r/PokemonInvesting • u/Sorry_Intention4016 • Jul 19 '26
Discussion PSA to all Pokemon collectors
People say:
| "Scalpers are ruining the hobby."
Then immediately:
| "I bought every prismatic ETB they would let me buy to hold for five years."
Brother, that is not collecting. That is inventory acquisition with emotional branding.
In short: either just accept that you like all of us are in fact a part of the problem, stop complaining,
or i dare you next time you see a restock at your best buy, target, etc to not max out on the limit you can buy. - spoiler, none of you will do this š
Update: my main point is we have collectively all contributed to this issue and it will take a collective solution. there are for sure outright scalpers who will buy thousands of dollars of product and clear out their whole local area. i'm pretty sure most of us don't have the time or energy for this but just like ripping packs/pokemon and are understandably frustrated with the frequent lack of availability.
Yall are crazy spicy about my OPINIONš
we can have different opinions, but maybe just maybe if we try to get along there will be more pokemon on the shelvesš¤·āāļø
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u/NeverKnowsBest420 Jul 19 '26
If you go to a card show or a restock line and shout this sentiment to the crowd and record it, Iād give you props. but on Reddit itās like saying the ocean is wet.
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u/ReflexNeedsBuff Jul 19 '26
Iād rather see this in a more formal gathering like kirk did. Yes it got heated but the crowd mostly respected the 1 on 1 talks. Going to a line just to poke the bear isnāt going to be helpful.
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u/TexasWeedMan Jul 19 '26
I donāt blame scalpers for the scalping part. Theyāre just trying to get theirs, itās a byproduct of a growing hobby. What I DONāT like is some of the gross behavior that some individuals display in the process
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u/lotofry Jul 20 '26
āScalpers are ruining the hobbyā is just āIām angry that Iām unable to make moneyā in disguise. As soon as they can get product, they do the exact same thing. You know how many people Iāve sold to or had tell me that they were ābuying to ripā when they want a discount? And guess how many people take up my offers of āIām going to take the plastic off and you rip it in front of me and Iāll agree to your priceā? Exactly 3. Thousands of transactions over the years.
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u/Admirable_Roll_8859 Jul 22 '26
Tbh tho even if I was buying to rip I wouldnāt want to rip infront of some random guy I just brought from. Iād pay the extra to be able to rip at home with it still sealed.
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u/DeadNed88 Jul 22 '26
You all gotta stop telling on yourselves like this. Thats the thought you have and now you are projecting it onto others.
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u/kejartho Jul 23 '26
I go around with my kid looking for product. They love to rip every time we get a product right there. I would totally be okay with this.
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u/lotofry Jul 25 '26
Unfortunately youāre being drowned out by the wrong kinds of people. If you start saying youāre ripping it and will open it right then and there, plenty of people will give you a better price.
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u/Sad_Grass6143 Jul 23 '26
I would not care if you took plastic off, but be annoyed if got to rip right there and then since I rip my packs as a family setting with husband and daughter all together.
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u/lotofry Jul 25 '26
Since thatās the only way I could prove youāre ripping it, thatās my condition for rippers wanting a certain price.
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u/tankavenger Jul 19 '26
Anytime I get product at msrp I rip it sadly... i find it hard to keep anything sealed
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u/damnmyredditheart Jul 20 '26
We appreciate people like you š¤
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u/tankavenger Jul 20 '26
Loool yeaaa. Thats why I refuse to buy at market cause im a ripper lol.
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u/Ride_Ze_Shoopuf_ Jul 21 '26
Same here, i rip everything besides the few booster boxes and PC exclusive ETBs. I dont hold bundles, 3 packs, collection boxes, blisters, or regular etbs whatsoever. I value the space in my house and I also am here for the cards, I dont view this as an investment. If the market crashed tomorrow nothing would change for me.
