What burns me out is when I compare my collection to others. At this rate unless I become extraordinary financially successful on a new career path, I’ll never fulfill some mid 2010s ambitious goals like a complete master pack art set, base 1st Ed psa 10 set, full ex psa 10 set, etc. And I happen to know plenty of people who have accomplished all of these goals and more.
Focusing on my Chansey collection has made me so much happier. Even though I’ve spent more money than I anticipated, this year has mainly been enjoyable for me despite price increases and stress / sub-conscious pressure to keep up with the Joneses when there are people with million dollar collections on the forum. Reason being I don’t have to deal with any competition whatsoever (literal or mental) when it comes to collecting Chanseys, except for some PSA 10s which are less important to me than obtaining all the unique arts.
Part of this is luck because Pikachu or Magikarp or God Forbid Exxegutor collectors have much more competition / tough cards to obtain, but it’s pretty nice knowing that even if my Chansey collection was missing a few cards, it would probably be the most complete one regardless, cause no one else cares enough LOL.
I’ve lowered some of my overall non Chansey collecting goals due to prices – fewer PSA 10s, some promos not realistic anymore. But now I’m tracking down random reverse holo Chanseys that are all <$30 for my binder and it’s tons of fun. And I’m getting back into the core of binder collecting, planning illustrated inserts, commisioned art – enjoyable work that doesn’t break the bank.
So my overall suggestion is instead of having lots of broad expensive goals, focus on one niche that you really love and can realistically complete to a point of satisfaction. If I was starting out today, I don’t know if WOTC 1st Ed binder sets would be realistic like they were a decade ago – maybe I’d try to collect my top 3 sets, or only Neo sets, or my top arts from each set.
I’ve seen binders with Pokémon all from one artist that look wonderful and are affordable, and an overall great idea. There are some Pokémon that may not be your #1 favorite but if they’re your top 5 and collecting every art is <$300 that could be a fun goal.
If you are feeling burnt out, no shame in taking a break. The cards you desire will appear again at some point either way.
If sellers decline your offer just move on.
I recently had an experience on Ebay for a card which in personal opinion had an overpriced asking price but they had the best offer function so I offered them a fair reasonable price.
The card I was interested in isn’t always available and is quite rare to see on the local market due to it being less often to find locally. In another market internationally it relatively easy to find and the price you see on most over seas listings is the usual price give or take.
So I added up the current overseas price once converted to Aud, the GST and the current postage cost as if I was to purchase it from an overseas seller.
They counted my offer with $10 off there asking price. It still wasn’t worth the price I believed in personal opinion so I left it and moved on.
Funnily enough a week later the item was relisted close to the price I originally offered only by one dollar of what I offered initially and I bought it close to my original offer price.
Moral of the story is it doesn’t hurt to be patient
@pokeforever, yes, goal realignment will be super helpful. If you check my blastoise page on Instagram, you’ll probably notice a lot more blastoises in Japanese rather than in English. Initially, I was planning to slowly buy up more unlimited graded english copies, but they became way out of my price point for something that I believe is still very plentiful. How can a PSA 9 unlimited blastoise be the same price as a PSA 8 shadowless blastoise - especially if grading is subjective?
Japanese base set blastoises, in contrast, can still be found in relatively good condition for under USD30-40, with crappy ones being under USD10 sometimes, and if I just wanted them in the PSA case I can ship them for grading.
Since then, I’ve reallocated my funds towards collecting gym leader ‘sets’ e.g. all of Jasmine’s pokemon and cards, or things like all 29 primes, etc. Recently, I’ve been collecting Dragapult and Inteleon cards too. They’re pretty unloved, but at least I know that I am comfortable with the value I will receive for the price that I am paying.
I really like @qwachansey’s way of collecting, because who really collects Chansey(s)? But it doesn’t deter him from doing so!
One other thing would be to really not compare. It is very good that you’ve pinned down that you just like vintage. I’d say pick a starting point and start saving and budgeting. I too would love to hold sealed product like hidden fates (like everyone else), but I know that I get much more enjoyment from hoarding single cards.
I just try to relax. I’m always buying something, but what that something is is always changing. I’m working on multiple binders, with some sets being non-Pokemon related. I am also enjoying buying modern right now just to keep sealed. I feel like having a smorgasbord of categories to choose from helps keep me going. Repetitively buying similar collectibles in the same category personally makes me edge closer towards burning out.
It’s impossible to catch everything at once because there’s just so much out there! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you’re eyeballs deep into going through Ebay listings and staring at the moving prices all day every day. So I’ve stopped doing that. I actually just spend a lot of time scrolling through sets, looking at artwork, and prioritizing cards that I don’t want to accidentally forget about. Then I just buy what I’m feeling based on my budget.
For myself, it was important to be able to let go of some of my collection goals, or at least change them to be reasonable. I feel like it’s important for me to mentally focus on the things that I can still get, rather than the cards or grades that are now out of reach. I really enjoy collecting Pokemon and I don’t want to feel bummed out about it.
If I ever feel like I need to stop for a bit, I’ll do that too. Overall for me I think that stress and monotony lead to burnout so I just try to keep calm and keep it fresh.
You don’t have to be on eBay constantly to be a Pokémon card collector. It’s okay to take a break from eBay without taking a break from Pokémon cards. Enjoy your collection off eBay. I’ve had to do the same at many points. Don’t let the FOMO into your life.
No one wins all the time, you got to take your Ls too.
Try getting scammed
Also if it does get too much for you and is really effecting you negatively, consider having a break or time away form the hobby. It’s crazy how much pressure you can put on yourself and get consumed by this new hobby.
I haven’t forgotten about this thread, I am just about to film my video on this topic. I hope to have it uploaded and live some time tomorrow or possibly the next day.
I’ll post it here when it’s ready.
My approach was complete collecting goal asap, then just hang low.
Stay involved in the hobby, keep your eye out for new cards you want, don’t sweat the fomo. When something really interesting is released you’ll have rested and be ready to jump right in.
i would just bid on the cards you want to add to your collection , normally you can win marginally below current market price and occasionally grab a bargain, try not to base it on the one deal but an average across the board.
be in it for the long run you wont get burned… to badly.
When hunting cards on Ebay I’ve found a good strategy is to look for best offers and try an offer. The worst they can do is not respond but I’ve had great luck with offers and getting a card similiar to what may be going on auction for upto 30% cheaper!
Or be like me - submit an offer 3 times and get all offers rejected just to pay the listing price and then pay the customs and shipping fees that are almost same as the listing price just to get that pop 12 PSA Kingdra.
I was getting burnt out over summer by trying to aggressively complete my goals all the while not getting much enjoyment out of it. Had to take some time to really find out what I liked the most about the hobby and stick to it. I’ve now started selling the cards that don’t meet my new goals and focusing on completing the sets I care most about. Definitely recommend spending some time away if you do start to feel burnt out.
I end up having so many hobbies and things I collect so if I get frustrated or bored of one thing I just move on to another. Eventually my interest comes back to me
