The topic really says it all. Would it be better to try to sell it as a sealed case (In this case, Premium Deck: Slivers, FtV:Relics, and New Phyrexia) or do you get more value busting the case? Is there any difference between "limited" products and normal products in this regard?
I don't think most limited products come in a real sealed case (like ftv).
I don't think I"ve seen these go for a premium but instinctively I'd say a sealed case would be worth at least as much as the individual components and should be more. The problem is finding a buyer.
sealed cases are only worth more when it is booster boxes or tournament packs and even then its only for the older stuff (ABU and maybe a few after that)
for the most part, sealed cases of fixed list products (precons, FTV, theme decks, ect) sell for less than the sum of their parts as people buy them to resell
While a sealed box will in general, be worth more than 36 packs (going by e-Bay prices, NOT MSRP) due to the existence of box mapping and such, it's not really the case that a case is worth more than 6 booster boxes sold individually. If anything, it's worth slightly less (unless it's something really rare), because most individuals are in the market for a box or two, not cases of sealed product (unless they are stores). That's why you can find packs for $2.50, boxes for around $95, and cases are a little less than 6 boxes - $550-560 is what I've found them for - most cases are going to be sold at slight volume discounts.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Former Level 2 Judge (Retired / Renounced)
Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
The premium you might get is usually the difference in the shipping, so if you sell local you can get more for a case because of online shipping costs. IE shipping for a case might be $20-40 so you can expect about that much more if you sold it local (and ask for it due to that reason).
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
At the Gen Con auction Saturday night I got to listen to Wizards of the Coast founder and former CEO Peter Adkison wax nostalgic about the early days of Magic. (Peter was there because he now owns and runs Gen Con.) At the time Wizards produced Arabian Nights, the company operated out of Peter’s basement. When the shipping truck full of Arabian Nights cards showed up at Peter’s house, every employee of the company emerged from the basement and helped unload boxes of product into the company warehouse (better known as Peter’s garage). They all thought they had taken a big chance with Arabian Nights, especially when they decided to print what they thought at the time was a ridiculously large number of cards.
Of course, in retrospect we know that demand was much, much higher than what they had supplied. Magic was growing explosively and the set had some amazing cards (like Juzam Djinn and Library of Alexandria) that are staples of competitive Type 1 decks to this day. The combination of all these factors has made cards from the set extremely rare and extremely expensive over the years. Ten years later sealed 8-card booster packs sell for over $100 on the secondary market, and some individual cards from the set fetch over $200.
Anyway, at Gen Con Saturday night an entire case of Arabian Nights slated to be auctioned off. Booster display boxes of Arabian Nights contain 60 booster packs each and when Wizards shipped the product to distributors and stores back in the day they shipped it in “cases” of 10 booster displays. I wasn’t playing Magic back then, so I had never seen even a full booster display of this product before, much less an entire case of it. When I walked over to the case I was blown away by the history I was looking at. Locked behind glass I saw a normal-looking cardboard box with stenciling on it that said “Wizards of the Coast” and “Arabian Nights.” The box still had the original shipping label on it that had been attached to it inside Peter’s garage, along with the original packing tape. The top of the box was open, revealing ten booster displays, each of which was still inside the original shrinkwrap. Wow.
As the time for the auction approached, I watched several dealers scurrying around, trying to figure out how much this item was going to go for. A couple of them got together, figuring it was dumb for them to bid each other up, so they decided to just cooperate to keep the price down and then split it up later. There were 600 booster packs in there, which they knew they’d be able to sell at their stores or websites for at least $110 each, so they figured they could go as high at $60,000 (though they obviously hoped they could get it for less).
The dealers didn’t come close.
Everyone in the room watched in amazement as the bids just kept going higher. $65,000 . . . 70 . . . 75 . . . 80. The auctioneer paused to let everyone gasp and clap. 85 . . . (still two bidders) . . . 90 (still two bidders). “Ninety-five thousand dollars!” . . . Finally one of the two big bidders gave in and that’s what the case went for: $95,000.
The dealers I was hanging out with were incredulous – that price equates to $158.33 per booster pack and they thought the product clearly just wasn’t worth that much. However, I think that analysis misses the point. The two bidders who were going at it at the end were collectors who were trying to purchase a piece of Magic history. This wasn’t just 600 Arabian Nights booster packs, this was an original shipping container. This had stenciling from Peter Adkison’s garage and tape that was applied by one of Wizards of the Coast’s first employees. This was the piece de resistance for an entire Magic collection – a unique way to display the game’s very first expansion. The cards themselves may have only been worth $60,000, but that cardboard case and all the history it represents was apparently worth another thirty-five.
For newer sealed product, I'd actually expect a slight discount if I were to buy a case rather than buying the boxes individually.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Due to real-life obligations, I am taking a long break from Magic which may include missing the local Legacy GP. Apologies for not being able to keep my threads updated.
I don't think I"ve seen these go for a premium but instinctively I'd say a sealed case would be worth at least as much as the individual components and should be more. The problem is finding a buyer.
for the most part, sealed cases of fixed list products (precons, FTV, theme decks, ect) sell for less than the sum of their parts as people buy them to resell
Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
Have played duals? I have PucaPoints for them!
(Credit to DarkNightCavalier)
$tandard: Too poor.
Modern:
- GW Birthing Pod(?)
Legacy:
- UWR Delver
For newer sealed product, I'd actually expect a slight discount if I were to buy a case rather than buying the boxes individually.
Legacy
UWR Miracles UWR
GWB Maverick GWB
GB Elves GB
UBR ANT UBR
RG Combo Lands RG
Vintage
BUG BUG Fish BUG
Modern
GBW
Junk PodMagic: the Buylisting