Quote:
Originally Posted by ALBB
the other " losing " factor with building sets brick by brick..is the added shipping expenses (assuming its eBay, which seems to be where most guys buy from)
So for every $5/$10 card you buy...add $3-4 + for shipping. Most collectors tend to " leave out " this pesky out of pocket expenses..when they state " I put together a 59 T set for about 1100..sold it for 1300...I did alright ( really ? LOL )
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When I got back into collecting in 2012 after a 20-year hiatus, I began building Topps Heritage sets. Local dealers didn't really deal in singles, so I went to eBay. If I figured in the shipping some of the sets I assembled would have cost me far more than I'd ever hope to sell them for.
When the hobby was my job from the mid-70s to 1987 I remember dealers purchasing sets to break apart for their inventory. High initial cost, but the profit would gradually be realized by individual card sales. Based on that I began purchasing Heritage master sets, filling in the SSP cards as the money and wife permitted.
When I decided to collect the 53 Bowman color set last December I was heavy on Heritage sets and short on money so I went back to purchasing singles from eBay as the few dealers who have them in my area ask quite a bit of money for their inventory. Had I saved the money from my Heritage sales I would have the opportunity to purchase a decent mid-grade set for less than what I have into my current set. No regrets, having my set makes me happy and I relate better to it than the current shiny, expensive stuff. But, a $10 card with $4 shipping plus tax becomes in actuality a $15 card. Multiply individual purchases that require the cost of shipping and tax in building a set will leave you with a keeper at least in the short term.