Hello Everyone!
I recently started collecting Pokemon cards again. I used too when I was a kid, but lost my collection when my basement flooded. I kind of jumped into this blindly when a few of my other friends started too as well, sort of a nostalgia trip for us (we are in our late 20’s early 30’s). Here is my collection so far in Google Sheet form.
Any advice is welcome, I do not have a set budget, I just tend to buy whatever looks good. I also havent done much research on the best way to “invest” and collect cards.
I think the best advice anyone could give you is to buy what you enjoy! Investment knowledge comes with experience and of course branching out and finding creators & collectors with similar passions.
To me it sounds like you’re already doing what so many of us do It’s not an objective fact, but in my experience if you collect what appeals to you, odds are many people share those feelings and those cards/products will continue to grow in value over time.
Welcome to e4 @MrReklezz! We’re happy to have you here.
Congratulations on beginning your collecting journey. I will echo what @Tapp and @thsigma stated. Collect what brings you joy and be open to new areas within the hobby. You will find that e4 is primarily comprised of collectors rather than “investors.” Many of us focus on the art and nostalgia rather than the valuation or growth potential. That said, there is always room within the hobby to sell what you no longer enjoy to fund other endeavors.
Congrats on beginning the new collection, @MrReklezz! And welcome to the fourum officially!
I’d say, definitely set a budget. Even if you go beyond it, you’ll be able to gauge your efforts by it.
Those who say buy what you enjoy are right too.
My first advice is that you dont need to do research on investing and anything else. Look for some pokemon that you like, check his cards and buy whatever you feel cool with it. You can collect -for example- just Tangela cards, of cards from an artist you like, even begin with a Pokédex-binder with your favourite art from every Gen 1 pokemon, or example. There is no correct or better way to collect, but -as an advice- let the investement stuff aside, if you are new to the hobby, this is not something that you should be seeking for now.
Hi,
when I got back in the hobby last year I started with buying single cards I liked and collections I found on Ebay or locally. Especially if you start from scratch buying collections is great as you get a lot of cards at once and that way from which you can build up your collection. Another great thing is that you get to experience a lot of different cards from many different eras you didn’t even knew existed.
The spreadsheet is a great idea in my opinion of tracking your spending and having the options in a few years to look back on the prices you paid. I first began collecting again in 2015 but stopped the same year as I didn’t had the money at the time but I still find it really interesting seeing what prices I paid (I should’ve bought so much more cards back then).
The most important thing is having fun so don’t look too much on the value. That said I hope you’ll enjoy the hobby for a long time
My biggest thing is setting goals. Large and small. It’s easier to set a goal of semi small expectations so I can knock it out more efficiently. For instance with my main collection Ill set a goal to complete certain era of sets, but only keep a running list of the current set im working on. If the goal is too big you may become distracted and loose focus.
Check sites like Card Maverick or Serebi to see each set to determine your favorite sets/promos etc. Then go after that set. If it’s modern I’d go ungraded Because almost everything should be mint. If vintage I’d probably go graded because most mint cards have already been bought. Also opening packs is fun but it’s a ton cheaper and more efficient to just buy the single. Modern alt arts for instance are very hard to pull gold cards rainbows etc.
Once you know what you’re after check eBay sold listings. Pwcc sales history. And pokemon price to get a idea of how much you should be looking to pay. A lot of the time auctions are one of the only ways to get a deal on older cards. Private deals also tend to save money. From Instagram friends or Wtb threads here.
Good luck on your collection journey and please use this advice to learn from others mistakes and put yourself together a amazing collection! Be sure to make a collection thread here too so others can track your progress if you like.
Welcome to the forum and congrats on starting your collection. Looks like your collection is starting with sealed products. I like the appeal of sealed product, however it can take up a ton of space as your collection grows. Also, if you decide to change direction of your collection and start to sell off items, you will be dealing with high shipping costs. Just something to think about. I prefer collecting singles in a binder as it’s easy to view and store.
Welcome to E4! I am new to E4 myself and have been collecting for the past 3 years; in my opinion whether you are in it for the collection or for the money; it is still advisable to purchase cards that you personally like and would keep for the long term. I noted over my humble 3 years that many people who left the hobby; their mistake was purchasing something purely for investment and panicking when there are price adjustments or natural fluctuations in the market.
End of the day, we are all loves of cardboard, and addicts of old cardboard (haha), just as we cant predict tomorrow we can only predict today and buy what we like and enjoy the moment. I guess if you can attain sufficient knowledge to avoid any major pitfalls (purchasing cards on pre-release/release day prices etc) or heading down what I call the gambler’s route (buying cases after cases to get that alt vblablbalba), you wont fare too badly even if you want to. cheers!
“Buy what you enjoy” really is the best advice for exactly the reason @Tapp mentioned. If YOU enjoy something, it’s more likely that other people do too (or will in the future).
The other positive of following your heart is that fluctuations will phase you less. Price spikes won’t have you rushing to sell you babies, and price dips won’t have you regretting having fun with the hobby.
The one semi-specific piece of direction I will give you is this:
Get into Vintage.
The Modern cards you like will be widely available in amazing condition for at least the next several years and new modern bangers come out every few months.
Vintage cards are a lot more scarce. You’re a lot more likely to be priced out of the vintage cards you want in the future so I would find out more about those early sets and decide if there is anything of interest to you.
And now for some general advice. Don’t restrict yourself too much.
What do I mean by this? It’s easy (and natural) to tell yourself “oh I only collect X types of cards”. Pokémon has an enormous catalog of cards so restricting yourself can feel like the right thing to do. That said you might end up enjoying cards you previously thought you’d never collect.
A common example of this is “I only collect English cards”.
Most people who say this end up chasing a few Japanese cards in the end.
I was in the “only English” mode, then it turned into including Japanese exclusive artwork, then it turned into all Japanese cards except unlimited, and not it is all Japanese variants. It’s amazing including both English and Japanese. The only problem is Japanese has some super expensive cards.
It’s not an objective fact, but in my experience if you collect what appeals to you, odds are many people share those feelings and those cards/products will continue to grow in value over time.