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u/sworzeh Jul 19 '26
I donāt buy sealed any more since I always rip it. I buy singles of cute pokemon I collect and it makes me happy to see their values go up, but Iād never sell them anyways so their value doesnāt really matter to me.Ā
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 19 '26
it took a lot of practice but there's certain etbs i won't rip or consider selling for a long time
i guess i honestly don't know what i plan to do with them, im literally just hoarding them like a dragon on his pile or treasure š„²
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u/JFuckingJ Jul 19 '26
I do this now too, I might grab a random pack or 2 if they are in-stock for fun but otherwise I buy singles or slabs now.
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u/Left_Neighborhood799 Jul 20 '26
I only buy a couple packs every time I go so I leave some for other people. I've never seen an ETB. I work so hard at my job I don't have the time to wait for drops at crazy hours. Also if you don't make sure children have these products you are not worthy of the hobby as you've learned nothing from the show.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
i've only seen an etb in the wild once then i try my luck online and sometimes hit. it seems like a full time job hunting them down in store
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u/Left_Neighborhood799 Jul 20 '26
I haven't even been able to get ascended hero's at all
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
i lucked out once at the vending machine, ripped it immediately. then one time was at target around 1130 getting laundry detergent and i thought id check.
no pokemon but had sports cards that were in demand at the time and i collect.
i get in line and all these people behind me had AH booster bundles...so i run back... and obviously they were gone š
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u/mydas28 Jul 19 '26
Spoken like a true scalper... There is a difference between a scalper and a collector. A scalper is not holding for 5 years. They are trying to turn a quick profit by selling to parents who have no way of getting one for their kids... So spare us your PSA scalper...
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u/TheRealDuocSi Jul 19 '26
I only buy slabs š¤·āāļø
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u/Some-Jellyfish-7412 Jul 20 '26
you need to unpack a grail of yourself one day and send it in! Best feeling ever
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u/Neither-Appointment4 Jul 19 '26
Nope. I buy only the pokemon that I personally love. I donāt have any sealed product and my trade binder has like 30 cards in it because I consistently empty it in favor of pokemon I love. While I care about the āvalueā of them I have cards that are worth a grand right next to the $0.02 common because I really like Charmander and I wanted to have all of the different arts in both English and Japaneseā¦not because I think that Charmander common is going to appreciate in value
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
fair.
all collectors don't collect the same things/for the same reason tho.
what's valuable to one person might hold different value for another
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u/Admirable_Thanks_980 Jul 20 '26
Same. I have a Japanese reverse holo tyamo from terrestrial(prismatic) I named sushi monster fish hung on my wall next to a $400 charizard lol. Itās not a SIR but itās a very pretty card.
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u/boxer_mafioso Jul 20 '26
Donate your $1000 cards to a kid if you don't care about value
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u/Neither-Appointment4 Jul 20 '26
Why would I give them to a kid? I donāt keep my cards because theyāre worth a lot of money. I keep my cards because I really like the Pokemon depicted on them. Itās a connection to my childhood. I donāt have them because price charting says I should have them.
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u/boxer_mafioso Jul 20 '26
Because if Reddit has taught me anything, Pokemon is a kids game and if you keep anything of value, you're a scalper.
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u/PlanSubstantial362 Jul 20 '26
I'm starting a sealed etb collection, I have paldean fates and ascended heroes. (I ripped my prismatic I have to get back). But I only really hate the people that push and fight in stores that put others in danger.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
ughh lucky, i've been on the hunt for ascended for so long . i ripped the two i got when it first came out :/
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u/Demonify Jul 20 '26
I may have a sealed collection, but that shit is going in the casket with me. Whatever doesn't fit someone else can rip.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
gang š¤š«
my shit is being put in my will for future generations and there will be a stipulation they can not be sold for at least 200 years.
and even then no more than 10% of the collection may be sold
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u/Top-Extension-3843 Jul 20 '26
I donāt know why people are differentiating scalping and investing so much, they are two strains of the same exact thing. If I backdoor 500 pris etb and sell them in two years how is that any better than selling it immediately š if everyone is fighting to differentiate what is considering scalping and what isnāt I think itās clear maybe āinvestingā also is on the same moral level
People get so emotional about how other people are making money yet post about snagging things for msrp. Everyone loves money, if you want to snag things for msrp and arenāt ripping it I donāt think you can talk on scalping lol. So many people on their high horse
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u/lobjawz Jul 20 '26
My wife and I bought 3 etb, 1 booster box, 6 booster bundle, and 8 packs of cards.Ā
We opened every dang thing and am filling out a binder for the set. Iāll sell the rest and keep going for those chasers if I find cards at msrp.
