This week presents us with the etopps enigma: Do you buy at IPO to support the program or buy on the secondary market and save yourself BEAUCOUP bucks?? Yikes. As a dealer, I will buy at IPO and trade them all away as fast as I can on the Trading Post (at a loss right off the bat mind you...). That's the only way to pull some cards out of people's portfolios. Offer up shiny new "to the moon Alice!" cards so they give up "cheap crappy" older cards. Index ordering is always a win/win for me. As a collector, you can buy at IPO and support the program, or buy post-IPO and support your wallet. Tough choice.

I'll run through all of this week's IPOs here even though the ONLY reason a non-collector can justify ordering any of this junk is to use it as trade bait or because the person is addicted to fantasy. Now etopps says they're going to have a 2004-ONLY fantasy game. If you're into fantasy, then I guess you have to buy some of these to play in that game. Just be sure you get rid of them all before fall if you're not a collector.

David Ortiz (2,500 @ $5.25)

Avoid this like the plague. How many of you have a Ortiz ROOKIE? Didn't think so. Enough said. Impossible performance bonus.

Derek Jeter (3,750 @ $5.25)

Save your $$$. Easy pick-up at $3 or less in just a few months. Use an older Jeter card that's currently $3 for fantasy. Not a performance bonus lock by any means.

Frank Thomas (2,500 @ $4.50)

This card will put the big hurt on your wallet. DBTH (Don't believe the hype) on this card! Impossible performance bonus.

Jason Schmidt (2,500 @ $4.50)

See Ortiz and then remember that he's a boring pitcher to boot. PB just ain't gonna happen.

Kevin Youkilis (3,750 @ $6.50)

You kill it. Not a rookie and not even remotely interesting. Improbable PB.

Lew Ford (3,750 @ $6.50)

$6.50???? That means you're looking at $9 before you can make a whole buck on eBay. Wake me when it's at $2.50 with this print run. lol on the PB... This is Lew Ford and not a young Barry Bonds, right??

Short and sweet, but slam dunk easy in my book. Neigh, neigh, stay away unless you want to use them as TP bait or if you're crazy enough to play etopps 2004-only fantasy baseball. I'm ordering all of them, but not for resale purposes. That would be just plain stupid; especially in the wake of the customer appreciation carnage that will take a few weeks to sift through they system.