Hey guys, so it’s pretty much been since pandemic bubble Pokemon popularity has boomed. We’ve had some less crazy numbers during like ‘22 and ‘23 for short spurts reality since Logan Paul boom. We got rip and ship, whatnot which I’m convinced is the “real life team rocket” it just seems like stores sell out crazily. It’s gotten to the point where I have friends who refuse to even open stuff because they’re paying so much over msrp Pokemon just become another asset. Don’t get me wrong I love that the hobby is doing well and I love that if I want to keep my stuff sealed or my slabs are going up in value but prices are going up at insane rates. I got an email yesterday that one of my cards I have vaulted PSA offered to buy it. I refused because the way the prices are I’ll never be able to get one again. It’s my favorite Pokemon. But it seems like every year product is skyrocketing. We are only 5 years from when sword and shield first came out aid yes it’s out of print but boxes shouldn’t be over 1000 for ultra modern sets. The fact that moonbreon is the prices of higher end vintage cards insane 3 years ago I bough the rayquaza in a 10 for 300 and I sold it for like 550 and now it’s 1750.. it’s insane. Just thoughts
No
Seconded. Do we have a quorum?
Welcome to the quorum 
The hahbee will cave in on itself at some point but I wouldn’t plan for it.
Once the retrace starts going into motion, I think we will see a lot of panic. It might be a steep negative slope. Who knows where it will settle out.
Pre-2020? Definitely not.
Pre-2025? Yes.
I agree, although a pre-2020 scenario is almost impossible. It was a completely different world.
2023-2024 prices are already more likely.
I remember when pokemon GO first released and like many I was drawn to buying cards from WOTC + EX era and seeing those prices back then I was taken back thinking why so much lol Oh those were the days lol I think prices will not go back down for Vintage 100% to pre 2020 days. Not sure about modern but also highly doubt it for the future especially with the 30th anniversary around the corner , possibly making prices even more crazy depending what TPC does. Dear lord I just want them to reprint the heavy chases in Gold Stars like the ray, starters, airplanes so people just get the next best thing instead of paying these crazy prices.
I don’t have expect us to see base unlimited zards for 50 bucks a pop in near mint eve again but the fact that moonbreon is pushing 3k. Bubble mew 1000 sword and shield base is 500 and the best cards in the set in PSA 10 are 50 bucks. Anything from sun and moon base to now should be still very available to the market. I’m fine with it evolving skies was a 400-500 box because of the popularity but 2500 for a set from 2021?! There’s no reason. Fusion strike a meme set now 900
As others have said, short answer is no, and the long answer is noooooo.
The reality is this boom will almost certainly follow the trend of all previous booms (2016, 2020), where once the hype and sales slow down, prices will retrace, but a new floor will be set at a level higher than before the boom.
I mean the same thing happened after the 2020 spike, and things still didn’t really get back to pre-2020 prices. It isn’t happening.
This “it could all go to zero” attitude people have had in the hobby has always been silly.
‘We’ as in humanity? Yes
‘We’ as in those of us reading this now? No
Do you guys think will ever see pre 2020 prices again?
Answering your question … It’s very unlikely (at least in short term).
To return to pre-2020 prices certain things must happen which are unlikely to happen:
- Influencers & Scalpers must lost interest in cardboard and move to other thing
- People must stop fighting for cardboard as if their life depended on it (and don’t ruin campaigns in the process)
- People must stop seeing cards with $$$ eyes … or the value of cards if they get a PSA10 or whatever …
- People must stop paying absurd amounts of money for certain graded cards
- An “impact” to the TCG must happen that makes people lose interest in cardboard
There’s a Spanish saying that says “Todo lo que sube tiene que bajar” (everything that goes up must go down). Following the philosophy of this saying, there’ll be a point where cardboard collapses. It’ll not be today or tomorrow … It’s something that might be in several years …
No, Pokemon is the perfect modern replacement for the fine art vehicle used to facilitate money laundering for Crypto bros, drug dealers, foreign scammers, etc. The flywheel was released and there is no replacement in sight. There are not enough old paintings to go around, but plenty of cardboard.
I agree, but there is much more happening than those cynical outliers. Pokemon has broader demand than any other franchise. Plus younger generations just prefer cards for many reasons; easier to collect, store, transact, etc. I buy art every now and then, and its like time traveling. Everything is so slow, it feels like the market is propped up on strategy rather than demand. Where pokemon can’t even keep mass produced product on shelves. I don’t know another franchise right now that constantly experiences Pokémon’s issues.
While the money laundering angle exists, you could entirely remove it from the market and cards on pokemon center would still be sold out.
There is an illusion of a gold rush being pushed causing speculative purchasing. Nobody talks about paying taxes on gains. Nobody talks about how streamers are ripping fully paid for product or that they are over valuing product ripped to take an intentional loss. “This pack costs $8,000 and I pulled a trainer, oh darn”. Meanwhile you can buy it for less than half off eBay. The new hot thing is making YouTube videos about being scammed… on selling mystery packs 
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The biggest advancements in determining OG print runs and cards happened recently and nobody even cares. It’s just dollar signs.
in 2020 people (even logan) at least pretended to care about pokemon
not so much now
Sure, but the topic is about if prices will return to 2020, not whats the most cynical thing happening in pokemon right now. Just like in 2020, the noisiest activity ≠ the entire market. No doubt streamers are a major factor for whats happening today, but an even larger factor are consumers. I mentioned the other day how pokemon center has over 1,000 clothing items for adults, and 30 for kids. These aren’t scalped or streamed, they exist because pokemon knows its target audience is adults. I’d go even further and say you could eliminate tcg entirely and pokemon wouldn’t care as merch sales eclipse TCG.
Point being, the consumer is larger and more silent than anything happening. To your point, why streamers are driving the market today is because their viewership (consumers) are greater.