Buy what you like. Learn to like a lot of things.
3 Likes
New sets are really most rewarding to those who like the most Pokémon / everything about Pokémon
2 Likes
Set your collecting goals in stone from the beginning so you know what you’ll be collecting (i.e. Exclusively a specific generation, a specific Pokemon, etc) and don’t focus on card grades.
4 Likes
- Get off social media, and stick to E4.
- Don’t chase monetary value, unless it’s strictly an investment. (But then it’s not purely a hobby, IS it?)
- Buy the expensive stuff first
I actually don’t quite agree with this. Often the plan that gets you started is not the plan that gets you there. I think you have to decide what you WANT out of the hobby in stone, but deciding to add another artist, or ditch an artist in your illustration binder is not bad.
edit: quite
edit: added “monetary” to value
6 Likes
Patience is a virtue
Don’t be afraid to pay more for something that you believe in even if other people call you stupid
And some wisdom from @fourthstartcg:
7 Likes
A few things I’ve learned:
It’s difficult to divorce the money aspect from collecting entirely, since money is what gets you into the hobby, but try not to focus too much on the value of your cards beyond making sure that you’re not overpaying for them. Being able to appreciate the cards even if they lost 90% of their value makes collecting far more rewarding.
Buy some cheaper cards from different eras to figure out what you like, and when you’ve set your sights on a particular big card, buy it sooner rather than later. It’s far easier mentally to buy 50 $100 cards than it is to buy a single $5000 card, but if that $5000 card is your dream card, buy it when you are liquid. It’s far better to start from the top down and get the most expensive card first.
Consider collecting japanese, both vintage and modern. Better quality, cheaper, rarer and minter on average.
If you’re buying graded cards, don’t pay a huge premium for a 10. 9s are often indistinguishable from 10s, and 8s are usually very close to 9s, yet the price difference between a 9 and a 10 can easily be 1000% sometimes. Don’t think that you have to have a 10 just because you want to buy a graded card.
Buy the card, not the grade. When I buy graded cards, I usually ask myself ”Would I have paid the same for this card ungraded?”. If the answer is no, I would recommend spending your money on something else.
Don’t attempt to complete a set by opening packs unless you hate money. Open an ETB or maybe even a booster box of a set you like, and then buy the rest of the cards. Opening packs is a lot of fun, but spending $1000 and getting $100 of value is less fun, even if you never plan on selling the cards.
Don’t fall for hype. Don’t think that you have to have every pumped-up modern alt art that’s the current flavour of the week. If you do, you will never be satisfied.
9 Likes
I had a question about card types: Are the new ‘Mega Attack Rare’ a new designation of cards? I have bought a few of the ‘Mega’ cards from XY era that have the attack name written out as part of the art (Japanese on English cards and vice versa), but I don’t hear these cards being referred to as ‘Mega Attack Rares’. Is it because the new MAR are full arts (although there are a few full arts from XY era with the attack as well)? The ones from AH do seem a little bit more comic book-ish in their art style (which I LOVE).
I guess it could just be semantics, but it’s kind of confusing.
1 Like
Full art M Pokémon-EX of XY had SR as their only rarity tier. The standard SR Mega Pokémon ex today is a different design carried over from SV 2025’s Owner’s Pokémon, while the XY-style currently exclusive to MEGA Dream ex received its own rarity tier Mega Attack Rare
I think it’s perfectly fine to collect both SRs from XY and the callback MARs from MEGA Dream ex, and assume they’re the same type of cards
3 Likes
Auctions and in person shows are your best bets for good deal pickups.
Beyond that, don’t shy away from the cards that are “overhyped.” Those cards often end up the grails of the hobby. But only if you like them personally.
In 2026 auctions are no longer the place to find deals
10 Likes
Awesome! Very detailed answer! I appreciate that.
This is soothing to know for my OCD collecting habits, ha.