I personally collect empty WOTC 1st edition boxes as part of my collection display case. I have framed WOTC League T-shirts, PSA10 Holo Sets, Booster Boxes, and other merchandise on display.
As a collector of ephemera (and not just Pokemon-related), I also have to respectfully disagree with the OP. I’ve acquired some really nice pieces over the years through auctions. Somebody made a few bucks, and I got what I consider a piece of history that might otherwise have been tossed into the trash.
I have bought some nice empty boxes on ebay, I like to display them. If someone’s buying a booster box, I would hope they would take the precautions of looking over the seal when they get it to make sure its not tampered.
Thanks for all your opinions, but I deleted my post (I thought it would delete the whole thread but it didn’t, now i feel stupid haha.) Anyway, I Hope I didn’t offend anyone who collects these. As a sealed WOTC booster box collector, this is just something that bothers me, when i see the empty boxes for sale online. Everyone who replied has VERY valid points and I can see where everyone is coming from. Thanks!
I just saw on eBay an empty 1st Ed Box sold for 400.00. Well I have several that still have the shrink wrap securely in place. The boxes haven’t been touched. What should those be worth?
Put it on for double that and see if anyone shows interest. I would like to see how high of a price an empty 1st ed booster box could bring.
I’m tempted…
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personally i love the art on certain booster boxes and packs especially Japanese ones. so i would certainly buy some empty boxes/packs just for collection alone, meaning there must be others who like them in the same way and not all are scammers.