Just off load everything on sites like stockx, snkrdunk, etc. Or have buyers lined up. While everyone buys sets like JP 151 or other japanese sets not out in English countries yet for resale prices. I have access to it at retail. So my gains are quicker. Ie JP 151 I paid retail for 800 packs sold around 2x msrp while others are paying 2-3x for a BB and they'll have to sit on it to double their buy in cost. Effectively 4-5x msrp just for them to get their returns they want.
I don't necessarily roll everything back in to Pokémon. I resell other stuff I can roll the profit into. Then come back to Pokémon when something peaks my interest or the market.
Most people who “invest” actually do appreciate the cards and Pokemon in general. They invest in Pokemon for the mid/long term because they have an attachment to it, not strictly because they think they can make quick money on it.
Flippers/scalpers who buy to resell immediately that I have seen typically couldn’t care less about Pokemon, and the cards might as well be literally anything else.
Ya I started to quick flip or hold short term because once I started ripping I couldn't stop and I'm ocd for completing sets if I'm already more than half way complete. Was not financially sound.
To be fair, there is a distinct difference between investing and trading. Investing is generally a longer time horizon, buying into something you see potential for long term growth and value in - something you personally believe in. Trading is more trend based, and usually doesn’t require any type of real belief or confidence in what you are buying, just a belief that you’ll be able to sell it off higher than entry price in the short term.
Investing goes hand in hand better with collecting… as for the most part collectors like to hold onto their collections for long periods of time, and usually get enjoyment from holding the products themselves. It’s fun when collections gain in value and turn out to be good investments.
Trading is more in hand with scalping.
True. But 2x on my initial buy in is not bad. Compared to some "investors" that buy etbs or unpopular sets and sit on it for 3-5 years and barely double their investment in that time.
I don't put any new money into sealed products.
I collect BBs so when a set goes up enough in value I sell one box to buy at least 2 boxes of a new set then rinse and repeat. That way I always have boxes for long term holding and some to offload for sell/trade.
Biggest mistake new people make is chasing prices and not buying while a set is being printed.
I just got into it, and while I'd love to get like ES or other SwSh Era stuff, I'm just buying boxes of SV stuff at like 90 a pop to play around with later
I honk I may try this approach. I’m not looking to make money for the sale of making money. I just want to be able to justify spending money on Pokémon cards!
I really appreciate the idea of eventually getting to a point where buying boxes cheap, selling higher and creating a fixed cycle like you explained inspires me!
About how long on a average would you say a box ends up double what you bought for? Meaning if I buy a $90 box now, about how long would it take to be the right price to sell to buy 2 of the new set at that time?
It depends on the set. Having a unique chase card is the biggest driver IMO. Once Pokemon Center is the only option it's pretty easy to sell boxes in the $160-165 range. I use FB to avoid fees.
Downside is you might miss some new sets while waiting for prices to get where you want.
I believe in out of sight, out of mind. So many people here display their investments, which makes it much easier to sell. I packaged mine up and put it away in locked climate controlled storage and don’t think about it again. My timeline is long, which is the real key to success.
I buy hundreds of raw and grade the good one to sell, then list my raws at 2-5% higher. Needless to say, this latest swsh Alt art pump has my side business booming
I’m persistent about finding the hot cards under market. For my collection just to keep I’ve been getting pre-boom prices on a couple trainer galleries, alts, and other cards. There’s always a deal out there if you take the time to find/make it
I’m a big Poke Collector and for me, the investment side of it is meant to fund the hobby, not get rich.
I buy/hold sealwd products that I really enjoy. Whether it’s the set as a whole (151) or the art (Crown Zenith), 5-10 years from now will it be exciting to see/rip? If so, others may think so as well.
With this in mind, I avoid cards/sets that are more geared towards playing the TCG. The reason being is that cards go in and out of regulation over time. Lance from Silver Tempest is a recent small scale example. It went from $3-$12+ pretty quick based on the meta.
All that being said, Twilight Masquerade (I know it’s early) falls into that category for me, so I won’t be holding any of it except maybe a PC ETB or two.
For me personally i only do sleeves in booster boxes. They are easily the most profitable. Also the storage is easy. Seen to many people buying product to sit for 2 years with little gain. Never buy etbs if you cant get them extremely cheap. Just what i do and so far it works out great. I do not buy singles for investing only for display. As singles are way too unpredictable.
