Pokemon investing can be incredibly lucrative, but it takes time to learn the best practices to be successful. Today, I’m going to try and expedite that process by giving you 5 tips to make you a more successful Pokemon investor.
Tip 1: Be selective
Not every product is the same. Some products, like booster boxes, have had larger returns historically compared to items like Collector Chests, Tins, and Collection Boxes.
Obviously, everything has a buy price. You’d be foolish not to buy a $50 tin if it were offered to you for $5, but this isn’t reality.
When paying near market value, prioritize booster boxes, Pokemon Center exclusive elite trainer boxes, regular ETBs for specialty sets, and booster bundles.
Tip 2: Buy from reliable stores
One thing that often goes overlooked when investing in Pokemon cards is where you get them from. Many stores do things differently, including, but not limited to:
- Pricing
- Packaging
- Customer support
- Rewards programs
Down the road, when we go to sell our Pokemon product, we will want to have the cleanest products in the best condition possible in order to maximize our returns.
This is why, we need to focus on buying from the top stores that double box, void fill, and bubble wrap our purchases. Some of my favourite stores in Canada to purchase from include:
I also recommend utilizing marketplaces like Facebook and Ebay to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.
Tip 3: Utilize cashback credit cards and rewards systems
When buying our investments, we should be doing everything in our power to reduce the price we pay.
This is why all of my online purchases are made using my American Express credit card. Although my 2% back credit card has an annual fee, there are plenty of cards you can apply for that offer 1-2% back without any fees. I do recommend AMEX cards, but you are free to do your own research and find which card works best for you.
As for reward systems, some companies offer 1% back in-store credit for online purchases. This is why I am such a big fan of Hobbiesville because they are one of the only sites that offer 1% back.
On top of that, because Hobbiesville runs their website through Shopify, you also earn an additional 1% back in Shop Cash.
To put this into perspective, with the right combination of credit card and rewards systems, $10,000 in purchases through Hobbiesville will provide you with an additional $400 in purchasing power down the road.
Tip 4: Understand reprint windows
Every couple of months, Pokemon releases a new set, with new cards, out to the world. Each of these sets is assigned a “block” which is used to determine when the cards will be rotated out of competitive play.
Cards from a certain set are generally tournament-legal for two years. Meaning, that Pokemon is more than likely going to print more of those cards during that time period to help keep the cost of certain cards down, making them more accessible to the players that need them for their decks.
However, for us investors, reprints add more supply to the market. Because there is often no accompanying increase in demand for this supply, we see short-term pullbacks in the prices of sealed products like the booster box until that new supply has been chewed through by the market.
As a set gets older, and passes the 18-month mark, we should start considering these sets more closely as long-term investments, since they are less likely to get another reprint, meaning that with every passing day, there will be less supply on the open market.
Tip 5: Be patient
Like any type of investing, Pokemon wealth isn’t generated overnight. It takes time. Years. Once you understand this, everything else makes sense.