Do you think this is gambling? [Collectibles & Gambling]

[samuraijin]

in my opinion it is just like a collection and not a gambling game, because gambling must have something called the advantages and disadvantages of each game, after all it is just a collection card that rarely people have the same hobby to have it and not many people buy it because according to i'm a very expensive hobby it's better to spend money to gamble at the casino

[danherbias07]

This reminded me of my younger years collecting NBA cards. 
I don't recall telling myself it was a gamble before. It's a hobby and you tend to spend a lot of money on it because you like what you are doing.
The cards that I aim before are Grant Hill, Michael Jordan, and Anfernee Hardaway. If I get them I will be one of the happiest kids but not because I can sell them for lots of money but because I can boast them with my friends.
It's a rare thing especially when the card doesn't have a white margin on the sides and corners.
IMO, it depends on what's your purpose for buying Pandora's box.

[jostorres]

Thank you all for your opinion on this matter. It seems the community is rather divided on whether this is gambling or not, some even pointing out this depends on the intention of the buyer. I believe it is crazy of much some collectibles of successful franchises can be worth after only two decades, it is a bit unreal, because I recall seeing these boxes being sold at the stores here in my city back in 2003 for a very small money in comparison.

Also, since there is not much to be further discussed I'll proceed to lock this thread within approximately 24 hours. I believe it is enough threshold for those who want to add another comment or reply to posts directed to them.  

Sometimes the value of one item can increase not because of its age but because of its rarity and if there's only a limited copy of it. Maybe the one you saw before are not original cards, that is why it's value is only cheap but fake cards does not matter for a kid that only wants to play the game.

It only matters the most from those who collect it and those who buy and sell it for a much expensive price. Those people know how to identify an authentic card from the fake ones. For someone who don't mind if what cards they will get inside the box and will actually value all the cards then it's not gambling but I think they will find cheaper alternatives.

[kamvreto]

It's just the same as buying mystery boxes where buyers risk their funds in exchange for valuable items though there's still no assurance that they could really get higher values items more than what they paid for. This isn't gambling because they are still getting items and cards as collectibles and they can still sell them in certain amounts. They must be risk takers but the risk is different in gambling. Maybe we can just consider it an exciting and surprising way to collect cards or items.
In gambling, there's a higher chance of losing your funds without gaining any profit and you can't chase them back. You won't get any item that will still satisfy you at some point.

You're right, we still have items even though we bought Pandora's box and don't know what's inside. this is purely just a pandora's box of mystery that gives a surprise. Items obtained are rare or just ordinary items. it would be well worth it and they the card makers made this card trading system work between collectors and each other and created an item that is indeed rare and is no longer in production.

[Hispo]

-snip-

I couldn't agree more. It is just plain crazy for some people to spend so much money on these things on ebay. Basically, if there are only a few hundred of these available out of an entire series, you can guess that they're going to be worth at least a couple of thousand dollars - especially if it's still new in box.
...

I assume all this happened because Yu-gi-oh and pokemon became pop culture hits and nobody expected them to be so successful back in the day.
There are also other franchises and anime series which have their own Trading card games, those are not so popular having less value in the collectible market as a consequence.

-snip-

Sometimes the value of one item can increase not because of its age but because of its rarity and if there's only a limited copy of it. Maybe the one you saw before are not original cards, that is why it's value is only cheap but fake cards does not matter for a kid that only wants to play the game.

It only matters the most from those who collect it and those who buy and sell it for a much expensive price. Those people know how to identify an authentic card from the fake ones. For someone who don't mind if what cards they will get inside the box and will actually value all the cards then it's not gambling but I think they will find cheaper alternatives.

I mean, the card I mentioned I saw them around 2000, when I was a little child. Those boxes which are worth 45k$ today back then were quite common.
As time passed by and those boxes started to get opened or lost (also with the popularity of Yu gi oh) the price started to increase very quick.

Nonetheless, you have a fair point tho. If one is a collector one needs to be very careful with counterfeits, since the first editions were printed during the early days of their franchises it is likely the material and anti-counterfeit measures of the cards back then were not as good as the card printed today, making it easier for the criminals to counterfeit...

[ryzaadit]

Nope.

Because you get a physical item meanwhile in-gamble you're gonna to get (Odds) you're gonna receive or nothing. If you get the physical item, is not gamble the different only the item you are get have some value.

[Cling18]

As for me, no, this is far from gambling because a person is receiving collectibles in exchange for his payment. He is like buying stuff with the possibility of getting better items that cost higher. In gambling, you are hoping to gain profit and you risk your funds but you can lose all of it without getting anything in return. They have similarities when it comes to risk since both require capital and funds but the results and rewards are different.