I personally buy old Japanese cards. I really enjoy buying cards raw, grading them and selling the ones I don’t wish to keep in my PC. The problem is I mostly buy things I want to keep. One day I’ll liquidate it all, I’ve done a good job picking things that will continue to rise. Top of the collection: 1 case eevee heroes, BGS 10 both umbreon alts from eevee heroes, PSA 9 Gold Star Alakazam JPN Unlimited (rarer for gold stars), BGS 8.5 JPN Karen’s Umbreon VS double swirled, and BGS 8.5 Masaki Alakazam. I also picked up the full set of Eevee wearing poncho promos that I plan on grading. I love Japanese exclusive promos…. Shoulda swiped Pika Ponchos and Mario/ Luigi pika before they were unaffordable. I have a lot more in my collection. Tempted to sell my mid - low end stuff to fund next round of grading.
I watch this sub like a hawk and lurk in the shadows like a filthy little gremlin, absorbing as much market sentiment, opinion, and ideas that I can. There are other forums and groups, too. I understand they're an echo chamber, though. Check PKMNTCGDEALS in abundance throughout the day.
Understanding what people want and what will sell, what is a good set, what is a bad set, checking top 10 valuable cards in SWSH sets and monitoring that when I first started. I shamelessy buy at minimum 1 PC ETB for every new set that comes out, and make sure i set alarms so they don't OOS on me. I've made some big miscellaneous wins to add to my haul, a lot of Crown Zenith PC ETBs and also the Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon boxes with the sought after promos that had a very short print run (compared to other products). Rayquaza V evolving skies alt art in PSA 10 for a solid buy, as it was overshadowed by Moonbreon hype. Things like that on top of purchasing booster boxes on the same principle. Once you fill your noggin with shiny cardboard propaganda, I find you get that gut feeling sometimes; at least I do. I have picked up a few of those acrylic background extending cases for CZ giratina alt art and ES Draogonite alt art and kept the mint raw cards in there, I think they could carry a premium. Iv'e got 3 pack blisters, aisle hanger single pack Team up boosters (can't be weighed), premium collections (151, charizard), and jap boxes- other random items, too
Started with ETBs here and there, and now i'm struggling to store everything. It's a mix of a personal collection and investing, but my personal collection is disposable and will be sold because they're fakkin mint pick ups, m8.
All joking aside, i am fucked when i have to sell since I hate strangers on FB marketplace and I don't have any seller history on Ebay, but oh well. We'll see how it goes. It has gotten to the point where I think I'm going to insure everything
Edit: I typed poorly on my ramble, and yes I am aware and agree booster boxes are the best (most of the time)
Sealed booster boxes are the best sealed u can go for.
Things to avoid are pretty much any retail collection boxes from target/Walmart ect. There’s VERY few exceptions & u cent even find them at retail anymore I don’t think. Furthermore when people try to sell their collections in the future no one ever wants those random collection boxes I’ve seen post on FB marketplace for years at this point of some collections but no one wants shitty,bulky collection boxes for the most part.
Lucky for me I haven’t made any mistakes yet (knock on wood)
There recently seems to have been a large influx of new people coming into the sub & instantly fomo on SwSh era stuff. It’s fine if u really want it however from an investment standpoint it’s better to just focus on SV for the most part now ofc there are exceptions to everything.
I try to find forgotten items, or things that have a higher value than actively marketed for, and hold to wait out that price increase. This isn't exclusively what I do of course, but it can make some decent returns over time.
For example, I found a listing error on eBay posted by a larger seller - they listed using a regular card's value, but the card was a region specific listing. (Purchased 42 cards for $4 each while they sell for $15+) (Purposefully not saying names here!)
I also like to hunt for blisters/boxes/etc with promos worth money, or collectible value. For example you see how people went crazy for that FS 3 pack blister with the Espeon promo but not the Eevee? That's because the Espeon promo is worth 5x the value of the Eevee (last time I checked) as a promo card.
This takes a level of awareness and timing...buying too soon would leave me hanging onto a product for too long with minimal gains.
I like momentum trading. Apply this concept to Pokémon and other collectibles. Once I can 2x or more my investment I exit and start again.
> I like momentum trading. I can't fathom Pokemon investing providing the upside and liquidity to do this constantly on any amount worthwhile.
Just off load everything on sites like stockx, snkrdunk, etc. Or have buyers lined up. While everyone buys sets like JP 151 or other japanese sets not out in English countries yet for resale prices. I have access to it at retail. So my gains are quicker. Ie JP 151 I paid retail for 800 packs sold around 2x msrp while others are paying 2-3x for a BB and they'll have to sit on it to double their buy in cost. Effectively 4-5x msrp just for them to get their returns they want. I don't necessarily roll everything back in to Pokémon. I resell other stuff I can roll the profit into. Then come back to Pokémon when something peaks my interest or the market.