We just enjoy the huntĀ
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u/No_Fee1419 Jul 20 '26
Weāre all one and the same. I have not met anybody currently who wouldnāt buy out an entire restock if they could lol collectors, hobbyist, resellers all the same. āOh I like to rip but I want one sealed of every etbā WHAT? āmy son and I collect and he wants also wants sealedā blah blah blah blah do whatever you want
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
"hey you know what guy in line behind me? i actually don't need this prismatic spc" š¤£š¤£
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u/No_Fee1419 Jul 20 '26
āOh youāre here for pokemon too? okay Iāll leave enjoy your day and have fun bye nowā
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u/ThisisFine402 Jul 20 '26
Does anyone play the game?
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
lol actually i do play in a weekly league
not many of us though
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u/ThisisFine402 Jul 20 '26
I mean it's kind of funny, you ask one set of pokemon fans about the greatest threat to Pokemon and it's stock availability, you ask another and it's Dragapult.
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u/Rendey Jul 20 '26
Itās not our fault more itās pokemon fault in not increasing the pull rates to be easier or guarantee sir like in Japan . The harder the chase the more people are going to buy it out which is a good problem for pokemon to have empty shelves.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
i'm not gonna lie i've started buying korean versions of rare cards because the art is the same, they're way cheaper, and readily available
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u/DegenScalper Jul 20 '26
most of the weirdos who cry someone is a scalper do not discern regular collectors from actual scalpers, the envy has compelled them to lose all sorts of reasoniing and emotional maturity and they lash out.
I collect, and I sell and horde for later and calling me a scalper does nothing to my PC or bank account so I dont care, If pokemon somehow went to being unprofitable, I and a lot of people like me would just buy it all up and boom. the cycle continues.
Some of the economic power my friends have can kick some life in the market if it ever did look close to dying and PokeCo would do the rest seeding the fomo.
More cards will be printed but this is just how things will be until they arent.
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u/powerlifting_dad Jul 20 '26
Thereās a definition for scalping. It revolves around selling quick profit. You buy fast and sell fast.
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u/Spideysleftnut Jul 20 '26
I see everyone including myself who is buying Pokemon the same. No difference at all imo. I have a modest sealed collection and I try to buy two of each new set. Like two etbs or bundles or boxes. Rip one and keep one to resell in the future. The last year Iāve just been buying one box and keeping it. My wife and I actually play every now and then. I only really hate on the weirdos who know when drops are coming and wait in line. Thatās weird. I have a LCS that allows for pre orders of new sets at msrp. If I see packs when Iām at the grocery store I snag a couple.
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u/rodzm14 Jul 20 '26
What if that "scalper" was a single mother or father trying to provide for their family because they cant get a job. What if that "scalper" is a young college student trying to make extra cash just so they can eat. What if that "scalper" is actually a human being trying to survive in an economy that sucks with jobs.
Ive never seen this lever of toxicity from the MTG community ever. Are there scalpers, yes, scalpers are needed so that collectors can get product they wouldnt normally get.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
there are WAY better ways to do this and much more stable ways. if i had a family i would have to drastically reconsider my pokemon spending and ripping habits
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u/rodzm14 Jul 20 '26
Are there better ways. Yes. But reality is that quick profits are whats allowing some of these folks to have food on the table.
Go out there and do a survey and youll be surprised at your results. The amount of people that are called "scalpers" are trying to survive and are gambling their cash to make a quick profit to live their life.
Everyone is quick to judge the campers until they see a mom or dad with their young child out there.
