How to track a box break’s real profit

Opening a booster box is fun, but was it worth it? To know, you need two numbers: what the packs cost you, and what came out of them.

What each pack cost

Start with what you paid for the box, including tax and shipping if you want the full picture. Divide it by the number of packs inside: that’s each pack’s cost. A box with 36 packs that cost $145 works out to about $4.03 a pack.

The number of packs depends on the product: booster boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes and booster bundles hold different counts. Sealed product pages on Holofile list the packs inside where the catalog knows them, for example the Surging Sparks sealed products.

What you pulled

Add up the market value of the cards worth keeping track of, and count the rest as bulk at a small value each. Use Near Mint prices only for cards that really are Near Mint: fresh pulls usually are, but check.

The set’s card list shows each card’s market price, and its chase cards: the few most valuable cards, which decide most breaks.

Profit, honestly

Profit is the value of what you pulled minus what the packs cost. A few things to keep in mind:

• Market value isn’t cash. Selling cards takes time, fees and shipping, and buyers often pay less than market price.
• One box is a small sample. Pull rates average out over many packs, so one good or bad box says little about the next.
• The sealed box has a value too. An unopened box is worth its own market price, which may rise or fall. Opening it trades that for the cards inside. Compare with the box’s unopened price.

Track it in Holofile

In the Holofile app, open a box you own into its packs: the price you paid is split evenly across them. Then rip each pack, scan what you pulled, count the rest as bulk, and see Pulled so far against what you paid. See Open a box and track a box break and Rip a pack and log your pulls.