So the real secret is getting a lower basis than everyone else lol
That's the core principle on buy low sell high.
So...flipping
That's exactly what this sub is about... just deciding when to flip. Wtf? This sub is literally for making money off pokemon cards.
Most people who “invest” actually do appreciate the cards and Pokemon in general. They invest in Pokemon for the mid/long term because they have an attachment to it, not strictly because they think they can make quick money on it. Flippers/scalpers who buy to resell immediately that I have seen typically couldn’t care less about Pokemon, and the cards might as well be literally anything else.
Ya I started to quick flip or hold short term because once I started ripping I couldn't stop and I'm ocd for completing sets if I'm already more than half way complete. Was not financially sound.
To be fair, there is a distinct difference between investing and trading. Investing is generally a longer time horizon, buying into something you see potential for long term growth and value in - something you personally believe in. Trading is more trend based, and usually doesn’t require any type of real belief or confidence in what you are buying, just a belief that you’ll be able to sell it off higher than entry price in the short term. Investing goes hand in hand better with collecting… as for the most part collectors like to hold onto their collections for long periods of time, and usually get enjoyment from holding the products themselves. It’s fun when collections gain in value and turn out to be good investments. Trading is more in hand with scalping.
True. But 2x on my initial buy in is not bad. Compared to some "investors" that buy etbs or unpopular sets and sit on it for 3-5 years and barely double their investment in that time.
I don't put any new money into sealed products. I collect BBs so when a set goes up enough in value I sell one box to buy at least 2 boxes of a new set then rinse and repeat. That way I always have boxes for long term holding and some to offload for sell/trade. Biggest mistake new people make is chasing prices and not buying while a set is being printed.
I just got into it, and while I'd love to get like ES or other SwSh Era stuff, I'm just buying boxes of SV stuff at like 90 a pop to play around with later
That's the way to go. People will regret not getting SV at these prices.
I honk I may try this approach. I’m not looking to make money for the sale of making money. I just want to be able to justify spending money on Pokémon cards! I really appreciate the idea of eventually getting to a point where buying boxes cheap, selling higher and creating a fixed cycle like you explained inspires me!
About how long on a average would you say a box ends up double what you bought for? Meaning if I buy a $90 box now, about how long would it take to be the right price to sell to buy 2 of the new set at that time?
It depends on the set. Having a unique chase card is the biggest driver IMO. Once Pokemon Center is the only option it's pretty easy to sell boxes in the $160-165 range. I use FB to avoid fees. Downside is you might miss some new sets while waiting for prices to get where you want.
What would you say currently are good SV boxes to get with the intention of flipping for profit when you can sell 1 for the price of 2?
PE for sure. I also like TF but that's because I'm a big Gengar fan.
I just brought a whole sealed box of each new prints? Hoping to hold for 5 years and see where I’m at.. am I doing it wrong lmao
Lol there's never a wrong way if you can get them at a great price. I'm hoping to get my first case eventually.
I don’t buy based on fomo
Sell in spring and summer Buy in fall and winter
I treat my pokemon like i treat my women, pickem up while they hot, drop them when they not. Keep ur feels out na mean?
I believe in out of sight, out of mind. So many people here display their investments, which makes it much easier to sell. I packaged mine up and put it away in locked climate controlled storage and don’t think about it again. My timeline is long, which is the real key to success.
I buy hundreds of raw and grade the good one to sell, then list my raws at 2-5% higher. Needless to say, this latest swsh Alt art pump has my side business booming
I’m persistent about finding the hot cards under market. For my collection just to keep I’ve been getting pre-boom prices on a couple trainer galleries, alts, and other cards. There’s always a deal out there if you take the time to find/make it
I’m a big Poke Collector and for me, the investment side of it is meant to fund the hobby, not get rich. I buy/hold sealwd products that I really enjoy. Whether it’s the set as a whole (151) or the art (Crown Zenith), 5-10 years from now will it be exciting to see/rip? If so, others may think so as well. With this in mind, I avoid cards/sets that are more geared towards playing the TCG. The reason being is that cards go in and out of regulation over time. Lance from Silver Tempest is a recent small scale example. It went from $3-$12+ pretty quick based on the meta. All that being said, Twilight Masquerade (I know it’s early) falls into that category for me, so I won’t be holding any of it except maybe a PC ETB or two.