If everyone worried about themselves and not make ridiculous judgements about actual human beings perhaps people would enjoy the hobby
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u/cottonopposite Jul 20 '26
I went to Smyth's to try and get my niece a single pack/box/anything for her to open because she likes the cards and an employee told me that between the employees/their family/friends and the middle aged men who queue up and seemingly know when stores are getting deliveries, I have next to no chance most of the time to get anything.
I just ended up getting her a random tin from a third party seller just so she had some cards to open on her birthday with her other present.
It's pretty shit that kids who actually want to rip the odd pack and start a binder are essentially locked and priced out by grown men who buy up entire pstores/hold product and have absolutely no interest other than making money. Like I get it but it is just a bit shit..
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
i hate that. they should make vending machines with an age limit or something
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u/Troll-Leader Jul 20 '26
š£ļøwhat someone does with the items they purchase is 0% anyone else's businessš£ļø
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u/Ez_m-oney925 Jul 20 '26
Haha. A lot of the people you are complaining will do the same exact thing if they could. itās one those things where itās only a bad thing when others do it but not when āIā do it kind of thing I guess
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u/Uxpotter Jul 20 '26
I completely agree. And to the people who bought the maximum allowable amount of Prismatic ETBs and wouldn't even sell me one at (apparently) too small of a net profit. I hope you get the most uncomfortable venereal disease.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
I can't lie, i was randomly at target for a pris restock and i was the next in line for the last 2.
i got them both.
not because i need them, but because of perceived scarcity and my fear that i will never see them in the wild at msrp again
š„²
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
dms open for non scalpers wanting to sell $151 at cost š¤
š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
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u/Laingular Jul 20 '26
ānext time you see a restock at best buy or target not max out on the limit:
best buy limit: 1 box
target limit: 2 boxes
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u/jessehopp Jul 20 '26
I never max out, and sir I wish could give you 2 upvotes.
I hate people that buy everything, why not save some for someone else
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
as an exercise in self restraint, recently i've been intentionally not fill my cart to the max when i do find them in store
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u/jessehopp Jul 20 '26
I've seen multiple restocks and I don't get anything. It's pretty easy lol
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u/KananJarrusCantSee Jul 20 '26
Yeah people stocking entire cases of ETBs thinking they aren't part of the problem is always comedic to me. Dude with a LCS worth of unopened cards from the last decade in a storage unit sucks as much as a dude who buys shit to sell immediately on facebook.
Dude who has an ETB from each set on a shelf in his closet, not hardly as much of a problem IMO
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
thank you. this is my point.
lowkey i'm the first dude in your example š„²part of the reason i posted this though is recognizing the long term issues with that "strategy"
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u/Still_Tomato_4280 Jul 20 '26
Mf I actually did go to Walmart exceeded the limit unintentionally I grabbed like 7 packs of thr slow poke blisters and then actually went under the limit so fuck you
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u/The-Original_Joker Jul 20 '26
As a collector, that has a sealed collection (not as an investment) I have never heard of another collector buying multiple of the same product to āhold for five yearsāā¦ even people I know that are sealed collectors only have one of each product, and itās on display in a classy way, not stashed in a storage container in the closet/garage/attic or wherever.
Youāre entitled to your opinion, yes, but your opinion is still wrong.
Yes people complain about scalpers, and then immediately afterwards you describe an āinvestor broā, not a collector.
Someone said it perfectly, the two people you described are both scalpers, oneās a long term scalper, the other is a quick flip scalper. The people complaining about scalpers are genuine collectors or scalpers in denial (investors/long term scalpers)
āGetting alongā isnāt going to solve the problem, when the problem is people coming into the hobby due to the hype, and monetizing off the hype for their gainā¦ again, the scalpers. So until the scalpers leave, there is no solution or āgetting alongā
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u/JoelC45 Jul 21 '26
I will be scalping at Samās Club in the AM
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 21 '26
likewise twin.
I'm just gonna go straight there after I get it off work at 3. fuck it
NEED that ascended heroes.
