Which collecting tips would you give your younger self? Pick 3

Collecting
, ,
1

It was 2012. I got rid of the whole lot, all for a puny 230 dollars. My collection consisted of 2 large binders containing several English goldstars, ex cards and even complete WOTC sets such as Base and Gym Challenge. All painstakingly assembled by trading up through local Facebook groups. The cards were well-loved, of course, but I took pride in the fact that I had built this collection from the ground up. It was now on its way to another kid, whose mom reached out to me through a sales listing posted online. Clearly, neither the mom nor her son could tell the difference between a gold star and a WOTC holo, which only made it so much more regretful in the aftermath.

All drama aside, looking back, I’m not sure why I felt this sudden urgency to sell my prized collection. Perhaps I simply wanted to feel accomplished by making my own money and, in the process, show those around me that this was a serious hobby which deserved to be treated with respect. What I do know is that in the end, this regret only gave me the fervor I needed to resume my collecting journey.

In any case, after I re-entered the hobby, I still made plenty of mistakes. I thought it would be a fun game to list 3 tips, based on what we learned about the hobby over the years, to give our younger self. To keep things interesting; just 1 ground rule;

  • The advice should NOT be specific or isolated incident. Saying “I should/should not buy/sell card X” would not work. However, explaining how mistakes like X or Y could be avoided as a whole would be fine. See it as teaching yourself an important lesson, without spoiling the answer.

That is about it. I’ll go first!

  1. Rare cards are NOT neccesarily scarce (looking at you, Metang): If you are looking to make some bank, buying a very rare, low-copy card is certainly not a guarantee that this card will appreciate in the future. It is always more important to consider the qualities of the card itself, before assessing it’s rarity. Learn about these qualities. Does the card feature a sought-after Pokemon? Is there a rich history behind its release? are there are no other cards that feature the same art?

  2. Decide on trades and big deals the next day: I think we have all been there, you wanted the card soo bad you overpaid (or overtraded) for it. Sometimes when I’m chasing a card, I lose sight of what cards I’m letting go to do so and whether that is a ‘good deal’ for me at the end of the day. More often than not, I feel conflicted when deciding on a large trade. If in doubt, don’t put yourself on the spot. Contain your excitement, go to bed, and decide tomorrow.

  3. BUY THE CARD NOT THE GRADE. Seriously, how did I not think of this the second I started collecting?

Looking forward to see what everyone else comes up with! :sunglasses:

I hope this makes sense, I’m on my third beer

7 Likes
2

I have two for now

B U D G E T.
Do NOT spend your household money or money you can not miss or money which you do not have yet (“oh next month i will get my promotion, i can buy this 1000 euro card”) on this cardboard. Pretty cardboard, but still. It’s paper.

And do not go overboard the first month(s) of collecting. I only started collecting seriously again in January and i spend way too much in the first two months.
Those cards were there before you started collecting, and will be there in 6 months.

hope it makes sense!

6 Likes
3
  1. There will always be another copy available of a set card
  2. Japanese isn’t bad
  3. You have a lifetime to collect, it’s a marathon not a sprint
15 Likes
4
  1. stick with pokemon instead of abandoning it for a decade
  2. stick with yugioh instead of abandoning it for a decade
  3. buy higher priced items sooner than later
14 Likes
5
  1. This foreign superpower currency won’t be weak forever, spend it all NOW you imbecile!
  2. Buy stuff you don’t like
  3. Hurry up
4 Likes
6

Just one: don’t sell anything, NEVER

6 Likes
7
  1. Don’t pass on the expensive stuff you really want now.
    (looking at you, Gold Star Rayquaza)
  2. Buy second copies of rare cards you want for your collection.
    (looking at you JP Promos.)
  3. When the global pandemic hits, and prices start to soar, SELL, SELL, SELL! Don’t hold back. You’ll be sitting around in underwear all day. What ELSE are you going to DO!? I may be joking about the underwear.
4 Likes
8
  1. Trust your intuition. If something seems like it should be worth more than it is right now, buy it. (To me passing on $300 sealed southern islands boxes
)
  2. Don’t sell anything with the thought “i can always buy it again later”
  3. Don’t worry so much about prices on the things you want for yourself. (I spent way too much time trying to wait for good deals on cards and sealed product that would be in my collection forever and missed out on so many things that are just beyond my financial capabilities now)
6 Likes
9

  1. Okay, listen up. In 2021, there’ll be a Japanese set called “Eevee Heroes.” One of the cards features a large Umbreon trying to boop the moon. This’ll start out a $1,500 card as a PSA 10, but it’ll drop down to around $800 in a few months. When it does that, buy as many as you can. In about a year or so, the price will skyrocket to several times the low of $800.

