How do you guys justify it?

General
21

It depends on your goals and limitations, really.

For example, the little money I make selling cards goes directly into my purchases for cards. When it came to getting another New Year Present - a card that was roughly $800 by recent sales, I told myself I could not spend my own money on that as it would take away from my savings. So over the summer I started selling little odds & ends. 5 buck cards, 10 buck cards, lot sales, etc. It took well over 6 months but I finally sold enough to purchase one.

I justified my spending of the card because I sold what I already had to get it and none of it came at the expense of my income. I make roughly 30k a year and I no longer have the privilege of being a collector who can purchase “high-end” items due to the price surge this past year. I had an upward limit of spending $100~$200 every 2 or 3 months and made one exception when I purchased one card for $300. It dug into my income a little bit, but I knew I would recover quickly if I didn’t purchase anything the month after.

As heart-wrenching it was, I had to give up all of my side collections this year. I got major fomo because I saw people who could afford more than me be either unaffected by the price surge or were thriving in it.

The best thing I could do to counter that feeling was to create my own limitations with my goals - I came up with a system of rules that I have stuck by, allowing for 2 exceptions per year in a totality of $200 for items outside of my direct collection. Allowing for some wiggle room helped counter that fomo feeling. As such, I’ve also dug more into the non-TCG as it is more affordable and I’m nearly complete with my main collection anyway. I highly recommend anyone who is having a hard time with the TCG prices to look up stuff from the non-TCG. There is a lot of gold and promise there to keep the collecting bug satiated.

I sometimes think that some of the people who are doing well or thriving this year lose sight of the collectors who struggle during this time. Sure, people should stop complaining that they can no longer afford it by restructuring their goals, but it doesn’t hurt anyone to have sympathy or empathy for people who struggle with this situation. Anyone would be upset if suddenly their goals and such had to dramatically change or stop all together - often times a lot of those people already have little to go on anyway so it feels even more distressing for some so it’s harder to make peace with that sense of loss or losing out.

I feel lucky that I can still play into this because I have the privilege of owning almost all of my major wants from the get-go. Others are not so lucky. Though I’m happy that other people still have the opportunity to explore their collection goals without financial worry - it’s something I believe every collector deserves even if reality doesn’t allow for it.

I apologize for the length of this reply. Your question put a lot of my own internal thoughts on this into perspective so I appreciated the question.

Re-adjust your goals, see what it is you really want, try to be as realistic as you believe you can be, allow for some wiggle room (within reason), and never put yourself at financial risk for your collection. And if the TCG isn’t doing it for you anymore, the non-TCG is still a wonderful place to explore.

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22

Why people always look for approval? If you want something just go and get it, no need to justify anything.

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23

it gets pretty easy to justify when you are laying on a bed full of PSA 6 Poliwraiths

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24

Because it was cheaper when I started and Im too emotionally invested at this point to easily quit. So Ive adjusted some collection goals and modified others (went from open boxes to mostly sealed and from english only to lets just see how many I can get of every language) and because I want to see what a collection of all pokemon decks looks like. Of course, the whole thing is a terrible financial decision and with the adjusted goals its even worse but hey, some people spend hundreds at the bar or on strippers.

25

Unlike an etf, you actually get physical cards that you love having and are nostalgic. Plus there’s a decent chance they also steadily appreciate over time

26

I know your goal is to complete the master set, but do you have a specific grade/condition in mind? I am in college so obviously do not have a lot of money, but I just buy low grades on cards that exceed my budget. I have found PSA 6s and 7s that look phenomenal, and only have some whitening on the back. Cards like that are a great way to lower your budget. If you are only looking at mint ungraded or PSA 9 and 10, well that’s why you’re having money problems.

27

Our society glorifies dudes spending hundreds each weekend at bars making fools out of themselves in front of their friends and getting denied by girls who are out of their league. I’d rather spend $250 on a card that I enjoy and that will hopefully retain value or go up in the future than go to the strip club and vomit on myself in the back of an Uber afterwards.

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28

The answer for me is that I’ve never been able to justify buying single cards, especially graded and locking them away in my personal collection forever. I’m talking even at 2014 prices. I’m fairly frugal and not one to spend much money on consumer goods.

The only way I’ve built to what I have today is like @surgenius early reply; I’ve bought larger collections or lots and put time and energy into breaking them down and flipping them, keeping only what I wanted. I added everything I own essentially for free or a slight profit (just cost me thousands of hours over the years that I enjoyed, so yeah still essentially free). I always made smart buys given the current market and that compounding with the obscene returns over the past 7 years (and especially 12 months) I’ve ended up miles further ahead than I ever could have envisioned from Pokemon. To the extent that even looking at a lot of what is in my collection today for free I have a hard time justifying keeping it because I cannot ignore the utility that money could have in my life elsewhere. In the past year I’ve sold off a decent chunk of things that the market valued exceptionally higher than I did and consolidated into things I enjoy more and deem safer over the long term. I’ve sold to such excess though too that for the first time in these past 12 months I’ve taken money out of the hobby to deploy into safer more traditional investments that can serve my family into the future because there honestly isn’t enough I value more than the market does to keep buying.

