Hello! New here at E4, recent collector of vintage pokemon mostly focused towards theme decks on the WOTC era. However, for this specific thread what I would like to know is if anybody has an estimation on prices for the EX Sandstorm Caravan and Oasis Theme decks. I can’t find a specific place where I can reference to see if someone trying to sell to me a theme deck is not trying to sell it to me at an outrageous price. Currently I have an offer to buy from somebody for $75 a caravan theme deck sealed very good condition, price is in that range? I can’t believe how much sealed product from that era (EX era) is around the price of a jungle theme deck sealed WOTC era… but I just started collecting so I am not as knowledgeable I guess. So for all of you E4 friends out there give me your opinions and takes, thank you!!
I can’t speak to the specifics of this example but generally speaking, there was a LOT of Jungle printed, far more than any EX era set. Because of that supply differential, it would not surprise me if EX Sandstorm theme decks are as expensive or more expensive than Jungle
Makes sense, I guess I thought that because the WOTC era decks are older the price would be of course higher. However, you stated something I didn’t knew which is that jungle was far more printed than the EX era and that does make a difference. Thank you!
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Price wise, I’ve seen them each go for $20 to $50 USD. I do not own any, as I was out of Pokemon by then, but they aren’t highly sought after items. I remember watching one from DACardWorld or Troll & Toad a few months back that was on the lower side but didn’t sell instantly. It would have been mid to late October.
Also, shameless plug www.ebay.com/itm/312769744732
Feel free to ask any questions you may have fellow theme collector! And welcome!
I have a Caravan Theme Deck I bought for around 25 bucks last year. You can still find Oasis for around 30-40 on eBay. They are getting more and more scarce though, older theme decks have been increasing in general lately.
I know currently there aren’t many on eBay, but there were quite a few in the $40 range before the holidays. $75 isn’t horrible, just depends on how badly you want it.
I can’t believe the cost of all the WOTC theme decks is that amount (ebay link sent)… wow! I will keep an eye on Troll & Toad, I never heard of DACardWorld so thanks for that reference will add it to the list of places to check! As a fellow collector, what do you recommend to focus on from a theme deck collector perspective? Thank you for your input!
That is very good to know, 25 is not bad at all but it depends from who you are buying too of course. Currently there is one person in eBay that is selling both oasis and caravan for 199 sealed, so 100 bucks a piece which I think is high but again they are very hard to find so you have to either be patient or essentially make the investment. Are you a collector of theme decks yourself, if yes what are some places do you recommend to keep an eye on for theme decks other than eBay, Troll & Toad and maybe Mercari? Thank you for your help!
Yeah eBay does not have many of these around. I guess I will have to wait and see if anything comes available any time soon. Yeah the price is not bad, I just didn’t had a reference. All I saw was 39.99 prices from places that have it out of stock but you never know how many years it has been since that price was accurate per say. Thank you for the help, much appreciated!
My best recommendation is to check there daily. While this week there may be nothing, next week there could be. Nowadays patience, and striking fast when you see a deal are super important! Best of luck to yah!!
Most people here recommend buying the expensive stuff first as it typically increases in value quicker, but I’m 'murican so I ain’t gots time for that BS!! So, here’s my advice.
Do your research. I can tell you which themes are rare, which are common, the ranges they have bounced between, and more because I have put a ton of time into watching that particular sub-category of Pokemon TCG collecting for over a year now. I can do that because of persistence: As a fellow theme collector, I am looking multiple times every day for anything theme related. Some times I miss once-in-a-lifetime deals, some times I win them. But I am always ready to throw my money at the right deal because I take risks. I have spent thousands of dollars on theme lots just to get a few I needed. But because I did my research I knew it was the best option available by a long shot. However, I was never impulsive. I knew I had the cash. I knew I could carry the burden of having thousands tied up in these theme decks for a long time. And of course, the journey was what I valued the most, not the items themselves. Sure, it’s super cool to have a complete collection up on eBay for a ton of money, but I miss the thrill of buying something at a price that almost feels criminal.
It took my 10 months to collect every theme released by WotC. I have now moved onto variants because much like Dale Gribble taking up smoking because he never figured out what to do with his hands, I buy themes because I don’t know what else to do with my money. That, and booster boxes are damn expensivethanksalotyouboosterboxflippingasses!!
Best of luck kurkom!
You couldn’t say it better! Thank you so much for this advice, I feel I needed to have some experience talk to me. Hahaha maybe the money you have should go to PSA 10 1st Edition cards that some of those flippers pull? I can see those 1st Edition voltorbs and staryus go up more and more. See you around bud, thank you again for the input MUCH appreciated.
My friend I will do that for sure, patience is the name of the game! Thank you and best of luck to you as well!!
I do collect theme decks here and there when I can find them, but the prices have definitely increased to reflect the scarcity of some of them. I’m not sure what I would call “expensive” yet because they are getting harder to find and were undervalued in my opinion. Neo-era theme decks have grown significantly over the past couple years (around 500-1000% of what I paid for mine) so I would expect the ex-era theme decks to experience some kind of growth as well.
200 for both decks seems high but it really comes down to how much interest you have in them and if you think you’ll have an opportunity in the future to buy them at that price.
And yeah, TnT and eBay are your best bets for theme decks. Sometimes you can get good deals on TnT but I prefer eBay as you can usually see the exact condition of what you’re buying.
Glad to see more and more fellow theme deck collectors! Incredible that the neo-era has increased in price so much, 500 to 1000% is insane. What is TnT? I know eBay is definitely a better platform on this cases exactly because of the picture advantage you get. Thank you for your help it provides further perspective and knowledge to me!