Weighing Packs

Status
Not open for further replies.
Yep I'll provide a link for it. I could do it earlier because my dad is skeptical of my method and wants to prove whether it works or not. For him its a win-win situation because either he proves me wrong and wins our bet or I win our bet but he being a physicist can use the information to his use.
 
viper.fox said:
It does work, however, it's extremely unethical. Not so bad if you go on intuition and feel, but once you bring scales into it and you start weighing it's... argh.

It is heavily frowned upon in hobby shops, especially if they're nice enough to have an open box system where you can pick them out of the box yourself. Heck as a collector even I frown upon it. Weeding out every holo packet in the box is unfair to others who wish to also purchase cards. Even in department stores, if they do open boxes, it's still going to look really bizarre if you start weighing them all (and again, remember, while a lot of adults play it your average store teller is going to consider it a children's game and again will consider it unfair if you start weighing packets)...

Which is why most stores don't carry open boxes like that anymore, they get shipped blister-sealed boosters which add even more weight and make it harder to discern the weights. If TPCI keep the current pack rate they've introduced into HGSS (making it more like Japanese packet ratios) then you won't need to 'weigh the packs' since 1/3 packs actually has a holo in it now, and usually a rare one while we're at it. From what I've read the BW packs in english are pretty easy to pull FA cards from, so you shouldn't be needing to weigh them.

The reason most people buy large numbers of packs and haven't pulled foils is usually because of someone buying all the weightier packs before them, frankly. Something I have had the displeasure of seeing in person.

Sorry if I went a bit ranty, but it's a topic which really grinds my gears.

This would tick me off as well! Buying packs and not pulling holos... Then again not everyone knows this method. Actually I don't think the store owner would even care because its money that they are getting, but thanks for sharing the idea! I actually might try this, but I will guess the weight by weighing them in my hands... Btw I hate that they seal the packs in blisters, its just annoying to open...
 
Dear everyone on this thread:

I don't believe that this works… with actual fact, anyway. Exited for this method, I was going to stop by K-Mart tomorrow, where they still have Triumphant packs, and try it out. However, I found an old postal scale, and, eagerly, tried it out, happy to measure with exact measurements.

First, I used a single test with just a Prime versus a holo. I put each in the same toploader, at different times, and weighed them separately. They weighed exactly the same.

Thinking there was too much variable in the toploader, I tried a pack situation. I loaded up an empty booster with five commons, three uncommons, a reverse, and either the Prime or the Rare in turn. Guess what? No difference in the weight.

So, either I need a much more accurate scale, or this trick doesn't work, in exact measurements, anyway.

However, I believe that there may be some other factors. Like, maybe the human hand and nerve and reaction system can detect slighter changes than visible in a scale? Maybe my scale wasn't working properly? Maybe it's not in the card itself, but the booster, that the extra weight is in? Maybe there is no difference, but our belief causes us to find one?

Well, I hit K-Mart tomorrow, and try it out.

I figured this would be useful to know.

(And I did go through the scientific process, and I understand there were errors in my methods, I don't need anyone on my case for this…)
 
It easily could be that holos and Primes weigh the same. Considering I've only done this three times It could easily be possible. Or the other way around you could need a more accurate scale. It comes down to a hundredth of a gram. Why my dad is interested in testing this, considering my luck at three Primes in a row he wonders if the human brain can tell such slight differences in weight.
 
Azul said:
I really don't see why people weigh their packs. I just buy my packs and get out.

My thoughts exactly. Even if you don't get a Prime, you could still get something else that you want/need.
 
weighing packs is a waste of time. No matter what forum I tend to visit, there is always that one person that will bring this subject up. Honestly just buy your packs and get out. It doesn't have to take you forever. Or if you want just get packs based on intuition. Like I had my best luck when it came to SV with the charizard packs. 2 Charizard X, Electevire X, 3 Blaze X, etc.... Weighing packs makes you look like someone who quite honestly has no life.
 
This is why you should never buy individual packs off of sites such as ebay. I've seen some pretty good deals on 1st edition boosters from the older sets, but chances are the seller has already whipped the scales out and cherry picked all the good packs, selling off the remaining non-holo scrap.
 
I have never tried weighing packs individually but I have weighed blister packs and tins using my hands. I tend to have a success of pulling an ultra rare about 90% of the time.
 
Project696 said:
weighing packs is a waste of time. No matter what forum I tend to visit, there is always that one person that will bring this subject up. Honestly just buy your packs and get out. It doesn't have to take you forever. Or if you want just get packs based on intuition. Like I had my best luck when it came to SV with the charizard packs. 2 Charizard X, Electevire X, 3 Blaze X, etc.... Weighing packs makes you look like someone who quite honestly has no life.


