How do you guys go about buying for your collection goals? Do you have a strategy?
I ask because I’m trying to be strict with what I purchase and prioritise collection goals as otherwise I find I end up with a bunch of half completed sets/goals.
My problem is that I spot cards for sale which are for my secondary collection goals and are a good deal, so then I’m very tempted to make a purchase. However this then puts me on the back foot financially for my primary collections that I’ve been saving for.
At the end of the day they are all parts of my collection goals that I would like to complete eventually one day, however I don’t know if situations in life or the Pokemon marketplace will prevent me from purchasing all of these cards in the future.
I’m curious if anyone else has this conundrum and how you handle it? Do you stay focused on one goal at a time or spread your finances across multiple? All my goals are cards I enjoy and find it generally hard to prioritise one above another anyway.
My goals tend to be immediate. I have no set completion goals, I only have a few cards in my head at any given time that I want (right now is espeon from Neo discovery and crystal Celebi).
In your case, if you haven’t yet, make a budget. Never spend more than your budget for the month that you allocate for cards.
Then, order you goals in terms of most important to least.
With a budget and a written order of goals, this will naturally encourage you to focus on the primary goals and will develop more restraint when you see a deal you can’t pass up for a lesser goal.
For me personally when it comes to completing a set or certain category of cards I start with the card that has the most potential to raise in value and or most expensive card. I find that if I cant even afford the most valuable card in a set/category then I need to lower my want for PSA grade or look at a non PSA option. By having the toughest cards out of the way first it makes completion less stressful. As for the rest of my strategy its basically the same as @teraz
Sealed Product and the most expensive/iconic/desirable card comes first. 1st Ed. Base Zard/Venusaur/Blastoise, Kang promos, etc.
The the next priority is “sleeper” cards, what you don’t see plastered all over instagram but are in fact quite rare. Cards like BW secrets, event holos, etc. 2003-2006 exs are extremely hard to find mint and we’re seeing these cards triple in value in the space of a year.
The next level are just run of the mill PSA 10 WotC set cards. Your Misty’s Gyarados, Jungle Flareons of the world. I don’t like getting caught up in cards with huge hype behind them like PSA 10 1st Lapras, Dark Typhlosion, PSA 10 unl base Zard, etc. because cards like these tend to fluctuate in value.
Then you have everything else; New sealed product, New cards in general, WotC PSA 9s, early japanese holos, PSA 10 uncommons and commons, etc.
I go for the cards that I can’t find easily first and are my personal favorites. I want to have a complete set from base set first edition to neo destiny, but I’m missing a lot of cards still. I recently prioritized my favorite neo cards in PSA 9 because finding ungraded mint cards is near impossible. I grabbed PSA 9 first edition shining gyarados, shining magikarp, First edition holo entei and holo suicune. I go after certain cards in mind, but I only go after the best deals as they come up.
I think a good mix of short and long-term goal additions are the best. What I mean by this is that although you want to be strict and careful you also want to feel like you are completing some of these goals as you go. You don’t want to be so strict that you are just getting the more expensive and rarest yet you are not completing any set or goal. In the last 3 years that I’ve been back to collecting I have the following goals…
Complete a wizards of the coast set for my binder collection
That’s the thing as prices have risen I have been focusing on more expensive cards to get them out of the way but sometimes I’m thinking it would be nice to go for some of the cheaper psa 9 or binder cards I need to complete sets and also appreciate multiple artworks. It is also satisfying in a different way ofc to save up and finally purchase a rare and expensive card you have been aiming to get for a while, I guess it depends.
I’m on the homestretch for my collection goals, but when I was buying cards more regularly, I focused on the most expensive/rarest. As mentioned above, I thought those cards had the most potential to rise in value the longer I waited. It was also helpful to cross off the big names quickly.
The only downside to doing such a strategy is that depending on what you’re collecting, the less popular and less expensive cards may actually be harder to find in a high grade or good condition.
I have a 2 main sets that are my current goals and are the first ones that i want to complete but i do also sometimes get carried away when i cards from other sets that are not a priority at the moment.
I’ve stopped this recently as its scary to see that you once had enough to by other holo that you need etc. Now i just save as much as i can waiting for a card that i want to pop up and then just buy it.
Obviously it depends on the financial situation of an individual so best way to is to work out roughly how much funds you have left over each month after expenses like bills, food, gas for the car then you can see what you have left and how much you want to allocate to pokemon.
I’m sure we’d all love to have all the cards purchased for our collections in a very short amount of time but after while in this hobby, i feel that its much more fun seeing the collection build up slowly rather than quickly. No better feeling than looking back on the journey to completing it
It really depends on the collection goals and your expense limits. When I started collecting Pikachus I didn’t want to spend more than 30 USD on a single card (preferably not more than 15), nowadays I’m happy if I can find a new one for less than 50 USD, and would buy some for multiple hundred USD in an instant if they pop up.
The most important things are:
Have only 1 or 2 clear goals (at a time), and make checklists for those.
Set a spending limit to yourself based on your income and other expenses in your daily life.
Buy almost no products outside your collection goals. I personally buy an error or very cool artwork (Lab Mewtwo for example) here and there when they are cheap and I really like them, but apart from that I only buy cards for my collection goals.
The only pitfall I personally have is that I start a new collection goal when I’m almost finished with my current goals. I now have the last Mimikyu incoming, only need three more Seviper cards, and one more Moltres WotC #21 sealed variation; as well as little below 50 Pikachus. But because my Mimikyu, Seviper, and Moltres WotC #21 Promo collections are almost finished, I started a new goal of all Full Art Supporters. Even though new Mimikyus, Sevipers and Pikachus could be released pretty often (especially Pikachu).
When I first got back into the hobby I didn’t really have any collecting goals and I just bought what I liked. It was fun, but now having collection goals makes collecting a lot better!
As a lot of you know, I’m trying to collect every english Charizard in PSA 9 or 10. My best advice is SAVE your money. I’ve been planning months a head for bigger purchases. Keep your personal funds separate from your collecting funds. It is frustrating but sometimes you will have to spend money when you don’t want to (but have to), just keep going! You will get there eventually!
A wise man recently gave me a tip, work on lowering expenses and raising your income to get faster results. For me, saving your money and planning ahead are the most important things when it comes to completing your collection goals. You will also need a lot of patience (something I’m working on
Edit: Also, I believe in going for the high end cards first. Get the big boys out of the way.