It’s a very popular thing to hear around here that people are fine paying what they pay even if it goes to zero, but I personally don’t follow that at all really. Of what I own today I maybe intend to die with about 1% of it and I’m very price sensitive on everything only buying and/or keeping those things that I believe will appreciate over time or buying opportunities to profit in the shorter term while adding just what I want (e.g. modern binder sets).

This all could have fit well in the unpopular opinion thread probably.

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29

Trying to collect WotC cards at a time when WotC cards are at an unpredictable all time high value is where you’re going wrong.

If you believe these cards are worth what they’re selling for right now, fantastic, now is the time to buy. If you don’t believe that, fantastic, now isn’t the time to buy.

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30

I think people in this thread have highlighted two aspects of it: the investment vehicle and the solely hobby side of it.

I feel like people generally are on a spectrum in between either side because for you to grow your collection for the hobby you need to understand what’s an investable item to sell and put $ back into your collection.

For myself I see this as a way to have fun in investing and through focusing on rarity allows me piece of mind of being able to sell in the future if I need to without worry of losing money. Additionally adapting the market also means shifting goals around as well or giving yourself more time to accomplish those goals.

However, you seem to have highlighted that this is solely hobby in your post and if it is, treat it in a way that it is only extra and not taking something large away from your personal life. (Just my opinion)

31

Just like an ETF or a stock share, you can always sell the card if you need the money or no longer want it. It is much easier to buy something when you know it is going to at least hold somewhat of it’s value. I’m no big buyer like most people here, but these days I find myself not wanting to spend 100$ on new clothes but would buy 100$ of cards in an instant. Wealth preservation, diversity of assets, and a burning passion to collect is what keeps me going!

32

why not both?

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33

I think the fact that you’re struggling with this questions shows that you’re going to be alright, regardless of the final decision you make.

Planning for your future retirement is important, and you’re smart to be using traditional investment vehicles to work towards that goal. But to the previous point made, money is a means to an end. This was always something that I knew, but never really took to heart before this year. I had a medical scare that really put things into perspective on that front, and now really am able to understand that happiness is all anything on this round rock is about. If you achieve that through buying cards for your collection, that’s wonderful. But if it begins to create emotional or financial strain on you to the point that it’s not bringing you happiness anymore, you need to step back and think about how things are going.

All that being said, I’m still funding my 401k before I shell out the money for my next card buy, because in the off chance Pokemon cards drop off a cliff in value (don’t think they will), I don’t want to cause myself extreme stress in my 50s and onward. Back to that happiness thing again.

Collecting is different for everyone, you’ll find what the best way is for you.

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34

If i see a part of the collection in the Morning and the day is already slightly improved with a good emotion, thats enough for me
Kinda like the Mastercard advertising, some things are priceless.

If the Hobby pays for itself its a bonus. Sometimes it feels like Skydiving and you get paid for it ( never did it but i just thought about a fancy hobby that would cost a lot XD)

35

I bought a sealed base set box and 1st edition jungle box in 2019 for around 8k for both and then sold them in October of last year for around 60k so now I just have money to spend on Pokémon cards.

So my answer is just purely being a genius investor.

Jk, I just got lucky because I wanted to be a “top tier collector” by buying sealed wotc boxes. I thought they might increase like 5-10% though…

36

Mental gymnastics is an incredible thing!
I’m not “spending too much money on a card”, I’m “investing in my mental health and happiness”.
I’m not “overpaying for a modern box break”, I’m “creating an enjoyable and memorable shared experience.”
I’m not “sacrificing my disposable income my entire life on Chansey”, I’m “goal driven and finding personal fulfillment.”
I’m not “obsessed with worthless modern”, I’m “highly appreciative of texture and printing design”.

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37

It’s just a matter of prioritization. Everyone has different priorities in life, and that’s okay.

Set a budget, set goals that fit within that budget, and don’t overleverage yourself to try to “keep up with the Joneses” so to speak. Take a moment to appreciate what you’ve got instead of focusing on what you don’t.

That or just try not being poor. Whatever works.

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38

687×500 32.5 KB

Greetz,
Quuador

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39

For me the best way to keep collection goals going with limited funds or less impact on other expenses has been to consciously go for lesser condition cards. Outside of the top tier trophies, everything is obviously drastically cheaper for played, raw copies.

I’ve found for 95% of cards a played copy is enough to satisfy both the collector and inner child. It’s also a nice way to test the emotional need for a mint copy before spending ‘big’, on the few cards that actually deserve it. This mainly applies to binders, but could equally mean being happy with 8s etc if your goals are graded.

Even in these times, I’ve found that most cards I want are still justifiable on that basis.

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40

I ask mommy and daddy to take it out of my trust fund each year.

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