Next chapter of Stores closed, evening clock in progress

[rainbowgym]

In my country all non essential stores are closed for weeks ordered by our gourvernment.
We had to close half December and for now we will hear if we are allowed to open again on Feb 9th.
Could be very good possible they will extend it again untill March.

Recently we also aren’t allowed to be on the street from 9PM untill 5AM. Only those who can show they need to work. (and people who have a dog with a high “need”)
All our shopping streets/centers look like ghosttowns. Only the supermarkets are doing good business but for the majority of storekeepers it’s terrible.

While I’m trying to be able to open my main store again when this is allowed, one location (out of 2) we hired a part of the store to sell Pokemon product closed. They can’t continue. The other location most likely will follow if the lock down continues.

But the hardest hit I got last year came from the Pokemon Company International.
I have been teaching/selling/organising Pokemon TCG since 2000. I have fought for equal Organised Play worldwide.
People who remember how it was in 2003-2009 for international players (so outside N-America) will have moved on. That’s live.

I stayed, worked and worked, teached and tried to get new people interested in organising/judging. To be honest not many players are interested in working for a few packs all day long iso playing.
Last year when the lockdown started we got a letter from TPCI for the Rebel Clash prerelease. We would be allowed to sell the product from a certain date along any channel we had. Nothing wrong with this. Unless you are treated like me.
I realized a pick up point at 2 of the 3 locations. Notified our players they could get their prerelease kit + extra boosters on that day. Everything went fine, everybody kept distance and we were able to provide them their kits.
Somehow weeks later I got a email from the TPCI stating I sold product to early. I was like WHAT??? I didn’t, I sold it on the day they gave us.
I asked them when this was supposed to has happened, they refused to answer.
Suddenly it changed into you sold product not in your main store (were I run league) but also in your other location.
Yes I did, but that’s my selling channel and the mail I got stated loud and clear we were allowed to sell from date … in any way.
However nothing was sold at that location because of the lockdown.
I ask the administration to provide me a sales date form to send to TPCI to show them nothing was sold.

Long story short they refused to look into it, I mail all the information to the USA office and BAMM I got banned as TO/Prof.
Our store wasn’t a league location anymore and end of story.
The reason for this suspension was: because of issues in the past they didn’t want me in the program anymore".
I know it’s their program and they can throw anybody out, but it hurts, it hurts very much. 20 years of voluntering, 20 years of teaching people the game, each month running a tournament was simply thrown away.
On top of that they also banned my husband, who have always been helping me out (also for FREE) making it possible we could run big events.
Both our names are on the suspended organisers list, in public.
This is disgusting, it looks like we did something wrong while we didn’t.

After the pain was gone (it took weeks) I decided I still like to play/teach the game. Just like in the past when we got NO support from TPCI (2003-2007) I am able to build a large playersbase on my own. I don’t need TPCI for this and they know that very well.
But the lockdown and everyting around the pandemic makes you think about what you really want.

So does something good comes from such experience.
Yes it does.
Was pokemon that important for me or could I do without it.
As a business I can’t do without it, but I can do without Organised Play.
I keep selling pokemon product, if I don’t I have to close the main store, which I’m not willing yet.
Because I have to spend so much more time at home I pulled my collection from the storage.
I knew I had very much cards/sealed stuff, but I wasn’t aware of the value.
I sold a few boxes to pay the rental of the store and now I’m sending of cards to PSA.
I will keep the binder sets but I will sell all other cards the next years. Yes years because it’s a lot and I like to have a good time for a long time.

How much fun is it to realize your passion has paid out in a collection with a nice value.
I have been a collector from the start, but I worked so hard the last 10 years I didn’t keep track of my collection.
Now I’m happy I didn’t, it gives me so much pleasure currently to go through it.

Normally I would be running tournaments 2 sundays each month, now I have all sundays to spend the way I want.
This gives a lot of options.
For the players it’s sad, they can’t go anywere. They will be lost for the game, but that hasn’t been my call.