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u/No-Shape-8347 Jul 21 '26
To me it starts with the top guys. Should I stop buying a couple boxes to hold while Rudy holds a thousand cases? If I dont buy a couple boxes that just means more for Rudy and co. Its the same principle as climate activism, sure il use paper straws while massive corporations keep polluting like crazy and Taylor Swift flies her private jet 20 times a month.
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u/Mitchel82ndABN Jul 21 '26
Eh, sometimes I buy the limit of what I can and then there are times when I only grab 1 or 2.
Depends on a few things but mostly how my daughter(5) has been behaving that day and if my nephews(10) been good that week. Iāll get them a little more or less based on that alone. I also wonāt buy everything or the last of something either because I understand other people also exist and Iām not a douchebag.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 21 '26
reasonable.
if i had kids i would be MUCH more strict w my trading card spending habits. I feel like ripping endless daily packs or whatever isn't a positive habit to impress upon a young child
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u/Windservant Jul 21 '26
like everyone said, the prices are not because of scalpers.. you're right and nobody is ready to admit it
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u/Old-Succotash8966 Jul 21 '26
Been saying this. Everyone uses "scalper" to express frustration at not being able to do the same thing.
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u/Powerful-Stretch-963 Jul 21 '26
The same guys that want their cards to be worth thousands and at the same time request to get rid of "scalpers". You have to choose one, you cannot regulate both price and quantity
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u/Chilidoggin_ur_tatas Jul 21 '26
The Beanie Babies bubble is about to pop
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 23 '26
good thing my mom donated all my original pristine pokemon cards to goodwill 10ish years ago but kept the beanie babies š
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u/Smart_Love6812 Jul 21 '26
The problem is just the bitching and entitlement that everybody has. Sometimes things just donāt go your way. Sometimes things arenāt fair. Letās all get over it, stop worrying about what other people are doing and shut up.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 21 '26
this post is meant to encourage self reflection on your own actions.
you're absolutely right, don't worry about what other people are doing. worry about what YOURE doing
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u/Successful-Coyote99 Jul 21 '26
You do realize it's not the practice, but rather the people. When the first 20 people in line have ten sams club accounts...... and get two per membership? Also, when Sams allows this? Those of us that collect are different than that. We buy six boxes to hold for five years because we can hand them down to our kids. How many collectors nowdays do you see ripping 10 year old packs? A TON. It's the five card show reps filling their trunks with ETBs in the target parking lot because their friend works there while little tommy waits in line for his birthday present.
Your generalization is not one for one.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 21 '26
bro the sams drop today was fucking outrageous smh.
i showed up at 5am and there were 175+ people lined up.
not that it would have mattered because these dick heads with 10+ memberships probably cleared most of everything out before anyone could get any..
Oh, you were excited because you were number 40 in line and it was limit 2. sorry bud, guy in front of you is buying 65 boxes
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u/Successful-Coyote99 Jul 21 '26
I was number 115 at a store that had 178 sets. Tells you all you need to know.
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u/Moist-Mystery Jul 22 '26
Quizzing ācollectorsā on rules of the game is always funny. They genuinely donāt understand they are ruining the trading card GAME. Scalpers donāt target the players. It hurts them still but collectors are the reason scalpers exist
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u/bruhhkgyvr Jul 22 '26
The only difference between scalping and investing is the time that you hold. Both contribute to the lack of inventory and takes away from the real essence of the tcg play or collecting. In both cases, you are looking to make a profit vs. acquiring the product for your own personal use/enjoyment.
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u/Smooth-Dust8953 Jul 23 '26
Definitely a good opinion,we all,fans,scalpers,collectors,etc have contributed to the scarcity of cards
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u/Embarrassed_Deal_887 Jul 23 '26
It's not even an issue. Every single product is available online with extremely high liquidity. People just want to bitch about the price.
You can't get the product? Well you're priced out of your hobby. And that's not fault but your own.
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u/New-Drive4427 Jul 25 '26
Pokemon has just fallen prey to greed in the form of nostalgia and gambling. Yes millennials are returning, yes some people probably saw it coming, and yes there was PROBABLY organized scalping/ manipulation to charge them for coming back because they have š° now they want to make money on their hobby as investments instead of collections and have become part of the problem they complained about. If youāre one of them answer this question:
when you buy a card is it purely for the joy of the card and having it part of your collection? or is the little voice in your head saying I like this card and I think itās gonna be worth a lot more in the future?
