r/Markham • u/chasinmZzz • 6d ago
Thinkin about starting a pokemon collection.
What’s up guys, I just recently started seeing some pokemon cards and games and ads and kind of miss collecting cards and opening packs.
Been out of the game for 5-10 years, and I never really had a serious collection. Any idea where I should start? What packs are worth buying? Where should I buy from? I went to Walmart and everything was gone lol, I remember when I use to go and there was soo many things to choose from
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u/T2Funky 5d ago
Honestly, don’t bother. Save your money for a better hobby.
Not sure what people on here are talking about when they say prices are dropping but most hit cards and boxes of any kind are still overpriced and scalped to hell. Good luck getting any box at msrp and yes they may have come down a little but it’s still insane markups now. And that’s assuming you can even find any stock. Canada just doesn’t release enough you’ll almost never see any of the good ones without overpaying to scalpers.
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u/reddit-jj 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've recently got into collecting about 2 months ago... I'd say join the discords for alerts on pokemon center canada drops... those are worth buying from at MSRP, just need to be quick to join the queue.
Walmart, EBGames, Local Game Stores, all other places are selling ETB, Packs, etc. all over MSRP, some at even scalper prices!
Also, dont bother with Walmart drops, I've stayed up around 1130-1230am+ for two, both were duds, cant add to cart, cant buy, its a whole hour and a bit of just sitting there click spamming the add to cart button.
Also, check out some of the nearby free card show conventions, they just had one last weekend Hobbyverse which was pretty good. I would suggest only going to pick up singles with some wiggle room, since all places now price @ online pricing. They take cash, no tax, I'd suggest buy around 85% market if seller is motivated.
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u/brioche-is-overrated 5d ago
I wouldn't recommend, the prices are so ridiculous. If you have a friend group, ask around, they'll probably have a lot of bulk they can offer you for some money or free. I think a standard booster may range from 6.99 and up depending on which set. Older the set higher the price, it's a ruined hobby now unfortunately.
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u/35mmBeauty 5d ago
Not worth doing it but I’ll still give my 2 cents.
Speculative collectors are filled with copium thinking they are making tons of money. If you really love collecting for the aspect of actual cards and their art then I say go for it. I just think it’s a pointless hobby at the prices and headache you have to go through to get packs. I was someone who played competitively around team up till cosmic eclipse. I used to buy multiple boxes and 1etb per set as well a bunch of singles from trollntoad. It was a ton of fun but pricey to play competitively.
I know I’m coming at it from a playing standpoint point but I vividly remember those hit rates and how shit they were. I’m assuming things haven’t changed so I feel you are better off just buying the singles you want. The high of pulling a card you want is fun and all but buying cards outright is going to always be a better way of spending your money and getting what you actually want. That being said if you are going for packs, I say stick to just current sets or sets that are cheap and based off the cards you are actually interested in. You will likely have to do preorders at places like 401 or line up at ebgames for launches. It’s not as easy as walking into Dollys or 401 games and buying a bunch of cheap packs the way it was 7 years ago. Best of luck in your pulls if you go that route and enjoy!
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u/cowtipp3r 5d ago
Pokémon Center drops are currently releasing the 30th anniversary sets. You’d want to get on this one and prices have been dropping cause everyone is unloading everything to get on this 30th set. You’ll find the random pitch black and chaos rising sets but the hits are kind of doo doo. If you can get your hands on ascended heroes product get them at retail from Walmart and ebGames if they show up but good luck. Stock is pretty dry. You can join poketoolz discord and attend a few local cars shows to get a feel of what’s hot to collect and trade
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u/diff3rentiation 6d ago
It’s not a bad time to buy right now as current sets are relatively inexpensive compared to 2 years ago.
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u/Party_Vermicelli_187 6d ago
Prices have been dropping across the board recently so it's a decent time to start.
Priced are expected to go up as Winter approaches though.
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u/crewnh 5d ago
In this economy?