For me it’s still weird I will not run tournaments anymore, I will have a lot of time.
But I have a new goal, I want to become Pokemon millionaire.
So PSA hurry up with those gradings, I can’t wait to sell the “left overs” of my collection…

Sour grapes, yes of course
But also a new sweet goal.

Stay safe.

[rainbowgym]

I Invested my BASE BOOSTERBOX.

Have to post a follow up.
Yesterday I sold one of my sealed boosterboxes (base) to 2 German guys who are doing live openings on twitch/toottoottoottube or something.

Today we told my parents (my husband and me) are going to buy them a new kitchen.
My parents didn’t want to accept this gift. They think children (lol I’m 54 but till their child) should not give so much to their parents.
I told them I really don’t need it and I do need them to manage themselves while getting older. They simply need some handy stuff in their house.
My mom has problems with both stretching and bowing. She really needs shelves at a certain hight, but also a fridge on a certain hight. There are some more things they could use, but this is the most urgent one (from my point of view).

If they are able to manage themselves without help from me or my sisters, it’s a good “investment”
So I didn’t invest in Pokemon, but I used my Pokemon to invest in a good future. Good for my parents but also good for me.
If they don’t need help I have time for other things. Its a win win.
They should stay independent as long as possible.

So next monday we are going to spend a large part of the Pokeymoney to a brand new kitchen.
I told them we are going to remove the complete kitchen for a new handy pro-senior one.
Also when there is money left (which should) we are going to get them new beds.

Honestly I’m having so much fun spending this money.
OF course I could use it for myself, I am a little.
I need a few pairs of socks, so I’m buying 6 pairs…

My goal to become millionaire is not getting closer when I spend it this way.
But this feels so much better.
I feel rich , I am rich.

to be continued.

[rainbowgym]

Yesterday the kitchen was ordered and today new beds and sheets.
We burned 25K in 2 days but it was fun.

3 weeks ago my dad was not feeling well. Actually he had so much pain in his head we were send to the hospital.
We ended up in the Emergency Room of a bigger hospital because they feared for an aneurysma.
It was a few days before his 80th birthday.
For 10 hours I was sitting next to his bed while he was into so much pain.
I never have seen my father cry, but now I did.
They didn’t figure out what was going on, but they released his pain.
I could bring him home after a long night.
He told me a day later he thought he wouldn’t reach his 80th birthday.

But he did become 80. We did celebrate it the best we could (due to Covid not all together).
We (my sisters and me) bought him a handy wireless vacuum cleaner. So funny to give that to our dad.
But during that time I decided they needed that kitchen and new beds too.
So when I sold my boosterbox last week I knew I could make things happen.

A few hours ago my mother called me, telling me they could use their old beds and I should cancel the order.
Told her I signed the order and there was no way back.
She almost cried because I did spend to much money on them.
Again I told her it was a pleasure doing it. Never ever I could have imagine I would get so much money for a box of cards.

Yesterday the box was opened on a German Channel. 150k people watching the opening. They did pull Charizard + Venusaur + Blastoise from the box. Very nice centered so everybody was happy.
Perhaps those same streamers will buy another of my boxes.

Whatever might happen, it still feels unreal having objects of so much value.
Imagine I bought all my boxes at the time they were released, so they did cost me around 100 Euro each.
I displayed them for years on a shelf. Recently I put them in a bank safe because of their value.
Simply because I did not open these and left them on a shelf looking at them, made them become little gems. so weird.

Will I become a millionaire? Most likely not I don’t have that much product.
But it doesn’t matter, sometimes the way to get there is more pleasure than reaching your destination.

Since 2 weeks we are allowed to open our store again. We can let customers in on appointment.
I decided to display some empty vintage boosterboxes. I did get some nice reactions on it.
After 20 years I am in way still happy Pokemon came on my way. While I disgust the treatment I got from the Pokemon Company, the product they produce is good.

I do have cards at PSA to become graded. Next adventure is to sell those when they return.
Live is good, looking forward to see what happens.

