I hit a collecting slump

[Charizard1020]

I feel like I’ve hit a collectible slump. I’m not sure what to get into next and there is nothing that catches my eye except one card but it’s 2kish and I’m not sure I want to pay that much for a card.

Anyone ever felt this way?

[octaane]

Yes, similar problem. What I want next is eye watering, financially, and it’s kind of stalled me.

[wooltchi]

Thats what breaks are good for

[implode]

Yes, I feel very similarly right now, and judging by the recent smpratte Q&As, a lot of people have been feeling that lately.

[eeveeteam]

Best thing to do is take a little break. So if you just wrapped up a collection goal (shadowless 8s I believe for you) then step away for a bit, like 2-4 weeks. Then start thinking about what you want to collect next. Or maybe you will realize what you have already checks off your collection goals.

There are too many Pokémon cards out there and no one is going to cach em all

[thsigma]

i’d just take a break and save up money for when something new pops up, if it does

[Metapod_museum]

Start a side collection. Amada stickers, pogs, anyother thing!

[Rattlesnake]

Take an international trip. Always nice to see what else is out there, and how other people live. When you come home, you may see your life and collection in a new light.

[pokerd]

Go collect something cheap just for fun! I have been collecting sealed Pokémon VHS for the last couple of months and I have been having a blast!

[wisewailmer]

It’s tough cause watching auctions is a full time job with 20 auction sites lol

[hero]

I started to feel the same way. I’ve been focusing on a particular card that I’ve picked up some copies of…but now waiting for more copies to hit the market (in my price/condition rage). Its been a few months of “striking out”.

I went with the advise that Smpratt gives and started to do a binder collection. It’s been fun picking up singles/hunting for copies of much less rare and expensive cards. It has been a nice reset for me

[jabby]

What have you mainly collected so far? I was all in to English WOTC and gathering up cards I wanted from my childhood early on, but eventually moved into some modern and also Japanese. I’ve enjoyed collecting Japanese a lot and you can find a lot great cards across a wide variety of prices. I’ve also been more slowly accumulating things like my 1st Ed Base Set as I’ve tried to score deals along the way where I can since it’s always quite expensive to buy or difficult to find, and so I’ve put more time into collecting other cards/set while I wait for deals to come up.

It may also be worth taking some time out to figure out what else you want to collect or create some new goals as well.

[Dyl]

I think your experience is shared by many. This would be my advice.

Collecting Fatigue

I took a one-month hiatus from purchasing. Here’s what I noticed: I spent more time appreciating my collection (e.g., flipping through binders, taking slabs out) I spent less time mulling over the next purchase I wasted less time on auction websites (e.g., eBay, PWCC, etc.) I spent more time trading and selling in-person I cleaned up my collection checklist and made time to set new priorities

Collecting Fatigue

Whenever I feel particularly apathetic toward my collection, I take a moment to revisit it. I try to comb through my entire collection monthly or quarterly to remind myself what I value about it, to determine what I am willing to part with, and to set new goals and expectations. The “ebb and flow” of collecting also keeps me levelheaded. Some weeks are busier than others due to the nature of rare/scarce items coming to market.

[sircharleszard]

Taking time off from buying/collecting is lowkey the best. As others have said, you get to take time to appreciate what you have, and you’ll also probably realize just how many cards you can actually live without. Helps reset your baseline.

[codytcas]

Have you thought about species collecting? The hunt can be pretty fun and challenging, and depending the Pokemon most of the cards will be fairly cheap except for a few of the big ones/WOTC era.

[TsunamiSurskit]

I feel the OP.
I don’t have advice, but if you research more and more obscure cards and branch out, you’ll always have something to chase.
Originally I wanted everything in mainline TCG up to Neo4, and have since done that (exceptions for Snap and Trophy/Illustrator cards) but then realized i can’t say “I have everything Japanese up to 1999/2000” w/e until I do Bandai, Meiji, Sealdass, Carddass… how far do you go?
Right now my personal collection doc is detailing menko chips and even breached Japanese language into Topps and Kellogs and stuff.
Basically: keep looking for weird shit.

[azulryu]

The times I’ve felt this way I usually did one of two things:

1. I took a break until the feeling to collect hit me again.

2. I explored the non-TCG.

With the non-TCG, there is so much to collect from postcards, figurines, phone cards, stickers, books, non-tcg cards, promotional merch, and a slew of other random stuff. It’s what kept me going for a long period of time in between Gyarados releases since I’ve never been a set person.

For everything else, though, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break. Who knows. Maybe you can save in the time you’re looking for that 2k card - there’s a chance you’ll be able to purchase it in the future when it’s more easily attainable.

[pokerob123]

Collecting post cards for like 1$ has been fun for me. In a similar spot

[fresco]

I mean, if taking a month is considered a break then it is pretty obvious there might some sort of addiction problem or some sort of underlying problem lol.

I thought buying one card/product a month or each 2 months was the norm but it seems i was super wrong.

[Dyl]

How often do you buy cards?

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Quarterly
• Yearly