Price of hobby boxes too high? 5 Budget-Friendly Ways to Stay Engaged with Cards

Many collectors are faced with the dilemma with the prices of hobby boxes being too high. The prices of products have gone up over the years, making it difficult for many card collectors to open unsealed products.

An assortment of baseball cards were available as part of the 2023 Milwaukee Brewers Clubhouse sale at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. / Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Many collectors are faced with the dilemma with the prices of hobby boxes being too high. The prices of products have gone up over the years, making it difficult for many card collectors to open unsealed products.  

However, just because the prices of hobby boxes are high doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the hobby. Here are five alternatives that you can do besides opening unsealed boxes to continue the love of collecting.   

1. Buy singles  

This might seem like a no-brainer, but instead of putting money toward hobby boxes and not knowing what you’re going to get, buy singles of the cards you want instead. Leave the wax ripping to others while you cultivate the collection that you want.   

2. Organize your collection  

Get your collection organized the way you want it. Log your cards in a spreadsheet or tracking app so you can see what you have, track value and prevent buying doubles.   

Also, take the time to put cards in binders or boxes, depending on how you want them. It can also be quiet relaxing. 

3. Buy into breaks  

Buying into breaks is a gamble just as much as opening unsealed wax, but breaks get you in cheaper. So if you’re in the mood for gambling, but want to get in at a more affordable price, case breaks may be the way to go to scratch that itch.   

4. Create content  

You may think there’s too much sports card content these days, but there’s not enough devoted to just collecting. Forget about the investing side of cards and focus on showing off your collection on Instagram or YouTube. You might even make some new friends in the process.  

5. Research vintage sets  

It doesn’t need to be vintage, but sports cards are vast and have been around for more than a century. Research and learn. Discover all you can about older sets. You might just find yourself in a rabbit hole of new cards that you will want to collect.