There’s plenty of ways for anyone to access this hobby if one wants, even in a bubble we live in an era where we constantly get masses of cheap cards with low price tag, especially if one is comfortable with buying japanese. The problem mainly is with collectors who have had long term goals and now see the price of their wants skyrocket. If you are new there’s plenty of ways to enter collecting, even with older cards there’s a lot of possible collectables if you aren’t chasing exactly gem mint cards. I agree that there’s a stupid amount of cards that aren’t accessible for a lot of people, some set cards even straight after release, but there’s always been parts that are not accesible for regular person in the hobby and that hasn’t ever prevented anyone from going for some other parts of it
Edit: to clarify, i really hate the monetary aspect where we are now but i still believe there are ways for anyone to collect if they want so, it might require some goal adjusting but if there’s a will there’s a way. For graded cards the road definitely is more bumpy but for example binder collecting where you aren’t super picky about getting flawless cards can still be very fun and accessible. So this being a hobby for only rich people now isn’t true, but it does ofc open a lot more possibilities
Fully agreed, though this pill has been through my tract and is no longer hard.
A pill that is stuck in my throat however is how, with grading being more of a mess than it’s ever been, my cards don’t have a fair chance to be rewarded for their condition. It is annoying seeing cards sell for $50K, knowing full well that you sit on better examples and yet you’d be lucky to extract $5K from them because the right typewriter monkey won’t assign the right number to it anymore.
I disagree that’s the only thing. I may have been in the minority, but I’ve never cared too much about condition in the eleven years I’ve been collecting to begin with, and have gladly bought heavy played cards for hundreds of USD even 5+ years ago.
But in the current market, certain cards are even unaffordable if they’re torn in halve and put back together with tape. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve simply given up on those type of cards and accepted I won’t ever complete these specific collection goals, which is fine.
My main problem however, is that the average price of everything is so dang high, while wages are roughly the same. My most expensive card 2.5 years after I started collecting was 300 bucks, and for the average card I’d pay <5 USD including shipping.
Now however, I even lost count on the amount of individual cards I’ve paid 1k+ for, and the average random non-holo or RH card is closer to 25 bucks excluding shipping. And sure, 25 still isn’t a lot, but when you multiple it by hundreds of cards, it adds up REALLY QUICKLY.
And as mentioned above: the average price of everything is high, not just Pokémon cards. Groceries, gas, insurances, housing, heck even simple things like shampoo and toothpaste, everything has doubled or even tripled in price in just a few years time, and all together, it REALLY QUICKLY adds up..
I feel like most of us here are actually pretty lucky, in that we can afford a hobby like this to begin with. There are so many people around the world that are living from paycheck to paycheck and really struggling.
What’s an example of a card that would price someone out after having been torn in half and taped back together? My understanding is that most people are getting priced out of PSA 10 and 9s.
Although it’s a different topic, I agree that the average cost of everything has gone up meaning that your overall dollar goes less far towards collecting.
I was thinking of the SNAP Pikachu. But basically applies to any card with 100k+ USD raw value and low amount of prints I guess, like trophies; Pokémon Illustrator; some of the Art Academy cards; etc. E.g., the cards for which condition never was a big factor to begin with.
Btw, I know your comment was mostly directed to regular set cards, for which the difference between a PSA-10 and PSA-9 is already very high, but between a PSA-9 and HP raw copy is very high as well, and people can likely afford the HP raw copy no problem (even though some still require some saving, like the 1st edition Base Set Charizard or Rayquaza GS to name a few).
But as someone who never cared about condition to begin with and has been priced out of certain raw cards in the last few years, I had to make a comment.
For the average consumer, many of the set chase cards are unaffordable even if torn in half and taped back together. This can be slightly overcome by buying unlimited variants rather than 1ED for vintage, but that ability doesn’t translate to e-Series or EX era or the special illustration rares and alt arts of modern. This is even more true for trophies, desirable promos, and cards with limited print runs.
In a 2024 survey, the median emergency savings for Americans is $600 (21% have $0), and 37% of Americans say that couldn’t afford an unexpected expense greater than $400. If they had an emergency savings, 25% of Americans dipped into it to cover basic life expenses over the year. This is an even larger problem among young people who are not established in their careers. The stark reality is that most folks are just barely making it by and hoping that a significant health issue or life event doesn’t bankrupt them.
I am a firm believer that collecting can be enjoyed by every economic class. But as others have said, the cumulative price to complete sets or species has drastically increased, and the most desirable chase cards that were once pinnacles of collections are hundreds or thousands of dollars more, even in damaged condition.
The price increase witnessed during the 2020 boom was dramatic but still within an affordable range (e.g., cards that were dollars became tens of dollars or hundreds of dollars; cards hundreds of dollars became a few thousand)… I don’t know that I can say the same about the 2025-2026 boom (e.g., cards that were tens or hundreds of dollars became a few thousand; cards a thousand dollars became ten-thousand+).
Not to mention, while you can gamble for those unobtainable modern chase cards by opening sealed product, that doesn’t really help when THE SEALED PRODUCT ITSELF is unobtainable for the average American. Sorry, but $250+ for an in-print box is absurd. And I’m not just whining - because this isn’t just high-demand sets like 151, Prismatic, and Ascended - even PARADOX RIFT, TEMPORAL FORCES, AND PERFECT ORDER are well above retail. These are sets that literally ANY other era would have been offloaded at sub-$100, even during the height of the 2016 or 2020 booms. Absolutely absurd.
And at times, it feels more stressful than fun when it feels like majority of buyers - especially those that got into the hobby post 2020 - aren’t buying Pokémon at all - they’re buying potential upside. They call themselves “collectors” yet they talk no different from crypto HODLers. God forbid you actually try to have a conversation with these new “collectors” about Pokémon that involves anything other than the financial aspect and you get mocked for being a “loser”.
As much as we complain about being priced out, its being priced out of cards that could buy a car or a house. “Regular people” who have $50 a month to spend on a hobby could fill out a damn nice binder in 1 year. So many ARs, full arts, poke ball reverse holo, whatever floats your boat. Lots of kick ass cards under $10 is what I am getting at.
That’s like saying “I like cars, but can’t afford a Lambo, so F it, I am not into cars anymore.” Just buy a used Corvette and call it good enough
yeah, but then you’re priced out of what you were collecting. idk where people are seeing claims of being priced out entirely, there’s always something you can downgrade to, you can collect 1 cent commons
I agree to an extent, but what you’re missing is that the average person can’t afford sealed product at current market (scalper) prices. Literally the bread and butter of the hobby - OPENING PACKS - is unobtainable for the average person.
For example, let’s pick on the most recently released main set, Phantasmal Flames. SIR Mega Charizard X being $2.5k isn’t a problem; there are plenty of other beautiful cards from Phantasmal that are much more affordable. But the fact that a box of Phantasmal is $350 is a HUGE problem.
Same applies for every set, because even the “dud” sets like the upcoming Perfect Order are ridiculously overpriced for sealed.
Current in print sets have been scalped for 1.5 years now (since Surging Sparks). So not sure how the craziness of the past month effects how someone is/isn’t able to afford a $4 or $8 booster pack to open.
It will be the norm until the new print facility goes burrr in 2 years
From a strictly collecting perspective, there are some amazing looking cosmos holos available now for stupid cheap. A Suicune cosmos holo for under $3?? That is amazing.
But basically applies to any card with 100k+ USD raw value and low amount of prints I guess, like trophies; Pokémon Illustrator; some of the Art Academy cards; etc. E.g., the cards for which condition never was a big factor to begin with.