[rainbowgym]

The kitchen for my parents is delivered/placed and they love it. No more bending over to get things. All they need is on the right level/height.
Also they are sleeping on their brand new beds and we burned some more Pokemoney on a large wardrobe and a perfect closet for my mother’s hobby stuff. with a lot of drawers so nice.

In the main time my youngest son was able to buy a house. Perhaps nothing special in some countries but overhere it’s a lottery when they are building new blocks of houses. This was a plan for 23 houses and they had 600 people wanting them. My youngest won one. He was almost done at getting his bachelor but you need a steady income or a lot of money to be allowed to buy such a house.

Needles to say we (his parents) told him he should take the house and we would sponsor/help him.
He needed a lot of money so I decided to sell a part of my sealed collection of boosterboxes.
I a few days my Expedition, Aquapolis, Skyridge, Ruby Sapphire, Sandstorm and Dragon were sold.
Enough for him to pay a part of the house. (other part will be mortgage)
But I do have another son who also wants to buy a house (when he will get one because its a real drama to get a house here)

So now my plan to become a millionaire is a bit derailed, but I don’t care to much.
I like it my kids are happy and once they both leave our house there will be another period in our live starting.
But
now I do have a problem.
I have cards at PSA who are returning soon. There are some Gym I can sell.
But there is also a complete reverse Skyridge set returning.
When I send it (last year June) I wanted to keep it myself or trying to get them all PSA 10.
I simply liked the idea to have them numbered in sequence.
I have seen the grades because there were some upcharges. I will have 78 10’s uit of 150 cards.
Now I do have some more raw reverses, so I can try to get a complete PSA 9 or 10 set. This is only an option if PSA get the bulk submissions again.

What to do?

Sell the complete set (sequential numbers)
Sell the 10’s
Sell the 9’s

I can’t decide what to do.
Anybody here with advice?

[rainbowgym]

Plans keep on changing and I’m far away from being a millionaire.
However I am more than happy with a lot things live is bringing me.

Like I expected (and how it should be) my other son also found a house.
He was also sponsored to get it. This means around Christmas both the boys and their partners will have moved into their new homes.

That’s how fast your live can go a different route.
I am far away from the millionaire plan, but I do have 2 children who make a great start by living on their own. There is no better way to “use” your collection as for this kind of goals.

Because I knew I would need more money the get both boys the same amount, I sold a part of my collection.
Beside the boosterboxes last year a few more were moved this year.
I sold a lot of my PSA 10 Skyridge holo cards, but I kept my complete set of reverse Skyridge (8,9 and 10’s)
I sold half of the collection EX pokemon (psa 9 and 10) and many cards returning from PSA.
But I also kept some, because the collector in me couldn’t let those go.

Now I will enter a new period in my live. For 30 years my husband and me had children in the house. Christmas we will be together, I hardly can imagine how that will feel.
I like it, I will not have the “empty nest syndrome” no way.
And I don’t want to go to either of my boys with Christmas, no way I stay home ALONE.
But more changes are on the way.

The store I currently own will not continue as a brick an mortar store.
We did not recover after covid made us several times close the doors.
So as it looks now Q2 2023 we are most likely to continue as online store only.
However, … there is space to run a “store” at home.
My husband had a boat workshop for 20 years connected to our house.
Also last year he decided to stop that.
My husband turns 65 in a few months and we are thinking about “retiring” but not at once.
Slowly we are moving to a stage we call our “last good part”
Quiting the boat business was part of it.
Both boys leaving the house faster as expected made us rethink our plans.

One of our “wild” plans is to turn the workshop into a small pokemon store with both modern and vintage.
And only open on Saturday or whenever we like.
More an extended hobby. I like the idea.
There are still cards I want to grade, there are still card I want to sell.
And deep in my hart I want to find out if I would have gotten that million.
I still think it’s possible because I still own very nice sealed boosterboxes and singles.

Good plan?
Time will learn.