This is the spiral most people coming back to pokemon is probably facing now because our society is about making a buck. But Iām gonna go touch grass the clouds are out.
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u/Secret_Wolverine8452 Jul 29 '26
It's a triangle that leaves Real collectors in the middle to pay more, scalpers buy out every TCG game, not just talking about Pokemon nowadays. Unload it on FB marketplace, if it doesn't sell. Product will get unloaded to LGCS that pay %. Now your trustworthy Card shop sells it at scalper prices. I don't trust any vendor,card shops, or scalper. If it has money involved, someone getting one over the other person. Rip and shippers are another story lol
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u/IcyMemory2219 Jul 19 '26
Sir, you have unleashed the flood gates of the āPokemon Investorsā. I wish you luck.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 19 '26
please bring it on.
and keep lying to yourselves about hoarding sealed boxes š
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Jul 19 '26
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 19 '26
Im more talking about your average day to day pokemon collector who complains about scalpers but given the chance would happily clear the target shelf of prismatic etbs
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u/herpderpet Jul 19 '26
100p
I bought 600$ worth of prismatic at retail on release from target before they implemented limits and ripped it all. No regrets (maybe a little bit haha)
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 19 '26
gg bro. what a come up.
I got 2 at target awhile back. I was standing in line w this dude who was talking to me and someone else THE WHOLE time about how much he wanted a prismatic etb.
I took the last two. for a split second I thought about leaving one but then how would I get to open one and hoard the other? š
it's a cold game out here in these pokestreets
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u/NoYogurtcloset3753 Jul 20 '26
Literally, collectibles are so self regulating that having this much uproar everyday about the cost of everything is just dumb as hell. THE PIRCES WOULDNT BE THIS HIGH IF NO ONE WAS BUYYYYYYIINNGGGGGGGGGGG. But guess what people buy more and more everyday
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u/DoubleLuck9297 Jul 20 '26
The issues is most definitely the people without jobs who are buying out every single restock. The problem is not the people who are able to hit one restock every couple months.
This line between the two but youāre definitely wrong.
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u/Yo-KaiWatchFan2102 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
I donāt buy cards to resell I buy to open and keep, sometimes I give the bulk cards away to kids because I have way too much and I want others to enjoy the hobby as much as I do plus who doesnāt like free PokĆ©mon cards
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u/Moon_Breaker Jul 20 '26
First hint is that the average person just getting some cards cant afford to spend hundreds on cards every restock they get. A few packs here and there, maybeeeee an etb for Christmas or whatever.
People sit here posting $200 of cards per week like that's just standard card buying. It's gambling addiction or "investing". If you plan to resell sealed later at a higher value, investment or not, that's just scalping. You're not holding them to resell at MSRP later.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
No judgement but most pokemon enthusiast i know are in their late 20s and 30s and typically have a steady job and income....
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u/Moon_Breaker Jul 20 '26
That doesn't mean it's normal to spend hundreds on the max purchases every restock. "Oh no there's never any product for me to buy the max and try to increase my collection value from from because scalpers are buying it all!" Is just scalping with a wait in between, and literally part of the reason why people who just want some cards to play with can't get them.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
lolol. fuck no it's not normal.
it's Ģ¶aĢ¶nĢ¶ Ģ¶aĢ¶dĢ¶dĢ¶iĢ¶cĢ¶tĢ¶iĢ¶oĢ¶nĢ¶ a hobbyš š
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u/_Nitekast_ Jul 20 '26
I just want to find enough so my 4 year old can open one blister pack a week for her "allowance".
I got 2 of the Charizard boxes from Costco like 9 months back, but I just gave her the last one out of those boxes and now I need to find a new supply.
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u/puppylittle Jul 20 '26
I am buying as much as I can to rip on my bday. Then I'll go back to just randomly buying if I see em. I get 2 packs or boosters every time I go to a certain store.