  2. Then, you’re going to characterize trying-to-boop-the-moon Umbreon as overrated, so you can give yourself more time to buy them before they go up. Say things like “the Vs are better than the Vmaxes” and “Espeon Vmax is better than Umbreon Vmax.” These statements will become popular unpopular opinions by 2022, so this’ll make you more believable.

  3. Profit.

Younger me: “Why would I spend hundreds of dollars on cardboard? What kind of psycho does that? And what kind of public service announcement is a ‘PSA 10’?”

6 Likes
10

  1. Don’t care how collecting PokĂ©mon looks socially and keep collecting!

  2. There is always another copy for set cards.

  3. Start with the big hitters first when it comes to collecting vintage sets.

6 Likes
11

  1. Don’t rule out lower grades/conditional cards. Even something as low as PSA 5 can make a great binder copy or display piece and save you a ton of money building up a collection compared to high grades.

  2. If you feel you overpaid on a card, try and make up for it by getting deals on the next purchases you make. Don’t fret about the ‘market conditions’ too much or allow it to play on your head.

  3. Don’t compare yourself to others. Some people have been in this very long and have accumulated a massive collection as a result. Unless you’re very well off, it’s going to take time to build up. Just enjoy the journey, just like when you first played a Pokemon game and slowly level your way up.

8 Likes
12
  1. Engage with the forum and other collectors early on.
  2. Get a feel for what cards you enjoy and commit.
  3. When a card you want is at auction, dont be reluctant - money will come back around.
7 Likes
13

To me in early/mid-2000’s:

  1. Keep doing what you’re doing. Pick up more of those Japanese promos though. Lots more of them.

2006:

  1. Don’t buy Yu-Gi-Oh, you’ll be done with it within another year. Pick up more of those packs of Ex TRR/Deoxys/Holo Phantoms from the same shelves instead
and keep some sealed, for the love of god!

2007/08:

  1. Just bite the bullet and spend all of your money on those Gold Stars you keep eyeing up on eBay. You will regret not buying them all at the time.

2011:

  1. Don’t scoff at NM raw Base set Charizords selling for over £30. It’s not going to be a stupidly expensive price in less than a decade.

And most of all:

  1. Remember you do this for fun. Don’t worry about never owning a card, or being upset about missing out on a purchase, etc. PokĂ©mon is a link to childhood positivity, don’t taint it with adult problems.
7 Likes
14

  1. Collecting PokĂ©mon is still ok, don’t stop at ex emerald and sell your binder at a garage sale. :sob:

  2. When you get your first job, don’t spend so much on food lol, put some money aside for cool sealed product that you won’t be able to afford later.

  3. Don’t feel like you need to sprint and finish all your goals one before the other, you can concurrently chase different goals and complete them when you can.

5 Likes
15
  1. Don’t quit
  2. Play competitively
  3. Enjoy the journey
6 Likes
16
  1. Collect what you like. It’s OK if there isn’t a pattern or set to follow.
  2. Go to more trading events. It’s not all about the cards, but the relationships being formed and being part of your local community.
  3. Don’t fret too much about prices. You will have more regret about the cards that you walked away from than from the cards that you overpaid for.
7 Likes
17

It depends on how young you set the “younger” in the title

But if I could go to my youngest self I’ll tell him this:
1- don’t trade. Never. Keeps your cards at home.
2- sleeve them. Don’t you dare touch them with your hands dirty. Also keep them in the binder.
3- just keep playing Yu-Gi-Oh! You know the rules of Yu-Gi-Oh! Everyone knows the rules of Yu-Gi-Oh! And nobody here knows how to play pokemon tcg. Don’t ruin your cards for free.

1 Like
18

Facts

1 Like
19
  1. Never sell
  2. Research psa and ask your parents you wanna grade cards.
    3.when buying booster boxes keep one sealed and open the other.
  3. If you are hunting for a card(like a holo) and you achieve it, don’t open more of those boxes. Keep them sealed.
  4. Go to card events, meet people and network.
  5. Save money to fly to Japan so you can buy nice cards.
    :chart_with_upwards_trend:
2 Likes
20
  1. Store your cards in binders (not 3 rings)
    2, Sleeve your cards
  2. Never use rubber bands.
6 Likes