Pros and Cons Of E-Pack - Let's discuss!

[creasecollector]

So I can collect a complete base set using daily packs...for free? Hey, I'll give this a shot.

Keep in mind they are not physical cards though. Only the "upgraded" base cards can be sent to you.

If you wanted to, say, create an entire UD S1/S2 Silver base set, then that would be quite the accomplishment indeed.

 

[foley2k]

Pros -
I can't think of any for myself.

Cons -
Have to pay money to get a card that you already paid for.
Hurts the B&M shops.

 

[Triple B]

Pros - Lines Upper Deck's pockets by competing directly B&M shops in terms of the price, considering that there is little to no overhead (ie. packaging, printing, etc.)

- Makes your base cards and common Young Guns virtually (see what I did there?) worthless. Don't believe me? Ask a bulk buyer.

Oh wait, those are "cons".

 

[TMacfreak91]

I feel like we have some reeeeally bitter people about this but hey that why it's called a discussion!

Young Guns I agree have taken a hit (outside the bigger names) but base cards for once DO have more value. You're fooling yourself if you think base had more value before. Of all the criticisms about epack (many of which ARE justified even for me who enjoys using epack), that one I truly don't understand.

I think of all the negatives, the one indisputable Pro is that it finally gives people a reason to WANT base cards. The gold foils for S1 and a lot of the Compendium parallels look really sharp in person and while they don't hold up in value on ebay/COMC, I've been told by many that they go for much more at shows.

 

[deepbluejacket]

Keep in mind they are not physical cards though. Only the "upgraded" base cards can be sent to you.

If you wanted to, say, create an entire UD S1/S2 Silver base set, then that would be quite the accomplishment indeed.

Are the free packs not real? Or are the packs you pay for also not real? I'm having trouble getting my head around why I'd pay for something that's not real.

 

[tkachukfan]

Are the free packs not real? Or are the packs you pay for also not real? I'm having trouble getting my head around why I'd pay for something that's not real.

Depends on the product, I think. Compendium base are all digital and only used to compile for upgrades. I think the other base products like S1, MVP are all physical.

 

[Elias Devil]

Base in S1 and MVP are digital too. S1 has parallels that become physical at 10 and 100 and MVP base turn green with 20

 

[lucscaps]

Comp is also so cheap, for the price point makes it easy to buy enough packs to trade for the ones you want.
It's 24.99 a box.
So no the cards aren't transferable when you buy them but you can trade to make them so.
You also can pull plates.
This product is all about Trading in volume

 

[deepbluejacket]

I think the trading feature would be cool if it was like the stock market. You say what you want and what you're willing to give. For example, if I could say I will trade any card I have, 1 for 1, for this base card and then let an algorithm take care of it, I would find this interesting.

Doing it one by one is too time consuming for me personally.

 

[penguinfan]

I suppose I am neutral.....I think I bought a box of some ecards but I just never got into it. I forgot the web address anyway(though I am sure a simple search would do the trick). Not even sure how it works completely. But I am also not sure I'd actually pay for hard copies unless I did 99% free packs to start

 

[newfiecomicguy1]

I think it's a negative. I understand that it is trying to draw in younger collectors who love electronics but is it really doing that? It is hurting card stores, I dislike that key cards are available on there instead of being inserted into packs. It is flooding the market which is good for lower budget collectors like myself. I don't mind overstation of the market as I am a collector first. The cheaper I can buy cards the better I like it.

 

[ronfir]

I have not bought a single E-pack and doubt I ever will. I want to support the two locals where I shop. What makes me mad is all the hype from Upper Deck that the cards are random in packaging going to physical stores vs their own interest E-pack store.

I simply do not trust Upper Deck, they make the choice of what goes out the door and what cards they keep back to sell from their site.

E-pack is simply BAD!

 

[TMLFan3]

I think if there was a way to transfer cards (from series' released) from COMC back to epack that would be great!

