I don’t see this as the case at all and I cringe when I see people using this as a reason for a market rise. Instagram in general makes me cringe though, so maybe that’s more it 
I don’t think Instagram or investors are the only reason for the increase. I just wanted to make a point about how people can influence others.
Influence others make it seems like TCA, Scott, etc. are attempting to do this on purpose to generate sales. I don’t think they are “influencing” people but rather enlightening and educating them. There are 1000s of cool cards and items out there and very few people know about all of them, but these are some of the few. They are showing off cool items that I never knew about it and then I can make the decision to seek and buy it or not.
I don’t think this shows the power, influence, and potential manipulation of popular people but rather the important effect that education in a hobby has to its growth. If anything it is a positive sign that as resources, knowledge and information continue to become easily accessible to all, the hobby still has tons of room to grow.
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@hisoka107 Influence being an ambiguous term means it can be used broadly. So I understand your point.
Branching off… “hype” is a word that’s specific and I don’t think applies to Pokemon the way most people seem to claim these days, which I was speaking to. And the Instagram is a laughably small influence once you understand the scope and range of Pokemon’s collector base, which I know new collectors aren’t intimately familiar with based on the feedback.
In other words… claiming “hype” is an easy way to explain elevated pricing by people who don’t fully have a grasp of the organic interest involved in recent drastic market fluctuations.
To append: This intimate understanding of the market is something we’re privy to by being members of E4 as well as being involved in the hobby for extended periods of time. Some of the smartest collectors in the hobby live here. Which is why E4 is such a great value & asset to new collectors.
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@jkanly, PSA 10 response!
This is a video topic I am kicking around. I’m trying to figure out how to discuss it without being negative. These empty buzzwords like “hype” say more about the individuals than the actual market. Even the single largest youtuber doesn’t reach anywhere near the entire market.
Even Unlistedleaf, who is a massive channel, doesn’t really move markets in the way people claim. People referenced his red’s pikachu video, and what did it do, absolutely nothing. In fact since his video the card value has declined, because they aren’t related. The only example of where he “moved the market” was when he got lucky with the 2016 festa pikachu. Even if he never talked about the card, it is by far the most popular festa pikachu, and also the rarest. Those are the main ingredients. That is why it stuck; because it is the rarest and has the most demand.
tl;dr hype is temporary. Rarity and/or Genuine interest sustains hype. As seen with the 2016 festa pikachus.
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The way I used it was very broad and overall I didn’t mean it be negative or differentiate between the people I trust and enjoy and the people I mentioned before that are giving misleading or inaccurate information. Hype is definitely a better word for it than influence. I do get what you mean in that others use it as an excuse to explain current prices .I watched another channel talking about investing. This person was a financial advisor, and is making a video about the potential of investing in foreign product. Yet the individual doesn’t know how the holo ratio or have experience grading WOTC japanese holos. I guess I’m frustrated at these folks who come into the hobby and who simply don’t know what they are talking about. I think it’s dangerous to the financial health of these young folks.
It reminds me of the fitness industry. People will come to the industry selling detox teas, fat burner drinks, etc. Some are educated Ph. D bodybuilders who say you need both amino acids and protein powder. (amino acids are in protein powder). so it seems unethical to sell the same products like this. These people are irresponsible when it comes to other’s physical health.
it’s just frustrating to watch these folks who are influencing others with potentially dangerous advice. I guess I’ll leave it at that.
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Honestly…whenever i see TCA or SMPratte do videos on certain cards…i want them…then i look at my wallet.
On a serious note though, I learn a lot about the cards from TCA, SMPratte and a few others, history, art, pop etc etc. When i hear them saying they appreciate the art of a specific card, i listen. No offense to other youtubers who i will not name, plural because there are MANY!, they look at the card, say something like oh look at this artwork it’s cute, its amazing, or this set has the best artwork blah blah…yea i don’t listen to that, tell me something I’d learn from. That’s hype, that’s fake. Or someone that happens to like ALL the art during pack openings…yea that’s not real, that’s business.
When SMPratte talks about Arita’s artwork or the actual print numbers of a specific card, or goes through his set collection, that’s real and that’s knowledge and awareness…and that makes me want the card. lol but it’s not hype.
Now, granted TCA pays premium for his purchases sometimes i’m sure and that may look like he’s manipulating the market or hyping it up or whatever. But does anyone think maybe he just really wanted that card for his collection? I don’t think the ones i’ve mentioned have any ill intent, opposite actually. just my two cents.
ah i rambled again.
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I’m not a social media guy at all, but i can’t deny the reality. Instagram/youtube does cause massive demands and a lot of people don’t like hearing it, even proven right here with this small thread. I’m not saying ONLY social media drives demand, i’m just saying its a big part of it. I’ve single handedly seen wallstreetbets drive stock prices up and drop once the tread was deleted, people still refused to acknowledge it
Some cases are intentional, some are not, but this is advertising. Sometimes advertising does spark organic interest and sometimes inorganic middlemen/flipper hype that also results from advertising also sparks organic interest. This is how advertisement works.
I had these two theme decks on my radar for 1-2 months and didn’t buy because there were more important things on my list to purchase. They had been basically untouched up until this week and bought literally the last two I could find.
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@smpratte Yeah, it’s a difficult topic to touch on because you’re addressing a widespread misperception. I have opinions too I don’t share because they might be perceived negatively or not in line with the spirit of why I’m here, but I think you could possibly do it sensitively.
In an off-hand example I can think of; around 2016 (not sure on the dates) a video by Unlisted leaf caused the triangle error packs to triple in price (up from $120 to around $300-$350), but that didn’t sustain for more than a couple months until they fell to $150-175/each. And then it took another year before its scarcity paralleled its intrinsic demand on a less unnatural curve.
But no-one who claims hype mentions the 3-4x (hypeless) price difference of the Pokemon Rumble decks during mid to late 2019 ($45-$60 up to $300). In that case, there was a disparity between its incredible intrinsic value as a collectible and its availability at its (now previous) price point. But then again those people don’t follow the market for literally decades like some of us have to notice the small, consistent and predictably repetitious details like that over time.
@mrfuji It’s so difficult to share the experiences of meeting and talking to dozens of Pokemon TCG fans, each of whom haven’t watched a single Pokemon youtube video, don’t have an instagram, but are borderline unequivocally passionate about their collections. I was just talking again with someone today who met this collector criteria, and my buddy who owns a games/toys business shares with me many, similar experiences.
@hisoka107 I understand you brother:) All I can say is Thank Goodness for E4 and some of the fantastic, thoughtfully minded representation we have on the board. Yourself included;)
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