As i said yesterday I came back into the world of pokemon cards recently. I have zero cards at this moment and I am drawn to the earlier sets (base set to start with) the most because I recognize them the most. Luckily my 5 year old is playing the pokemon game so I am getting more and more familiar with the newer ones. Since it can be quite expensive to go for the bit rarer ones from the base set, I thought it might be an idea to buy some newer booster boxes and keep some of the cards I like and try to get some money from selling other cards. Use that money to splurge on base set cards.
Is there any particulair series that has dropped recently or is dropping soon I should focus on if i want to use this strategy? I have seen the twilight masquerade set had quite a few cards that were going for some money, and maybe also the paldean fates series? But like i said, very new, and trying to get some knowledge.
Or if you guys have any other strategy to start with the collection without burning straight to the college funds of the kids let me know
Opening boxes tends to be the most expensive way to not get what you want. Out of a $40 box you usually can get $5-$15 of resale value. Expensive cards that make up for the cost of your box are rare to pull.
The most cost effective way to build your collection is to buy singles that you like. Even if you pay $40 for a single card, you know what youâre getting. You can also buy bulk lots of any sets you want to collect.
I recommend opening a few boxes with your 5 year old. Itâs fun and youâll quickly learn that youâre better off buying singles to complete a collection.
In Europe thereâs eBay and cardmarket. Sometimes itâs better to buy cards at shows or shops, because itâs easier to assess condition.
If you enjoy Base Set or the original 151, then Scarlet & Violet 151 is a great set to open.
Also, if 1st edition Base is too expensive, then you could look at the Shadowless edition. It has the same rich colours (unlike unlimited) as 1st edition, minus the 1st Ed stamp. Iâm sure thereâs a guide on here outlining the different versions of Base Set - thereâs a few!
Not sure I can give good advice, if the goal is to make money of the modern cards to buy Base Set cards in the future. I almost never sell any cards (with the exception of âthose threeâ).
If youâre not going for 1st edition or Shadowless cards, I would advice to at least get all the non-holo Base Set cards just now. All of those are likely cheaper than those modern Full Art cards you want to use to get money. Not sure if you care about condition, but if you go to CardMarket.com, go to a card youâd like to buy, and filter it on English and your minimum quality, I think the prices shouldnât be too high.
As for the Base Set holos, I honestly havenât kept up with the latest prices. But apart from Charizard and maybe some of the other popular ones like Blastoise, Venusaur, Mewtwo etc., most of the modern chase cards are more expensive anyway, last time I checkedâŚ
@quuador Thanks for the advice. I think I should just start with the common cards from the base set and take it from there. I dont need to complete all the sets but I would love to have the base set and maybe jungle and fossil complete at one point. Because that was so cool when I was growing up. I might collect a few cards from more modern sets, like all cards of my favorite pokemon or pokemons
I will try to find someone who sells more common cards so i can bundle them, and maybe just open a topic here asking if anyone has something.
It is extremely hard to generate money by selling singles from a box. It could happen if you get a lucky box, but the expected result is ending up underwater.
If you want base set cards, buy the base set cards directly. The best part about base is that it comes in a wide range of options. If you canât afford 1st edition, look into shadowless. If you canât afford that then thereâs unlimited. If you canât afford unlimited, look at Base set 2 or Evolutions. Within each of these, you can also consider different conditions, as well as raw vs graded.
Whatever you pick, just look at the Charizard and make sure you can afford it since it will be the biggest expenditure if youâre considering a full set.
But yeah, when youâre starting out you WILL make mistakes. It is harder to make money reselling with little experience, especially in this current market. I would not recommend trying to make money and instead focus on buying whatever makes sense to you in terms if your goals and your current finances.
Markplaats because it would give me an option to pick up cards in person. But very few times since I think the prices are always a lot higher than market. All of the good deals are already gone.
Catawiki for auctions, they are reliable and have money back feature on non delivery.
Best would be ebay and cardmarket.eu since you have all of the safety and guarantee required as a new collector.
There is also this thread which was created to list down the Pokemon convention events in Europe and there are always plenty of Pokemon events happening in Netherlands. I personally feel it is great to go to an event if you have the time and have a look around. I feel it is a small but a great community and showcases a lot of vendors and services. A lot of good deals can be made just by getting your cards in binders. You get a feel of the card prices and what is popular and what is not. Most of the event at these venues happen almost every quarter or atleast at a minimum 2 time a year (summer and winter edition).
Regarding strategy I think everyone has already shared the best tips. I am not a seller myself but I think @pfm advice is very much spot on. The market is already highly optimized and if you are on a budget then the best option is to buy what you want to, within that budget. However, if you want to open some packs also involving your kid and get a feel of the hobby and the joy of opening packs, you cannot go wrong with the modern sets.
I recently got back into collecting and was also drawn to base set, same as you. Itâs overwhelming returning to the hobby but once you get the ball rolling youâll discover new places and people for cards and it feels great being part of the community again!
