Market value is only established if the market is competitive. As you mentioned, these Japanese sites are not competitive markets so the price items sell at there are mostly irrelevant in terms of market value.
It also doesn’t matter what “most people” offer in this case either, only the highest offers are relevant - which us peasants may not be fully privy to 
Also, for every idiot like me who makes their interest in the card they want known, there are likely 10 who smartly keep their interest private. We may not like the that most of the best offers are not viewable in the public space but that doesn’t change the reality of it.
This is false. There are people on E4 alone offering above 300k. And they aren’t the highest bidders.
In short, japanese markets have been proven to sell for less, because they are restricted. They lack exposure and have antiquated limitations. This thread is proof. You have one single buyer willing to pay more, and again they aren’t even the highest offer.
Also a 250k card “sitting for weeks” isn’t a long time at all. Especially considering how tedious it was to actually buy the card from that specific site.
There are pros and cons to making your “wants” known. It really goes both ways. If somebody knows you’re after something, and they have it, especially if they trust you or even better that they like you. It works as a pro. That being said. It always pulls in competition. People want what they see, and they want what other people want. I think the most important thing when seeking these cards is A. Be at the right place at the right time and be ready to go on the drip of a dime. B. Be somebody who is liked and trusted in the hobby. I’m sure somebody like Scott or Gary would much prefer sell a card for 10% less to somebody they like than for 10% more to somebody they don’t.
I agree but we have seen recent sales of this card take place and yes everyone has been a new record but for someone to say its now 500k just doesn’t sound accurate in my opinion. Maybe I can see $300k happening as everyone’s going to continue to want a higher price. Maybe $500k soon the rate the market is going but not now.
I agree the market is restricted but no one seemed to think $250k was an absolute steal, just sounded like an okay price especially with the hoops you have to go over, I’d assume you’d prob get like $300k on ebay and again I don’t think that would sell immediately but I’m sure someone would buy it. I just don’t see it being $500k at this time. Based on recent sales even on other platforms not in japan. $300k sounds possible. Curious Scott what do you think the value of the card is at this moment?
I’ll share I’ve received offers above what you believe the card isn’t worth. 
But this thread is the answer. The irony of saying 250k is market value in a thread where someone is actively offering more.
Here’s six pages of every E4 member and their dog saying that the $250k price was a steal: www.elitefourum.com/t/pkonno-just-listed-a-psa-9-illustrator-for-sale-241k-bin/28053/1
The fact is that arguing over “market value” on a card like this is laughable. Nobody who has an Illustrator, except for maybe pkonno, is looking to offload it for “market value.” The card’s value is nearly entirely determined by how much it takes to get one off of an owner. And spoiler alert, the offer in this thread doesn’t come close nor do a lot of the public offers.
The Patreon info is out 
As a disclaimer I’m not in this market but the idea of paying a “market value” based on the most recent sale for these cards just doesn’t make sense. These cards are so fucking rare it’s difficult to comprehend. The next time one goes up on an easy site like Heritage there will be one person willing to pay more than everyone else. That’s it. Who knows when the next one will be (let alone this one in the first place). This isn’t like the cards most of us deal with where you can haggle with multiple sellers on eBay and shop for the best price. It’s a different game. I think the best way to get these kinds of prices is to wait for an auction because that means the seller is looking for liquid cash and the highest offer after x days. Offering to buy from collectors not advertising them being for sale is not a recipe for paying what the last known copies have gone for. Obviously best of luck and I hope it works out but these prices probably aren’t getting you any hits from deep pocket collectors that have some sense of strategy.
I think it’s funny that people think Scott will sell his, even at $1m. What would he do instead with the money, buy hidden fates tins?
No one on the thread says “steal” I see a bunch of “reasonable price” comments because that’s what it is being that the last one sold months ago in America for $225K with the fee so yeah $250k is reasonable
I think you pretty much said it. The card sold for $225k in October. So the ZenMarket sale represents only a small increase over that.
Have you seen what has happened to prices for Pokémon cards in general since then?
That should tell you that if this had been easily accessible to the Western market the sales price likely would have been substantially higher.
I agree, more like $300k. Not $500k but we’ll have to see the next one I guess
The easiest way to explain this situation was the recent psa 7 trophy kangaskhan. It sat on endaal games around 15-17k. Then was bought and immediately sold for 27k. Clearly the 15-17k figure wasn’t “market value”. Also, while trophy khan is exceptionally rare, its less rare than the illustrator. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when the Illustrator has a similar trend.
Items like the Illustrator will never have a “market value”. They will have a “last sale”, which is ultimately irrelevant. The copy on zenmarket was an extra copy from pkonno, who is currently the only person on this planet actively selling, no exaggeration.
Remember market value requires numerous sales to provide a trend. Trophy sales are infrequent data points. This recent illustrator sold for (zen)Market Value. 
Enndal Games is such a hard site to navigate lol. I remember finding a card one time and then realizing a few minutes later I was somehow on their buy list. I tried the next day to go back because I was curious what their buy price is for other cards but I literally could not find it. I can’t read the damn site, never mind shipping and transaction logistics.
Honestly speaking,
I’m willing to pay $300k for a North American Fedex shipped Pikachu illustrator. So, the guy can make a pretty nice profit within a week. Surely, that means there’s people willing to pay more than the heritage auction last year, and the recent zenmarket deal.
For someone “newer” in the high end pokemon market like me, I have to post my wants publicly, because I don’t have as much of a reputation or connections in the hobby. Hopefully, buying one of those, will give me relevance and better deals down the line.
the NO.2 trainer owner on ebay got in touch with me - i’m game to buy it, but there’s some sort of tax situation going on with him, so he can’t accept paypal.
I’ve gotten in touch with heritage to ask if the buyer of the recent ssb no.1 is willing to sell. They have not gotten back to me yet.
Lastly, I would like to thank the pokemon community for being helpful, and “cool”… i like that, and it’s very comforting. It’s a very positive community thats willing to help each other. Ive gotten 10-15 messages from people giving me advice and direction. Amazing.
Ive completely left Yugioh because of the negative energy, couldn’t handle it - so kudos to all of you!
@austonmatthews, Good luck man, and sorry your thread turned into a discussion!
Agree. 2 recent sales at 200 -250k mark and an offer of 300k. That gives you a good indication of market value. Just because someone has received offers of 1 or 2 million, doesn’t mean anything until the card is sold and the buyer has paid that amount.
And the previous sales also don’t mean anything either. For example, You are commenting in a thread where someone is now offering 50k above the last sale. And they are just one individual, and not the highest offer. The offers are meaningful, they just can’t locate anyone willing to sell.
The high end market is mostly private. Most people will never have access to actual sales data. They only get the public data which are crumbs compared to private sales. I’ve sold all of these cards higher than any public auction. Some even a couple years ago. Those buyers don’t have time to get on an obscure japanese website. Hence why every single trophy purchased in japan is flipped for more in the US.
I hope some of these people get back to you and you’re able to get what you desire. This is quite the impressive buy thread. Best of luck buddy!