Pokemon TCG players share the “hard truths” about collecting
The Pokemon CompanyMany people collect cards from the Pokemon Trading Card Game, but there are some hard truths that fans should be wary of before taking up the hobby.
The Pokemon franchise has seen highs and lows in its mainstream popularity. The two biggest peaks are likely the original PokeMania boom, as well as the nostalgia boom that followed the initial success of Pokemon Go.
The Pokemon TCG faces similar shifts in price all the time. Some cards skyrocket in value due to rarity, like the Van Gogh Pikachu card, while some cards become valuable due to how good they are in the actual battling aspect of the game.
The many headlines about the value of Pokemon TCG cards may prompt people to start collecting them or to look through their attic for the cards they had as kids. They might want to reconsider these plans following some revelations made by the community.
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Trading Card Game collectors are sharing brutal truths with the fanbase
A user on the Pokemon TCG Reddit created a thread about the hard pills that need to be swallowed when collecting Pokemon TCG cards. These include Base Set cards not being worth much, Charizard being overpriced, and Reddit posts about opening god-tier pulls being faked for attention.
Other users also had advice to share. “The reason base set and other older sets are super valuable is because very few people kept sealed product safe for 20+ years and there just isn’t much of it to go around.”
“Storing cases of modern sets with intent to sell them in 20+ years won’t net you as much as you’re hoping cuz there are thousands of other people doing it now.”
“And Pokemon card “investing” is for people already rich,” one user said, “You’re going to need the time, capital, and storage space to buy cases and then hold for 5-10 years.”
“At which point, you better f—–g hope that the sales prices, less shipping and fees, beats inflation. It’s been almost four years, I can still get Vivid Voltage boxes under MSRP. Not every set is going to be Evolving Skies.”
“COVID collectors and YouTubers ruined the hobby,” one user harshly put it, while another said, “People who post “Is this card any good” and post a moonbreon or some other expensive card are looking for attention.”
Collecting anything with the eventual purpose of selling it for profit is always risky. There’s no guarantee anyone will care about selling Pokemon TCG cards in a few years, especially with the fluctuating popularity of the franchise.
Just be aware that countless other people are reading all of the articles you’re reading about expensive card pulls, and much like The Great Comics Crash of 1996, this can lead to disaster if everyone starts collecting simultaneously.