Childhood or adulthood rip off stories

[SetBuilder]

What happened to the days when cards were inserted inside products? MLB should revoke Fleer's licensing rights in favor of a company that will insert cards in cereal boxes instead.

On the topic at hand, I don't think I was ever scammed as a kid with baseball cards. At least not seriously enough that I can remember--or maybe I didn't realize it. My primary MO was to attend a bunch of card shows at Joe Robbie stadium and one large one during Super Bowl XXXIII. I took home a bag full of giveaway packs and cards and got 8 x 11's signed by a ton of pros. I still have a 1998 Bowman Peyton Manning rookie with a Super Bowl impression on its surface. I guess its a rare variation since it was only distributed during this SB event. Yawn...

Luckily, I was really poor at the time so I couldn't afford the overpriced junk sold during this era. That was probably the best thing that happened knowing what became of them. Ah, the nostalgia of the toxic subprime card era and the bubble that burst.