In a strange turn of events, NBA Top Shot was able to successfully run a pack drop the first time. The drop was the third of the “Cool Cats” installment and first since last Friday, with the postponed 2021 rare All-Star Game pack. While I wasn’t able to experience that drop, here’s a brief overview of what was in the NBA Top Shot Cool Cats pack, and what to expect in similar packs in the future.
NBA Top Shot Cool Cats Pack Drop
Queue
With the rising popularity of NBA Top Shot, the queues continue to get longer. However, even with all that taken into account, I was not expecting over 300,000 people to be in line for the drop. Luckily, I got a spot around 63,000, which was just inside that 67,500 available pack window. There was only one pause in the queue, and it wasn’t for too long.
When everyone gets twenty minutes to buy their pack when it’s their turn, it doesn’t make for a quick process. Being at the end of the line in terms of people able to get a pack, it took about two and a half hours for it to be my turn in line. Obviously, that amount of waiting time isn’t ideal, but the site is still in the beta stages, and it did have to go through around 62,000 people in that window. As I’ve said before from previous pulls, NBA Top Shot really needs to reduce the time limit to at least 15 minutes.
Checkout
For all of the problems NBA Top Shot and Dapper have, from a consistently crashing website to pack drops delayed multiple times, the checkout has not been an issue, in my experience. Once again, much like with the “Seeing Stars” packs, the checkout process was extremely quick. In total, the entire process once I was redirected took no more than two minutes. I have never bought a pack with any payment method outside of funds already in my Dapper wallet, so it is possible that the process is slowed when it comes to loading funds into your account.
Return on Investment in NBA Top Shot Cool Cats Pack
Unlike with the “Seeing Stars” pack, the return on investment is not completely known yet. The pack was $14 and came with one common “Cool Cat” card and four base cards. At the lowest, base cards can usually fetch about $10 on the open market, currently. Just in those cards alone, the return will get you around at least $25 profit. Again currently, the “Cool Cat” cards are selling for around $70-$100 each. However, that will likely inflate once all of the flippers are done just trying to sell them quickly for an easy profit. I pulled three not-so-great base cards, a #325 serial numbered Terrence Ross and a RJ Barrett “Cool Cat” card.
One important thing to remember about these drops, if you are lucky enough to cop a pack, is to play the market and know what you have. For starters, check collections immediately. There are plenty of common cards selling for cheap that are one of 10 in a set that, when completed, nets a rare, unreleased in packs, moment. Don’t follow the trends and sell low, because you very well could have a moment that many people need to finish their collections. Secondly, never sell right after a drop. Once the flippers have sold their moments, there will still be plenty of people desperate for these cards later on when prices return to normal.
Final Verdict on NBA Top Shot Cool Cats Pack Drop
If you’re looking to simply make a quick buck, these packs are not for you. The cards are common and won’t fetch much on the marketplace. However, if you’re looking to build your collection, these packs are perfect. For $14, five moments is about as good as it gets, and it doesn’t break the bank either. Maybe you get something you like and trade with a friend via the “send a gift” feature, or maybe you sell some to buy moments of your favorite team/player. Either way, while this pack lacks the “pizzazz” of extremely rare cards and drops, it’s certainly worth it as seen by the incredibly high demand.
