TLDR: collections can be profitable
Was slow to jump on the collections train, but here's what I've completed over the past month, including total mission costs and what the resulting set of cards sold for. Collections listed in order of completion. Cards were sold unless specifically noted that cards were kept. All PP listed as profit includes the 10% AH fee.
Hit Parade
Cost:
77,349PP
Card: Ichiro Suzuki
Profit:
None, kept card
Leftys and Righties
Cost:
11,502PP
Card: Lefty Gomez
Profit:
15,497PP
St.Louis Browns: The St. Louis Years
Cost:
24,133PP
Card: George Sisler
Profit:
13,666PP
LIVE Philadelphia
Cost:
12,804PP
Card: Lenny Dykstra
Profit:
7,760PP
Charlie O's Oakland A's
Cost:
76,590PP
Card: Vida Blue
Profit:
None, kept card
BRAVES COLLECTION
Cost:
61,770PP
Primary Card: John Smoltz
Profit:
None, kept Smoltz card (sold all other cards from this collection)
SEATTLE COLLECTION
Cost:
69,601PP
Primary Card: Kazuhiro Sasaki
Profit:
-11,102PP
Should have made about a 12K profit here, but accidentally quick-sold the Mike Schooler card.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX COLLECTION
Cost:
44,062PP
Primary Card: Ed Walsh
Profit:
None, kept Walsh card (sold all other cards from this collection)
LIVE Detroit
Cost:
2,738PP
Card: Harry Heilmann
Profit:
4,731PP
LIVE Oakland
Cost:
18,665PP
Card: Eddie Plank
Profit:
6,084PP
WASHINGTON SENATORS/MINNESOTA TWINS COLLECTION
Cost:
55,065PP
Primary Card: Johan Santana
Profit:
34,017PP
Total spent for Ichiro, Blue, Smoltz and Walsh
(cards that were kept):
259,771PP
Total profit on all other collections:
70,653PP (should be just over 90k but accidentally quick-sold Schooler card...)
Theoretically could clear an additional 810k PP (900 * 10% AH fee) if Ichiro, Blue, Smoltz and Walsh were sold.
So,
810,000 -
259,771 +
70,653 =
620,882PP would be TOTAL PROFIT if ALL CARDS were sold.
So, these collections have the opportunity to be pretty profitable for those who do them.