u/BrilliantOwl927

Everything about this beloved hobby has been reduced to a business for profit. There are the people on the inside that are monopolizing, buying out all of their competition bc they see this hobby for the $$$ bc no doubt about it, there is a thrill in opening a pack not knowing if youre going to find a life changing card. For the vast majority of collectors, we know exactly what it is to see a card from your past and remember where you were and how many years ago it was. We take pride in organizing our boxes/binders. But the few out there that only see what we love as a commodity and have the means to take it over have rigged this entire thing and made it quite f'n disgusting. 
 To watch these most popular known streamers with the millions of followers pull $10-20,000 cards over and over and over again, Hit 3 Cooper Flagg SSP Autos in one nights break...its all for show. They know for the masses out there to run out and spend HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS of dollars that we know we shouldnt spend on their products they need to make sure these Famous Breaks online get explosive hits in their hobby boxes. something that will entice and lure you in. (deny it if you want, collecting cards is an addiction) chances are inside that $500 box we open we won't even find a fifth of the value of what we had to pay and the few that do hit one of these rare diamonds that werent sent to pre-selected persons will tell you its not something that occurs on a regular basis.
And if you cant afford hobby and have to settle for retail they have all but taken out all of the autos and relics they used to garauntee per box and now your lucky if you get 20$ worth of cards from a 60-70 overpriced box of worthless cards..ITS RIGGED and it will only get worse. PSA buying out Beckett a step in their greed for a monopoly on all collectors grading. At that point they charge you whatever the hell they please.
  It feels partially the fault of the original owners not leaving Hobby in the right hands. Selling to the highest bidders, people with no interest in the tradition or love of the hobby. R.I.P. UPPER DECK, FLEER, Etc... I'd rather have all those past brands than to have 50 different variations of the same single freaking card to chase after. Buy singles people. Half the fun is the mystery and suspense of ripping a pack but they have taken the odds of success and its feeling alot like being scammed  when you buy something so overpriced and find nothing but Disappointment inside.
  When Press Pass Fusion came out in 2009 I had a On Card auto Larry Bird to /99 and a John Elway pictured playing baseball for Stanford signed Woody 7/10 because it was 1 of only 10 signed in Red Ink. Those All-Sport boxes were amazing and affordable by the way, they included autographs from people like, HOF Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski, olympic wrestlers Randy Couture and Bruce Baumgardner, Brock Lesner A dual auto Kevin McHale/James Worthy, Tar Heel rookie guards Wayne Ellington & Ty Lawson, Steph Curry, Eagles rookie WR Jeremy Maclin, USA softball P Cat Osterman, NASCAR late Greg Biffle...and Earnhart Sr. Swatches. 2 Autos per box and all autographs were on-card. Those boxes were sold at Walmart back then for 69.99 beside 2009 NBA Upper Deck SP Game Used tins which contained Jordan Kobe and LeBron Swatches for around 50 bucks and MLB Upper Deck Sweet Spot Tins. 
Back then everyone could experience the hobby not just people with plenty of disposable money or the select few inside the circle of beneficiaries of the money racket it has been turned into. thank you for letting me rant, I have included some photo examples of the hits that we used to find in $50-$70 Walmart boxes... Back when the card companies wanted to bring the hobbyist closer to the game and make it accessible to anyone that loved what they did.✌️I dont feel better but hopefully someone reads this that is newer to the hobby or not in the know...