How is making alchemy cases and caches profitable?

[Aulay]

I just hit lvl 3 after a lot of Orb Aggregates. I heard making the cases and caches are what makes you money.
After looking through a ton of formulas and seeing that they wont make me money with a lot of factors varying... But so far this is what I understand....

The Philosopher's Cache formula is 5k to buy; costs 5 Golden Magical Giftbox + 2750G.
GMG are 60k ea. in the MP. The Philosopher's Cache is roughly 125k in the MP. So its not worth buying 5 GMG....
If I were to MAKE them instead though, the GMG formula requires 100 pink giftboxes. Pink giftboxes are like 700g+ ea. and Id need 100 just to make ONE GMG...... not. worth. it. (also the MP barely even has the many pink giftboxes unless you can get them other places now that Im not aware of? )

Im not even going to evaluate a Case with 10 GMG
Please point out what Im missing Im new to this and it just.... hurp durp...

[GoDoFuNdO]

they're profitable because they have alternative paths other than the golden giftboxes

those alternative paths consist in a collection of components that can be collected in the various games around the site, meaning they take paper, flowers or bugs collected in gaia towns, fish from gaia fishing, credits from word bump, tickets from slots or blackjack and loot from the village greens area of zOMG

and all of the components can be gathered for FREE!!

[Sharacia]

If you're interested in knowing exactly what the Cache formula requires check this thread (Scroll past the Alchemist's Case, though it's similar to the Cache, component-wise).

Collecting everything needed for one of the paths yourself gives you a final cost of 10250 gold. There's the profit you're looking for.