Are you buying right now?

Definitely buying. When I buy, I try to ask myself where will this card be in 5 years and will I be happy with this purchase at that time. Of course there’s no way to know for sure but after decades of collecting and watching prices of various collectibles (baseball cards, comic books, MtG, etc) that’s where I’ve settled out. I don’t buy cards to invest per se but I don’t want to lose money or waste money in the long run. Some version of the mantra that smpratte coined here “older minter better” is what I have always followed.

Some other rules I follow… I don’t use money that I will need. I treat money spent on collectibles as “gone” even though it’s not. I assume if I immediately resell any card I will lose money on transaction costs like fees and shipping at a minimum. I will let myself take profit/get liquidity on things I’m not emotionally attached to, things that I upgrade or that become extras, or things that weren’t part of my original goals.

I also try to treat my collectibles as a portfolio. If it turns out I overpaid for something or the value declines I will let it go at a loss if I have other gains to off-set. Case in point, I bought a complete 1st ed base binder set for $8k a few months back. It ended up being an extra, and I just sold it at a loss of roughly $1k to a forum member. At the same time I sold a 1st ed jungle booster box I bought for $4.5k a few months back for $6750. I’m fine letting the two wash out and churning the capital into something else I care about, which in this case happened to be a 1st ed base set PSA 10 lugia.

Probably TMI but some may find that thinking helpful. Collecting that way can help you be calmer and less worried in a time when prices seem to be racing ahead. A lot of people seem to be worried about the rising prices, but to some extent you have to expect that will happen over the long term. Will they keep rising next month, or 6 months from now? I don’t know but I largely don’t factor that into my decision making.

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I am still buying certain items like Japanese Promos.

As for WOTC First Edition Stuff …I am being a little more patient. If the recent price increases hold, then I’ll probably get those cards in the future at the new prices.

Since March my first-edition WoTC PSA collection has doubled :flushed:

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Buying PSA graded all day err day…

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I still buy Japanese post-wotc and wotc promos, English wotc promos, and wotc unlimited series cards in PSA 9. They’re not expensive (but on the other hand they rarely get graded so they tend to not come up for sale often).

Nope, I’m not buying currently,

Cash is cheap or literally being given away around the world and supply stopped for graded cards, 1-2 months :blush:

Waiting till Christmas and finish off my collections then :wink:

I’m still buying. Seems like everytime I wait on something in this hobby because I think it is too expensive, it ends up going up again.

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Yes still buying. I rather pay what people see as the premium price of today instead of waiting for the lower price that may never come. Even if it does this hobby has always been about the long game for me. What I pay now will more than likely be nothing compared to what I would have to pay years down the line. Good example one of my cards 3 years ago had a sales average of $1800 but I paid $2200 at the time because it was a strong 10. Now that card is worth over triple what it was worth back then. It’s all about the long game.

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If there’s a day I’m not buying Pokemon cards it’s because I’m dead

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I’m buying a lot not for Investing or flipping , purely nostalgia.

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I am buying less than I would like, just because the market kinda dried up and international shipping is a mess right now

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Always buying.

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Bet

Always. Idgaf what prices end up being.