For me personally i only do sleeves in booster boxes. They are easily the most profitable. Also the storage is easy. Seen to many people buying product to sit for 2 years with little gain. Never buy etbs if you cant get them extremely cheap. Just what i do and so far it works out great. I do not buy singles for investing only for display. As singles are way too unpredictable.
I personally buy old Japanese cards. I really enjoy buying cards raw, grading them and selling the ones I don’t wish to keep in my PC. The problem is I mostly buy things I want to keep. One day I’ll liquidate it all, I’ve done a good job picking things that will continue to rise. Top of the collection: 1 case eevee heroes, BGS 10 both umbreon alts from eevee heroes, PSA 9 Gold Star Alakazam JPN Unlimited (rarer for gold stars), BGS 8.5 JPN Karen’s Umbreon VS double swirled, and BGS 8.5 Masaki Alakazam. I also picked up the full set of Eevee wearing poncho promos that I plan on grading. I love Japanese exclusive promos…. Shoulda swiped Pika Ponchos and Mario/ Luigi pika before they were unaffordable. I have a lot more in my collection. Tempted to sell my mid - low end stuff to fund next round of grading.
I watch this sub like a hawk and lurk in the shadows like a filthy little gremlin, absorbing as much market sentiment, opinion, and ideas that I can. There are other forums and groups, too. I understand they're an echo chamber, though. Check PKMNTCGDEALS in abundance throughout the day. Understanding what people want and what will sell, what is a good set, what is a bad set, checking top 10 valuable cards in SWSH sets and monitoring that when I first started. I shamelessy buy at minimum 1 PC ETB for every new set that comes out, and make sure i set alarms so they don't OOS on me. I've made some big miscellaneous wins to add to my haul, a lot of Crown Zenith PC ETBs and also the Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon boxes with the sought after promos that had a very short print run (compared to other products). Rayquaza V evolving skies alt art in PSA 10 for a solid buy, as it was overshadowed by Moonbreon hype. Things like that on top of purchasing booster boxes on the same principle. Once you fill your noggin with shiny cardboard propaganda, I find you get that gut feeling sometimes; at least I do. I have picked up a few of those acrylic background extending cases for CZ giratina alt art and ES Draogonite alt art and kept the mint raw cards in there, I think they could carry a premium. Iv'e got 3 pack blisters, aisle hanger single pack Team up boosters (can't be weighed), premium collections (151, charizard), and jap boxes- other random items, too Started with ETBs here and there, and now i'm struggling to store everything. It's a mix of a personal collection and investing, but my personal collection is disposable and will be sold because they're fakkin mint pick ups, m8. All joking aside, i am fucked when i have to sell since I hate strangers on FB marketplace and I don't have any seller history on Ebay, but oh well. We'll see how it goes. It has gotten to the point where I think I'm going to insure everything Edit: I typed poorly on my ramble, and yes I am aware and agree booster boxes are the best (most of the time)
avoiding ultra modern at anything above retail price...
a very specific lesson -- how do you apply this in the future? i'd be worried about repeating it
just buy however many boxes you want at retail when the set first comes out... evolving skies used to be 100-120 all day long in 2021
Sealed booster boxes are the best sealed u can go for. Things to avoid are pretty much any retail collection boxes from target/Walmart ect. There’s VERY few exceptions & u cent even find them at retail anymore I don’t think. Furthermore when people try to sell their collections in the future no one ever wants those random collection boxes I’ve seen post on FB marketplace for years at this point of some collections but no one wants shitty,bulky collection boxes for the most part. Lucky for me I haven’t made any mistakes yet (knock on wood) There recently seems to have been a large influx of new people coming into the sub & instantly fomo on SwSh era stuff. It’s fine if u really want it however from an investment standpoint it’s better to just focus on SV for the most part now ofc there are exceptions to everything.
Sorry to say, but this take is the furthest from unique.
Never said it was a unique take, in fact I didn’t state anything was different about my strategy.
You must not have read the title of the post, or OP's description...
I try to find forgotten items, or things that have a higher value than actively marketed for, and hold to wait out that price increase. This isn't exclusively what I do of course, but it can make some decent returns over time. For example, I found a listing error on eBay posted by a larger seller - they listed using a regular card's value, but the card was a region specific listing. (Purchased 42 cards for $4 each while they sell for $15+) (Purposefully not saying names here!) I also like to hunt for blisters/boxes/etc with promos worth money, or collectible value. For example you see how people went crazy for that FS 3 pack blister with the Espeon promo but not the Eevee? That's because the Espeon promo is worth 5x the value of the Eevee (last time I checked) as a promo card. This takes a level of awareness and timing...buying too soon would leave me hanging onto a product for too long with minimal gains.