Iâve almost completed my Base Set, Jungle & Fossil collections and the best way I found to go about starting it was to buy vintage cards in bulk, youâll get mostly commons & uncommons but youâll find your collection will expand rapidly and you may even get some great deals along the way if people include some rares or holos in the bulk. If you end up with lots of duplicate cards you could sell them individually, or create your own bulk to sell to fund buying the more expensive cards.
Once youâve got most of the commons & uncommons it feels easier picking out the rares and holos left that you need and finding a good price for them. I also use a combination of eBay (mostly for prices) and Cardmarket (for valuation vs condition) to find a price for each card, in good condition, that Iâd be happy to pay for.
My final bit of advice is donât go too crazy too soon, find yourself a budget and try to collect the cards steadily, I didnât do that first time around and completely burnt myself (and my wallet) out!
At the end of the day, collect the cards you love and try not to compare your collection to others too much. Best of luck!
Didnât read every single comment, but not sure if anyone mentioned species collecting or niche collecting. These are great ways to add a side collection to your larger one and be really excited about it. Pick a Pokemon you love, and see if you can get a copy of every card for it. I collect English and Japanese Girafarig cards. Iâve also found myself caught up in the excitement of more niche cards. At the moment, Iâm chasing after different Masterball releases, and am alway hunting for Black Flame Ninetales. Ultimately, I would look for thrill and enjoyment over monetary value in your collection. Itâll keep you interested for longer. Just my two cents.
If you want a baseline where to start, I would suggest going back to your childhood and looking for the cards that YOU liked as a kid. If you remember having a base set Alakazam that was your absolute favorite then go for that first. You canât buy everything in one go (it wouldnât be fun anyways if you could). Collecting is more about the journey than the destination in my opinion. I would just look around at the early sets, see waht you like that stirs up something inside of you, and go from there. The natural curiosity and drive will lead you down rabbit holes you never knew existed and the path will lay itself out for you over time.
Or you have like $5m to drop and you can get everything you want right away, that works too.
What I would suggest starting out is to set a budget for yourself (weekly, monthly, etc) and maybe build a list of 10-20 cards you really want to collect over the next while. Sets some goals for yourself and work towards them slowly. It takes time to get built up and it could be several years before you can buy certain cards that you want. Itâs good to do a lot of reading & research to learn the market and trends better. Coming back from my childhood, I had a good idea of what cards were generally going to be highest demand or hardest to find. But, I still had to spend a lot of time learning about other sets, languages, grading, etc.
Thankfully thereâs lots of good videos and resources to learn. Aside from smpratte mentioned above, I would also check out Rusty (TCA Gaming): https://www.youtube.com/@TCA_Gaming/videos
If you want to dabble in modern sets, you can by all means. They are always going to be an easy entry point into the hobby, with a fairly low investment. Just donât expect a big return as the pullrates for the best cards are generally very low and so youâll usually lose money on most boxes or packs you buy.
Anyway, just have fun with it all the first year or so. Donât compare your collection to others as everyone had to start somewhere, and donât get too caught up in the âinvestingâ aspects. It took me 5+ years to reach a point where I amassed enough cards that I could actually turn a sizable profit on most of them, so it takes a while unless you get lucky along the way.
If youâre after vintage, Iâd recommend looking into Japanese old-back cards. Itâs not difficult to find mint copies at a fraction of the price of even an English PSA 7. Itâs a great way to save money while not compromising on quality or condition. Far less competition on the market too. Maybe theyâre not as nostalgic as the English cards, but Iâd still recommend buying a few just to see how you like them.
Iâve recently tried to start properly structuring my collecting. A general step-by-step process I use is:
Identify the cards or set you have the biggest urge to collect first.
Identify if itâs affordable (usually look at the most expensive card(s) first). If unaffordable, move to the next set on your priority list.
If affordable, start with buying the most expensive first. Psychologically this makes collecting the rest of the set a much more pleasant experience, since youâve eaten the biggest expense at the very beginning. âItâs all downhill from hereâ.
Review you collecting goals every so often. Youâll discover so many new set cards, promos, prize cards and peripheral products along the way that it can get pretty daunting when you realize you like everything. Itâs fine if you need to kick some things down the list - just go back to step 1, rinse and repeat.
General advice: consider keeping 2 separate budgets that you pay a set amount into each month. One for your main collection goals and the other for your ad-hoc collecting/collecting with kids. That way you wonât feel like youâre completely missing out on modern releases if youâre sinking every penny into vintage from the get-go. If you use banking apps like Monzo, Chase, Starling, etc then you can easily split these budgets into 2 âpotsâ and add to them monthly. And finally: stick to the plan! Try not to get distracted by other Shiny Treasures (pun intended) while working on your main goal. This is one of the biggest reasons my own collecting has been so erratic over the last few years. If you find out thereâs some other card or set you decide you like more than whatâs in the current plan - thereâs no harm in changing it. The âad hocâ budget will help with this.
Evolving Skies and Crown Zenith are great sets to start with. Whether you buy graded gems or just for a binder collection. Both beautiful sets with a tons of alternate arts to choose from. Great for your personal collection or as an investment.
Not sure if you care about condition, but if you go to 