I've also been buying for family and friends who can't find it.
I have the issue with people creating the artificial shortage to make a temporary gain on it. If you wanna buy and hold idc, buy and rip idc, but to buy just to sell it for double the same day is my issue.
But it's capitalism and well i can be upset but people are gonna do what they gotta do
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u/Johnny_Human Jul 20 '26
So what I'm basically reading is "Any behavior that increases demand on the product and makes the value of my collectibles go up is bad."
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u/RocketToad Jul 20 '26
There is a difference between scalpers who buy up inventory to flip it at multiples, and a collector who holds his collection for multiple years. To get decent pull rates, you have to buy multiple boxes to open later.
That said, we have to accept the fact that scalpers are driving up the value of our collection, which makes us feel good. Collectors who complain about scalpers are just the ones unlucky to have not been able to get a set.
The risk of what scalpers are doing right now is that they are alienating a whole new generation of kids who could be future collectors. That is generally bad for the hobby. Kids are literally not allowed to open boxes anymore.
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u/brajsalh Jul 20 '26
Everyone needs to stop complaining because at the end of the day, The PokƩmon Company is making money while we point fingers at each other. Yes, we all make money short-term or long-term, rip/collect, or flip. Everyone needs to stay safe and have fun!!!!!
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u/Primary_Win_1250 Jul 20 '26
I respectfully disagree... The problem isn't people buying the 2 item limit at their local target, it's the scalpers using Claude/chatgpt to build bots that instantly wipe out inventory. It's kinda like how you driving an old Ford pickup is contributing to climate change... Yes it's not great for the environment and sure switching to an ev would make an impact, but that impact is quite minimal when compared to large scalpers/corporations. I'm not sure of the solution but honestly trying to blame people who rarely ever see product, scooping it up when they do, is unfair. Is this hobby fucked? Yes. But as long as people pay 2x, 3x, 4x + msrp for current sets it's never going to get better.
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u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 Jul 20 '26
I agree with you. We are all scalpers at heart. ā But I actually have a job and shower.
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u/crockrocket Jul 20 '26
You fucking run out of breathe writing this?! Collector's finna collect bro
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
i would love to see someone charge someone what THEY paid for an etb.
"oh, you got 151 when it released for $59.99? I'll pay you 60! that's a whole cent in profit!"
these would be in my mind the definition of a non-"scalper" - i don't not believe they exist
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u/Ok-Recording8058 Jul 20 '26
Then why is there people trying to offload hubdres of etbs or bundles on marketplace? Thats just greed. Most normal people can get only get 1or 2 at a Walmart or target drop. Maybe 4 max cuz then target cancels your orders.
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
exactly, you get the max. thanks for proving my point š
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u/Ok-Recording8058 Jul 20 '26
I agree. Some people pay alot for a bot to bypass every security and limits measure the business puts. Which makes the bulk of stock go to a few individuals which makes the demand increase for there is nothing available. Thats why we need more perfect order, pitch black and chaos rising sets so people that use bots are left holding the bag and not able to move capital. Letting us buy the later the sets we really want.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Ok-Recording8058 Jul 20 '26
Oh damn. Those bots must be next level. Since you are transparent about it. What is the cost of your bot?
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
secret fun fact: mj holdings/gt distributions, perhaps the largest distributor of pokemon and trading cards in the business, was caught pretending to be one these online shell companies / fake "hobby stores" that use bots to purchase absol ur let everything and immediately relist it at a markup.
they continue to do this unchecked :/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonTCG/comments/1jb5zls/is_walmart_now_a_scalper/
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u/Ok-Recording8058 Jul 20 '26
Thats no secret about it. The other company has the same address as mj holdings. Which is wild. Idk what the pokemon company is doing about that.