I see what you are saying but for some people including collectors and players inn Pokemon may want the ultra rares for example a TCG player wants a rehiram FA or Zekrom FA to complete the set or complete a deck or a Pikachu SR for there collection of pikachu's or something so they go to weigh packs at a store and get the card they need.
 
gary182000 said:
I see what you are saying but for some people including collectors and players inn Pokemon may want the ultra rares for example a TCG player wants a rehiram FA or Zekrom FA to complete the set or complete a deck or a Pikachu SR for there collection of pikachu's or something so they go to weigh packs at a store and get the card they need.


I've probably bought 16 BW boosters since the set came out. out of those, i've had 6 FA Zekroms, and 2 FA Reshirams. Not to mention 5 Zoroarks. So to all those that weigh packs, if you have a better ratio than I do, maybe weighing packs works, but I don't see it. Its time consuming, and well just not worth it.
 
Project696 said:
I've probably bought 16 BW boosters since the set came out. out of those, i've had 6 FA Zekroms, and 2 FA Reshirams. Not to mention 5 Zoroarks. So to all those that weigh packs, if you have a better ratio than I do, maybe weighing packs works, but I don't see it. Its time consuming, and well just not worth it.


Well then you have been extremely lucky. But like I said some collectors or players want Ultra Rares and if you don't weigh packs you will be taking a risk.
 
Which is the point of a TCG with blind packs. Seriously. The game and collecting it has been about 'taking risks' from day one.

Nothing compares to the joy of randomly pulling a Pikachu SR (one in five chance if I had five -BOXES- of cards to try) I did in Japan, or any other desired SR/UR card. That's part of the hunt and thrill. Yes, I've used intuitive feeling before when I have a chance to select a few packs, and my hands seldom lie to me when I feel the packs and the variance, but I don't take away anyone else's joy by finding all the really good stuff and buying it all through scale weighing. Again, herein lies the problem...
 
viper.fox said:
Which is the point of a TCG with blind packs. Seriously. The game and collecting it has been about 'taking risks' from day one.

Nothing compares to the joy of randomly pulling a Pikachu SR (one in five chance if I had five -BOXES- of cards to try) I did in Japan, or any other desired SR/UR card. That's part of the hunt and thrill. Yes, I've used intuitive feeling before when I have a chance to select a few packs, and my hands seldom lie to me when I feel the packs and the variance, but I don't take away anyone else's joy by finding all the really good stuff and buying it all through scale weighing. Again, herein lies the problem...


Sorry. I am wrong. I can't believe that I forgot that for even a minute. But yeah it would also probably make your day.
 
I personally don't like it. I've tried it before, but I always end up pulling better blind than when I try to weigh packs. Although this is probably because when I tried buying loose packs, out of 8 that I got the best I got was a Mandibuzz.
 
I can't believe this thread isn't locked. You guys are advocating ruining the spirit of the game and screwing over your fellow players. Nothing sucks more than buying 12 packs and not pulling a single Ultra rare... knowing that some jerk came in before you and manipulated the system.

If I saw someone doing this at a target then we would be exchanging words, let alone hobby stores owners that apparently allow this garbage to happen.
 
Well for me when I go to my hobby store the packs are weighed. I can't pull any ultra rares. I go to target for packs for a reason, because no one else does.
 
Wow, people are really bashing weighing packs– I'm going to make a stand for it at the very least. Before anyone criticizes me, I don't weigh packs myself and I do see where you're coming from, but I still feel like it's not unethical.

Sure, pulling a Prime by chance is fun. But it's not likely. If I had the chance to make EVERY loose pack I pulled from contain a Prime, I would– wouldn't you? Sure, it makes it less special when you do get a Prime, but the fact that you're getting Primes more often does make it worth it.

Weighing packs is entirely legal. And why shouldn't it be? People who sell them can't complain– if they made a rule about not weighing packs, they would lose some of their business. Might as well let people do it, right?

Now for the largest problem– other people. I do agree that not pulling any Primes is tough. But everyone is able to weigh packs– the fact that one person takes advantage of it doesn't make him or her unethical. The people who take time to weigh do get rewarded, and that's their choice. But just because someone chooses not to weigh packs doesn't give him or her the right to complain about people who do; that would be ridiculous. If you care so much about pulling Primes, weigh packs yourself. If you don't care that much, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Just my two cents.
 
From a retail standpoint, if somebody comes in and weighs and purchases all the packs with the money cards (and does so in front of a crowd of players, which is very common), the store is stuck with half a dead box that everybody there knows has nothing left in it. A store doesn't buy a box to only sell half that box. I don't encourage weighing and I let players know that. Most stop after I explain the store's stance, and they respect that there should be a certain luck element involved when you purchase merchandise. If you want to eliminate luck as an aspect of your purchase, you can buy sight seen off eBay or trade.


And furthermore, any store that weighs its pack is doing a disservice to its customers and to itself. If word gets out of their weighing, their customers lose faith in the store and will purchase packs elsewhere, and deservedly so.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top