The thing about the newer boxes is that I just cannot believe there are a LOT of people stockpiling them for investment by now. With the oldest WOTC boxes, it seems like it was just a few people with great foresight and maybe some people who saw parallels with the Star Wars era.
The newer boxes I think so many people have seen this means of making money and I’d be hesitant to invest in them. The chances of a lot of people having 100’s of boxes each is quite high IMO which can just crash prices so easily. Having said that, ultimately the supply will go down over time and you’re almost guaranteed to make a profit on them if you got them at the time of retail or shortly after, so they’re still low risk investments to be fair.
If they were wise, they would not publicize it. Just sell them 1 or 2 every couple weeks. Announcing a large supply would deflate the market reducing their sale amount.
Absolutely. Some of my favorite promos to sell have been seriously deflated in the last year. I had just as many available as they did, but I didn’t list them all at once. Killin’ my vibe.
I agree but with the amount of people I reckon have them it would be hard to synchronise between them and before you know it they flooded the market. There have been so many Base boxes this year, probably because the price has risen and people are cashing in. It’s possible that too many will become available then the price will go down again. I think this could happen with the newer boxes in a much more drastic way.
Pokemon is very unpredictable due to the large generation gaps between the games. It reminds me more of comics, kind of like how Batman comics from the 60’s are very different compared to the late 80’s. There is a huge generation gap of Batman fans just like there is with Pokemon. Batman almost died off the map until Tim Burton in the 80’s and then almost again until Nolan in the 00’s. Pokemon got hot and inevitably faded off until the release of Nintendo DS got the games rolling again, which ultimately rolled into the TCG hobby. At any time any generation of sets could go from hot to cold. Team Rocket unlimited sealed booster boxes are selling anywhere from $325-$450 right now. That is a huge range, and could easily shoot up or fall down. It could rise in value big time if 90’s generation kids want the original cards, but can’t afford the base set so they decide this is the next best thing, and start buying it up. Contrary, this same group of people could look at the prices, get discouraged and never even enter into the hobby/leave it. And this is just one example for one set.
In my honest opinion I think it’s too hard to predict what sets will rise in value over time. I think a majority of it is luck-based. Usually if you think a set is worth keeping sealed for a big return in investment (i.e. Flashfire) then odds are, many others have that same idea. Usually the people who make money in the long-term with Pokemon are the ones who just had a sealed neo destiny box laying around as a kid, then the prices sky-rocketed. They had no idea, and neither did many others in the market - otherwise everyone would have done the same thing. So you pretty much have to just collect what you like and hope to get lucky, or get a good deal.
Although hard work and research can over come luck, you have to be dedicated and no doubt have to take a chance against what everyone else in the room is thinking.
That’s interesting. How exactly do they, or did they, create the random pull rates? I mean, I’m guessing they print the cards like FA and holos separate from the non holo cards. They would still have to decide a routine of adding cards together to package them. Is it just after they package cards in to packs that they just select “random” packs to fill boxes and then just grab boxes from a stack to fill cases without tracking anything?
Also need to factor in what else you could of put that money towards (other investments, mortgage etc).
Sure if you buy a box for 100 and sell it in a few years for 180 youve made a profit, but when you consider other life factors, inflation, the typical costs associated with selling the item, the profit margin may not be as high as you thought.
That’s definitely NOT to say that good money can’t or wont be made by some…
This is actually a legit reason on why prices could go down in the next few years, many more people trying to save for a house, car, school loans, kids, etc. etc. and next thing you know a lot of people are out of the hobby. A lot of people think with collectors hitting their mid-20’s it means more $ to spend on cards, but it could very well be the opposite.
I’m not sure that hundreds of boxes is even reasonable. Let’s be honest, anybody with that kind of stash would probably have to liquidate before too long. A couple cases, sure, but 100+ boxes especially of the same set is quite unlikely IMO. I think fading popularity would have been a signal for a lot of people to liquidate at the time. As said previously, nobody thought that EX boxes would shoot up in price so drastically.
As for investing in newer boxes, I hope you’re feeling lucky. It’s kind of hit or miss. Probably best to go for sets with very popular AND rare cards. Plasma Storm (that’s the one with secret Charizard and Blastoise right?) and Dragons Exalted (Secret Rayquaza) would be the ones I would go after if I was hoping to resell at a later time.
Lol did you ever watch the episode of the simpsons where Mr Burns gives homer that old baseball card of Joe DiMaggio… and then homer takes it to the comic book guy… and he spills burrito onto the card after paying a ton. HAHAHA! your post reminded me of it for some reason…
It’s a big gamble for the newer Boxes but some of the newer Boxes can go up in price.
Look at the Dark Explorers. I had the Next Destinies Box and Dark Explorers Box sealed at one time. Then came the moment I could trade 1 of the Boxes for a uncut sheet.
I gave him the choice between Next Destinies and Dark Explorers, hoping he would pick DE, because I thought ND would be the box that’ll go up in value.
He chose the Next Destinies and I still have the Dark Explorers Box. Luck was on my side.
Other example of a Box that is not that old is the Japanese Lost Link. Although there are some for sale at the moment for a reasonable price
I personally think the WotC Boxes have (almost) reached the limit pricewise. A lot of us in their 20’s have the money now, but like me need the money for a house and maybe wife and children.
So they need the cash and are selling some of their Boxes. I had to sell some of my boxes because of that.
But if prices will go up or down we all just don’t know. That’s part of the fun in collecting.
A big room filled with hundreds of Boxes from one set: it’s possible but not likely. Big collections of all sorts of Boxes: for sure.
The thing is - the people who have the stashes of base set boxes now must have been adults at the time of base set being released..(which is weird in itself and means they just wanted to make a profit in the future) so the amount will be very limited. Probably one or two people the likes of that comic book guy lol, or ex shop keepers with left over stock?.
Whereas now, we are in our 20s and more of us can afford newer boxes. So there’s more of us who have the means and desire to stash these away. Which automaticallly decreases their value.
Then take into account the nostalgic value of early WOTC stuff. Give it 5 more years and the amount of people still interested will be much lower. Hence the influx of base set boxes and cards these last couple of years. Everyone is getting rid
