Why does pull value count the most?

Pull value is what you actually get back for what you pay, and it affects every pack you open. A welcome offer only helps at the start, so promos carry the least weight.

Can a site pay for a better score?

No. We may earn a commission when you sign up through our links, but commissions never change a score or a ranking position. Some sites we rank pay us nothing, and they are scored the same way.

Does my state change the ranking?

No. Every visitor sees the same ranking. If a site says it is not available in your state, we add a note to its row instead of moving it.

How often do you re-check the facts?

Every fact, offer and trust rating on the site shows the date we last checked it. Our system flags anything that has not been checked in 30 days, and we re-check it against the source.

Why doesn't every site show an expected value?

We only publish a site's expected value once our rip log holds at least 10 verified rips for it, and we always show the sample size and date range next to it. Below that, the numbers are too noisy to be useful, so we show nothing rather than a guess.

How we rank rip sites

RipsWorld ranks US online pack-opening sites with one method, applied the same way to every site. Each site gets a 0 to 10 rating for five parts, and our system combines them with fixed weights into one total. The totals set the ranking order, and each ranking position has a fixed score out of 10, from 9.9 for #1 down. This page explains what we check in each part, where the facts come from, how often we re-check them, and what we will never do.

What do we check in each part?

The weight of each part and the score for each position are shown below this article, with a worked example. Here is what goes into each rating.

Pull value

How much card value you get back for what you pay. We measure it through our rip log, described below, using market value rather than the value the site assigns to its own cards. It carries the most weight because it affects every pack you open.

Buyback and fees

The buyback rate, whose valuation it is based on, how long the offer lasts, withdrawal and marketplace fees, and how quickly credit or cash reaches you. A high headline rate with a short window, a site-set valuation or heavy fees scores lower than it first looks.

Transparency

Whether a site publishes odds or per-pack checklists, whether it offers a provably fair system you can verify, how clearly it describes pack contents, and whether its terms clearly name the operator, age rules and restricted locations.

Shipping and support

The cost and speed of shipping cards to a US address, whether the cost is shown before you pay, vaulting and insurance, how cards are packed, and how easy it is to reach support.

Promos

Welcome offers, free rips and loyalty rewards. It carries the least weight because an offer only helps at the start, while fees and buyback affect every rip.

How do the rip log and verified pulls work?

Our rip log is a record of packs opened by our team. For each rip, the team enters the site, the pack, the price paid, the market value of what was pulled, whether buyback was taken, and a link to proof. Only verified entries are used.

We publish a site’s expected value only once it has at least 10 verified rips in the log, and we always show the sample size and the date range next to it. A small sample can swing wildly on one big hit, so below that threshold we show nothing rather than a misleading number.

The big pulls you see on RipsWorld are also entered by our team with proof, and only verified pulls are shown. A username appears only with that person’s consent. Big pulls are not typical results.

Where do the facts come from?

We start with each site’s own terms of service, help pages and official announcements. Many third-party review sites in this space are affiliate publishers, as we are, so we check their figures against the site’s own pages before we use them. When a fact comes from a single secondary source, or when sources disagree, we say so, usually with the word “reported”. Each review lists its sources.

How often do we re-check?

Every fact, offer and trust rating carries the date we last checked it, shown next to the fact. Our system flags anything that has not been checked in 30 days, and we re-check it against the source. When a site changes its buyback, fees, odds disclosure or offers, we update the facts and the score.

What will we never do?

Let a commission change a score or a ranking position. Sites cannot pay for a higher rank, and some sites we rank pay us nothing.
Rank a site by anything but its five ratings. A site’s score comes from its ranking position, and the position comes from the ratings.
Show a different ranking to different visitors. If a site restricts your state, we add a note to its row rather than reorder the list.
Hide a risk because we earn from a site. Restricted locations, missing licenses and pending lawsuits are shown on the review and in the site’s row.
Publish an expected value from too few rips, or a pull we can’t verify.

Our affiliate disclosure explains how we earn money, and you can see the method applied on our best rip sites list.

Why is PackDraw ranked?

We rank PackDraw with the same method as every other site, and we show its compliance facts so you can decide for yourself:

Its terms of service reportedly list the United States as a restricted country, although reviewers report that the US is its biggest market.
It does not hold a gambling license.
It faces two pending US lawsuits: LeMond et al v. Uphoff et al in Minnesota, and a New York case.
It is crypto-first. Card deposits are available only in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Its terms reportedly set the minimum age at 18, while the site footer shows 21+.

These facts appear on its PackDraw review and in its row on our lists.

Each site gets a 0-10 rating for pull value (30%), buyback & fees (25%), transparency (20%), shipping & support (15%) and promos (10%). The weighted total of the five ratings sets the ranking order, and each position has a fixed rating out of 10: #1 9.9, #2 9.7, #3 9.6, #4 9.5, #5 9.4, #6 9.3, #7 9.2, #8 9.1, #9 9.0, #10 8.9, #11 8.8, #12 8.7, then 0.1 less per place.

Category pages, such as Pokémon or Sports, use the same scale for their own list: the site ranked #1 for that card type is rated 9.9, #2 is rated 9.7, and so on. A site's review page shows its rating in our overall ranking.

Example, Courtyard: 9.0 × 30% + 9.5 × 25% + 7.5 × 20% + 8.0 × 15% + 7.0 × 10% = 8.5, the highest total, so Courtyard ranks #1 and is rated 9.9.

Commissions never change a rating or a ranking position. Brands cannot pay for a higher rank.