Do you think Pokémon cards are overpriced?

Market
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21

No.

22

See the way I see it is modern is good for binder cards. Vintage is for collecting but a lot of collectors don’t collect vintage anymore

23

That’s not true. It’s about the type of collector. Newer collectors are much louder with their purchases. A lot of older vintage collectors have been doing it for many years and don’t feel the urge to gloat about it. So it seems modern is all the hype now, and it will be something different next season. While vintage collectors are quietly and constantly building.

1 Like
24

for good reason. it’ll always be there. prices may increase over time, but slowly. with modern, you have a window to buy and if you miss it, you’ll be paying 2x or more a few months later

25

A 5 years later it will be 10x less lol

26

ah that must be why 5 year old sm cards are so much less then they were at release

27

The print runs 5 years ago don’t even come close to what the print runs have been in the past few years

28

is that a fact? was japan struggling to keep product on shelves on release day 5 years ago? i genuinely don’t know.

29

2018 me: maybe 35€ for 12 promo holo cards it’s too much all at once…
2023 me: maybe 35€ for a single jungle holo unlimited is too much…

So, yeah, I’d always go with a “yes” no matter what.
Times changes, prices changes, people changes. But I haven’t changed at all.

3 Likes
30

No they weren’t. And that’s why they’ve appreciated. It’s called “Print to demand.”

31

thank you for making my point

32

this question in general seems nonsensical to me. is it overpriced compared to what? compared to the cost of manufacturing the card? to the price of a pack and the odds of pulling it? to the market? the market yesterday? the market tomorrow?

there are very few instances of something being overpriced imo (mostly market manipulation like what we see when there are buyouts), but even then, technically nothing that is selling is overpriced.

idk how any answer here could be correct.

1 Like
33

To further that point, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. There is clearly many people willing to pay for 1st edition Charizard, as well as modern Japanese and everything in between.

In short, If you’re willing to pay for it then buy it. It’s all subjective at the end of the day.

2 Likes
34

I imagine the question was implied similarly to the question, “is this stock overpriced?” Which really means, “is this price sustainable?” The only way to get a true answer is by letting time tell you the answer. However, educated assumptions can made by analyzing fundamentals. One big fundamental is print run. In 2022 Forbes put out an article stating “nearly 30% of all Pokemon cards were printed in the last 2 years.” I truly believe in just 2 to 3 years, modern will get slaughtered.

35

If you are interested in print runs. Here are some numbers:

  • As of March 2023: Over 52.9 billion cards worldwide in 14 languages and 89 countries and regions
  • March 2022: Over 43.2 billion cards worldwide in 13 languages and 77 areas
  • March 2021: Over 34.1 billion cards worldwide in 13 languages and 77 areas
  • March 2020: Over 30.4 billion cards worldwide in 13 languages and 77 areas
  • September 2019: Over 28.8 billion cards worldwide in 13 languages and 77 areas
  • March 2019: Over 27.2 billion cards worldwide in 12 languages and 77 countries and regions
  • March 2018: Over 25.7 billion cards worldwide in 11 languages and 74 countries and regions
  • March 2017: Over 23.6 billion cards worldwide in 11 languages and 74 countries and regions
  • Between 2014 and 2016: Over 21.5 billion cards worldwide in 10 languages and 74 countries and regions
  • Between 2004 and 2010: Over 14 billion cards worldwide in 30-40 countries

It doesn’t seem Pokemon kept accurate records for the total number of cards printed before 2017. However, it’s likely the reported change in totals from year to year is now accurate.

4 Likes
36

Are these numbers the yearly numbers or the cumulative total by that date?

37

You got it. Modern will eventually become vintage. Time flies really fast. So instead of seeing it as Modern VS Vintage, people should look at the card base on its merits, like artwork, design, hologram, etc.

2 Likes
38

These are the cumulative numbers.

1 Like
39

Too fast, especially for JP. There have been 10-11 sets each year, where it took 5 years to release all of Original and Neo era sets combined (also 10). It’s still surreal to think that, as of today, VMAX Climax was 16 sets ago. There is indeed so much modern out there, but for the cards being chased, they spread thinly across all the sets that TPC needs to print

4 Likes
40

True. That is what makes Vintage the most established/mature side of the hobby.