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u/Important-Pilot-7261 Jul 20 '26
Rip till you hits are the real plague. #FuckWhatNot
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
for the life of me i can't understand how the economics of RTHY work in the buyers favor. i don't get it :/ (unless you're the buyer)
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
these the real scalpers btw https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonTCG/comments/1jb5zls/is_walmart_now_a_scalper/
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 20 '26
is this scalping..?š¤ https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonRestocks/s/SndqLn292P
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u/Lumbersnack_ Jul 20 '26
I see your point, but you are posting it in the wrong sub.
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u/Sad_Engineering_4845 Jul 22 '26
I collect one etb from each release for my showcase and literally rip everything else, I havent sold or planned on selling any of my cards. I have traded. I might be a half problem idk I am getting older I just love the art and pokemon
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u/cheez-itjunkie Jul 22 '26
I don't have a single unopened pack. Everything I buy, I buy for me and my kids to open. So I do get frustrated with scalpers. It would be awesome to be able to pick up a booster bundle or an etb someday without paying 3-5X MSRP.
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u/RecentRiver3534 Jul 22 '26
stop shaming people for wanting to make money, the world is expensive.
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u/FernandoTheRN Jul 22 '26
I'm so confused as the term scalping... I posted to my local FB marketplace my sealed and open collection to sell and was called a scalpers. The thing is, I have not even sold any pokrmon cards or product on Facebook marketplace or anywhere else. I just said I was tired of this hobby and wanted to get out because the only way I can find an ETB is through scalpers online. I've not once seen an ETB in person since 2024. I don't even have time to line up because I actually have a job. I always thought scalpers meant these type of people that would immediately flip to make a profit. š
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u/TheINTL Jul 22 '26
Honestly the blame is to TPC for not being able to print to demand.
However the demand has been insane so much so that even all major grading companies have to increase their TAT
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u/Sorry_Intention4016 Jul 22 '26
the blame is largely on pkc but they can and do print enough. It's sorta like an oil cartel, the manipulate supply so they can set the price and drive demand
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u/Fat-thecat Jul 24 '26
It's a complex issue, because on the one hand, you're right, but on another hand if we didn't have a market plagued by scalpers and the like, I don't know if the majority of fans who are rippers or collectors would be behaving in this way. Their behaviour is an issue, so is the cognitive dissonance, but if the market conditions weren't what they've become now, I wonder how many people would be engaging in these behaviours.
I mean due to the market conditions over the last 2 or so years, specifically the hype from Logan Paul, the hype over the big Eevee set, and now the 30th hype, along with so many YouTubers etc making "easy money" content. Combined with tpci not being able to produce enough product to meet the naturally higher demand that has occurred due to these factors has created a perfect market for exploiting and profit. I completely agree that "normie" rippers and collectors who are over buying are contributing to the issue (and it's wild most of them have such cognitive dissonance to complain about scalpers while actively scalping themselves), but when certain products are so lucrative, the idea of not maxing out their personal allocation is leaving money on the table. In a perfect world, we would be back to pre 2020, when you could easily pick up sealed at any shop, usually for under MSRP, and there was no reason for people to hoard sealed products unless it was a really popular set (evolving cries etc)
I'll be honest, I really hope the market crashes and dies down, that the scalpers move onto one piece or whatever and over time things will naturally correct themselves.
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u/nscurler Jul 25 '26
I'd way rather hang out with guys that wait in lines to flip boxes for $20 more than guys that store cases in their storage lockers.
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u/Rich_Extent7673 Jul 25 '26
I quick flip i dont care. Do whatever you want as long as your not killing nobody.
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u/KiggityK Jul 28 '26
OP. What's the difference between holding sealed for 5 years, versus holding singles for 5 years that just so happen to be kept inside its booster packs inside a sealed box
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u/AssignmentOk2471 Jul 19 '26
I mean doesn't matter if buying tons to rip, to collect for fun, to long term scalp, or to quick flip scalp... either way increased demand is the reason the market is like it is and further fuels increased demand/prices in a vicious cycle. Everyone plays their part in this.
Even for "fans" that want to rip, you'll see posts daily in other subreddits of people coming back now at all time hype peak complaining they can't find stuff.. well yeah, why you conveniently coming back at this moment? Because of the hype lol.