Quick answers
What is a group break?
A group break splits a box or case of cards between a group of collectors. Each person buys a team, a player or a spot, we open the product live on stream, and every card from your team or player ships to you. You get to chase premium product for a fraction of the cost of a box.
How do I join one?
Pick an open break on the homepage or in the CSB app and buy a team, a player or a spot. You need a free account so we know where to ship.
When is my break?
Every break shows its date and start time on its own page and in the app. We break most days of the week, usually starting around 3:00 PM Pacific, and we post the schedule a day or two ahead. Turn on notifications in the app and you’ll get a push when a break you’re in is about to start.
Where do I watch?
On the Break Room page here on the site, or on Twitch at twitch.tv/cardsmiths. The Break Room shows the stream, the chat, the current break and the board with every spot on it. Log in and your own spots are highlighted. A free Twitch account lets you join the chat.
I missed it. Can I see what was pulled?
Yes. Every break is recorded and posted to our YouTube channel, and the hits are in Hit Recaps in the app. Your cards ship whether you watched or not.
When do I get my cards?
After the break, everything is sleeved, top-loaded and sorted, then shipped. We’re usually sorting several cases at once, so please allow some time. You’ll get a shipping notification with tracking.
The break types
Team break
Each team is priced separately, based on what’s on the checklist for that team. Buy the team you want. Every card from that team, across every box in the break, is yours.
Random team break
Every spot costs the same. When all spots sell, the teams are randomized live on stream and each spot gets one team. Buy two spots, get two teams.
Random player break
Same as a random team break, with players in the pool instead of teams.
Drafted team break
Every spot costs the same. After you buy, you rank all the teams in the order you want them (we fill in a default order to start from). When the break fills, the draft order is drawn live and the picks are revealed on stream from last to first. You get your highest-ranked teams still on the board. Most drafts give three teams per spot; the last spots may get an extra team, and the break page says so.
Drafted player break
A drafted break with players instead of teams.
Player break
Each player is priced separately. Buy the players you want; sometimes the rest of a team is sold as one “Other” bundle. On bigger player breaks there’s a discount for buying several.
Mixer
A break with more than one product in it, usually from the same sport. Your team comes from every box in the mixer. The break page lists each product and its checklist.
We occasionally run personal breaks and hit drafts. When we do, the rules are on that break’s page.
What ships, and when
What you get
Every card from your team or player, from every box in the break: base, parallels, inserts, autographs, relics. On some base-heavy products we donate veteran base cards instead of shipping them. The break page says “Shipping all cards” or lists what’s excluded, so check it before you buy.
No hits? You still get something
If your team doesn’t pull an autograph, relic or numbered parallel, we add an unopened pack to your shipment. Nobody goes home empty-handed.
How we pack
Anything of value — numbered cards, relics, autographs, anything that looks nice — goes in a penny sleeve and a top loader, sealed in a team bag. Small orders ship in bubble mailers; larger ones are boxed. Every package has delivery confirmation, and orders over $200 usually require a signature.
How we keep it fair
Everything is opened live. No pre-recorded breaks. The boxes are on camera from seal to last pack.
Every random runs on RANDOM.ORG. For randoms and drafts we run eight randomizations and use the final one. Each break’s results page shows all eight, and a validation link on RANDOM.ORG proves the draw happened on their servers at that time and that we couldn’t have influenced it.
Your results are saved. Random and draft results are in your account under Random and Draft Results, so you can always go back and check.
Card assignment rules
Multi-team and multi-player cards in random and drafted breaks
Unless one person owns more than half of the teams on the card, the card goes to the team shown at the top, left, or top-left of the card. If the same card is pulled more than once, we alternate so every team on it gets a copy. Because everyone had an equal shot at every team when the break started, there’s no need to randomize the card again.
Multi-team and multi-player cards in team and player breaks
Each team or player on the card gets entries in the randomizer in proportion to what was paid for it. Example: a card shows the Giants, Dodgers and A’s, bought for $50, $100 and $30. The randomizer runs with 50 Giants entries, 100 Dodgers entries and 30 A’s entries; after eight randomizations, the top of the list gets the card.
Cards with no pro team on them
College, prospect and unlicensed cards sometimes show no team. We assign the player to the team he was on when the product was released — or, if retired, the team he played the most seasons for, not the team he finished with. If we break a product long after its release, it still goes by the team at the time of release.
Terms
What a spot is
Buying a spot at cardsmithsbreaks.com does not entitle you to a box or a case. It’s a shared group-break service: you receive the cards from the team, player or randomly assigned team you purchased.
No purchase necessary
Randomly inserted cards can be obtained through the manufacturer’s “No Purchase Necessary” offers. See the card packaging for details.
Full terms: Terms and Conditions · Privacy Policy
CSB Points
Every dollar you spend earns CSB Points, which you can redeem for store credit at checkout. Your balance is on your account page under CSB Points. We also run giveaways from time to time — extra boxes added to breaks, free spots in future breaks — and you’ll hear about those on stream and in the app.