PM’d @cullers, for anyone else who wants the info please PM me first, so we dont take further focus away from this thread. Thanks! 
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Great work 4star. A lot of people need to read it.
If you don’t mind I’d like to make a point too.
The majority of things across all my hobby’s that experienced the most gain were items I overpaid for. 90% of my duds I got initially for a deep discount.
I touched on this earlier today on my Instagram linked below. Tell me what you think there.
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He’s talking about zandgemporium. He’s a moron who purchases deals on credit cards, and flips the deals for profits. I hear his 1st ed base box was obtained for free due to all this credit card flipping nonsense. Maybe one day he’ll learn, that bald idiot.
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Greater fool theory works only in a bull market.
Awesome post!! I’m more of a collector who enjoys seeing what he buys rise in value, but investing in Pokémon seems really interesting! Don’t quite have that 100K freely available solely for side investments though! Haha
As someone that has no clue about trophy cards, and just bought a 40k Charizard - i need someone to help me for my next pokemon purchase it seems lol
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Heres a great place to start, seeing as the founder of this forum owns a great deal of them:
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Here is a good starting point:
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Unnumbered_Promotional_cards_(TCG)/1996-2005
I’ve gone to that page probably 10,000+ times. That includes a variety of japanese promos, including trophy cards.
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No need to insult him. Also, he sounds smart.
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On the contrary, I think @jcincy101 knows what he’s talking about when it comes to zandgemporium
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Something that wasnt mentioned above that is key advice for new investors who really want to make money. If you beg smpratte there may be a chance he gives you a illustrator out of pity. Theres always a chance and its zero cash down.
I think I value my spot in this community here a bit too much to want to bother him with anything of that sort lol.
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We gotta watch out for you bald ones!!! 
On a serious and more curious note… How does one operating in consumer debt as their capital adjust for a bear market? How would you adjust a business in a 7% yearly downturn over a period of 1-3 years? The model is great in the market like we’ve had since 2016. A good chunk of “invest collectors” only been around the last 5 yrs. That all they know which is kinda crazy. Not only in the Pokemon world, but other markets are at all time highs, rates lowest they’ve been EVER, houses barely lasting a week on the market growing 5% yearly… just nuts all around. What if that isn’t the case?
The market is on fire right now. But you are absolutely right about a bear market scenario. Most don’t understand the affects compounding (liabilities/assets + time).
Playing with debt requires knowledge and experience. Everyone has a different risk appetite. But I wouldn’t advise compounding credit debt for anyone getting into any hobby unless they are aware of the potential downside.
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I’ve been watching a lot of Rudy’s content and here is what I’ve taken away:1. Rudy has a ton of experience and education in financing, investing, etc. He knows what is he is doing way more than most people. His understanding of all of this allows him to take more strategic risks and prepare for potential negative outcomes.
2. He’s a smart guy, but not infallible. He makes this very clear on his channel. I enjoy his transparency!3. He isn’t going to give the same in depth level of advice on Youtube as he does his patrons. He has recommendations for sure, but emphasizes understanding the risks and rewards on a deeper level. Especially if you are going to take bigger risks.
4. What he teaches on Youtube are more introductory lectures and his impressions on the current MTG market. He gives a lot of food for thought and suggests how to get started if you want to invest in MTG.5. A lot of what he discusses regarding general investing is relevant to Pokemon. However, he really pays attention to the Magic the Gathering market much more than he does Pokemon. His experience is mostly in MTG. There are still differences between the markets of Pokemon and MTG. I think it is always good to consider these differences if you want to apply Rudy’s advice to Pokemon.
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So many great points I love this topic. In my opinion if you have to ask others what to buy than you pretty much sound like you’re lost in the woods screaming for help. The fees you will pay when selling are a major point even if you make $50 or $100 or even $1000 profit off one card you will pay a big chunk in fees. And if your a true collector won’t you simply just regret your decision and want the card back which will cost you more than you sold your old one for in most cases. Most of these same people will have zero patience and sell inside of a year for half what they paid or less to a big company in some sort of buyout. The point you made about NOT OPENING SEALED PRODUCT OF ANY KIND is a hard lesson everyone collector should know. They don’t exactly tell you on the box (Will be cheaper to complete set in singles online) I have completed many collecting goals recently and yes eventually I might like to sell my cards for a good chunk of money but it will take many decades for the prices to catch up to how much I value my own cards. My petty 15k collection is worth 500k to a million to me so I might never sell. But hey maybe I pass them on whenever I die as a old man to my kid or nephew. Maybe if I’m patient enough and so is the next generation than maybe even these Wotc set cards will be worth a killing. Until than I enjoy flipping thru my cards once or twice a day and remembering what it took and the sacrifices I made to collect this many cards. And yes how many times I questioned why I have thousands of dollars worth of cardboard haha but it holds a deep sentimental value to me. And at the end of the day money is only paper what matters most is what you truly value yourself! :-). P.s Just Enjoy Your Collection and be grateful for what we have and you will go to bed a happy man or woman every night 
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15K is nothing to sneeze at, by the way! I definitely agree with you, too. I plan to part with my cards when I die/am near death.
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Ya why sell early and have years of regret. Looking at pictures of your once owned cards online is far from the same thing! And yes I’m well aware 15k isn’t a small amount especially with how bad most people are with money. But I also built my collection exactly how the thread said. Basically buying the best value for the best condition for all the cards I wanted. I also see extra value of having whole sets of holo’s etc. For example I could make a eBay Listing of my collection that says simply (Every First Edition Holo WOTC ever created in excellent condition) that would have tons of watchers for sure but than again probably tons of people looking for a cheap low ball price. Once you actually collect each set or trophy card or whatever your into you have a much better understanding how hard or easy it is to come by as well as good market price. Collecting is also a learning experience if I collected the same cards a 2nd time for doubles I’d have better strategy’s than when I first started but I pretty much did everything right in my collection additions except for the fact I spent a thousand opening hidden fates. Great experience but after everything I wish I bought only singles. Now I’m struggling to sell off my empty tins I can’t seem to simply throw away with the bulk cards and extra promos etc haha. To new collectors that plan to sell later have fun moving 1500 weedle cards from opening too many packs hahaha
Financial advice from strangers collecting cardboard on the internet. Lol. Ask them how long they are running their mortgage out or what CD they recommend too.
There’s a reason Scott always uses the generic buy what you like as advice, and it ain’t because of Patreon… well mostly 
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