I am sure fees could be charged from either party for this and people would love it. Imaging buying low on COMC, and trading high on epack.

 

[scooby1970]

I talked to steve about this and a huge pro is set up a terminal at all lcs so the lcs can still sell the epack product if they run out of stock

 

[Ferrian1]

- Makes your base cards and common Young Guns virtually (see what I did there?) worthless. Don't believe me? Ask a bulk buyer.

This is my big thought, as someone who took some time off from the hobby just as ePack was introduced (and after I bought a ton of S1 in search of Connor YG's). I now have a full box of inserts, YG's, jerseys, canvas from Upper Deck, that I would previously have sent to COMC or moved for a buck or 2 locally that's essentially worthless - selling for $0.30 on COMC. So from a case plus of UD I landed one Connor and 2 other cards I could sell for $5, and everything else is worthless. I can't see how anyone doesn't see this hurting the LCS. My LCS already knows that I won't purchase a single box/pack of S1/S2 anymore as there's no point (either as a collector or seller - I might as well avoid it and chase what I need on COMC).

 

[geschrocks33]

One of the biggest positives I think is ease of access to cards. With Series 1 on ePack, I have been able to complete the Stastny rainbow just off of cards on there. Exclusives, High Gloss, Printing Plate, plus the Gold & Silver foils. It makes it easy to find certain things that you ordinarily might be stuck waiting to hit eBay, etc.

Negatives to me are things that have been mentioned already, which are taking sales from the LCS, and the way that it completely destroys the values of S1/S2 inserts.

 

[Taxi]

This is my big thought, as someone who took some time off from the hobby just as ePack was introduced (and after I bought a ton of S1 in search of Connor YG's). I now have a full box of inserts, YG's, jerseys, canvas from Upper Deck, that I would previously have sent to COMC or moved for a buck or 2 locally that's essentially worthless - selling for $0.30 on COMC. So from a case plus of UD I landed one Connor and 2 other cards I could sell for $5, and everything else is worthless. I can't see how anyone doesn't see this hurting the LCS. My LCS already knows that I won't purchase a single box/pack of S1/S2 anymore as there's no point (either as a collector or seller - I might as well avoid it and chase what I need on COMC).

EPack is probably having an effect there, but that's also the Connor McDavid effect. The product was way over-produced and everyone wanted a McDavid and treated everything else like junk.

Way more people opening way more product just means more singles floating around and less demand. The combo of E-pack letting people finish sets easily and over-production, really tanked last year's market for anything without the word "McDavid" on it.

As for how the LCSs did last year, many did pretty well with the added markup from the McDavid hype. Ideally, I would buy from 1-2 boxes to complete sets and then the rest physical product from my LCS. In Canada the distribution is complete BS though. Locally boxes of S1/S2 are going for $150+ a box, which is just too much of a mark up to justify buying locally. I can normally get some good deals pre-sale, but then the price creeps up too quickly.

 

[lucscaps]

the whole epack thing is getting better in my eyes. They've made base relevant again in being able to trade and combine it.

I'll say it again though, they need more sets like compendium on there.

 

[RGM81]

I talked to steve about this and a huge pro is set up a terminal at all lcs so the lcs can still sell the epack product if they run out of stock

Given that e-Pack was created to cut out the middle man, and give UD a means to sell directly to the end user, I can't envision a scenario in which this happens.

 

[RGM81]

A few people have mentioned how annoying/time consuming it is to make trades--I don't know why UD doesn't have a feature similar to what they do with the Tim Hortons digital cards, where you simply have your doubles automatically exchange for cards you need. There's virtually no work at all that goes into building the digital Tim Hortons set. Obviously there would have to be a way where you tell the system "hey don't go sending my Carey Price cards away" but if they were to put in a drop-down "want list" with 10 / 20 / 100 for the parallels for a card, and have your other base cards auto-trade for those, it would be much easier for people.