Anything in sealed packs will eventually go up. Sooner or later the product gets opened and that's all you need for prices to rise. As long as packs are being opened sealed will do well. We are in the Golden age of Pokemon cards and most will miss out.

And if this trend has shown us anything, it’s that people generally want the new stuff. Five years from now, kids aren’t gonna be clamouring after the moonbreon from 2022.

Just found your channel, great video

100% though if kids can’t get the stuff at retail, the so-called intergenerational strength of this hobby category, the strength upon which the thesis of these so-called “investors” claims are based, will disappear. The frenzy and resulting inaccessibility now is killing the future value of this product as an “investment”

The Timmie’s are getting angry, but great video as usual 👏

Thanks for the video Shawn. Looking forward to more insight to collecting based on business and market trends.

I needed this video two/three weeks ago before I fomo'd and purchased a silly amount of Pokémon. Timmy move. I subscribed, though, to soak up some more knowledge. Thank you

Well said… as someone who really likes the Pokemon TCG as a collector I have found that the Pokemon Center ETB’s have pretty much been a gold mine for the last 2-3 years. But you are right it hasn’t been every set and there is definitely opportunity costs. Diversify and do what you like… and pray the world doesn’t crumble… lol

I went to my Costco and saw a mountain of those Pokémon cards that people are rizzing over, and just laughed.

I’m so glad I sold all my power or the force toys in early 00’s. It wasn’t worth much more than costs then and today you still see bins of unopened cards people are asking the same today. It was cool to have all up on the wall in high school but today… na…

Always appreciate your insights.

Super interesting. Vintage toys. Are they really an investment if the items degrade over time? I buy them with disposable income to enjoy having it.

That story read is a masterpiece example of how to deploy money. Also, I like your insight. I've done simular with my investing habits since 2019.

Sneaker market recently went through this. ALways was some stuff that never dropped in value, but most did, to where teh rescammers/scalpers are sitting on 30k debts and crying lmfao. It turned into b2b/rescammer to rescammer because actual enthusiasts and people wanting some shoes aren't going to spend that money this day and age let alone on shoes that are worthless when you wear them.

I take huge dumps

mate NOTHING in franchise collectibles is comparable to thje 26 year pokemon madness. pokemon did it right, every generation is ripping packs and into pokemon. every generation has its own nostalgia. cant be compared to other stuff like star wars or beanie babies. the generational aspekt and the time its going on makes it lindy

I worked in retail during Star Wars Episode 1's release. It was gross how much was being purchased and fought over. Does anyone today need a mint carded Naboo security guard? I have cases of that stuff, fortunately I bought returns that were long into clearance. Sadly, I still have cases of that stuff. I would rather have the ~$100 invested in any tech stock for 25 years. One guy even opened his own small retail store. Would hit all the retailers, cherry pick, pay retail, and then resell at 30% premium in his small store.

Star wars merch is not valuable today because disney destroyed the Ip. Nintendo are very different in that they are very protective of their IP & do not allow it to be over used.

Honestly, as an economics major, it's a massive red flag when people hoard stuff. Old Pokémon cards (which I casually collect circa 2003-2010 cards) are sought after in good conditions because THEY'RE IN SHORT SUPPLY. Hell if I had a time machine, I'd hoard my old Gen IV boosters but then would they be as valuable as they are today? We never thought about hoarding them, it was gambling for kids! You've said it before : there will be a larger than usual supply of toptier cards, video games or whatever. When there's hype and you're thinking "hey I bet I can make a few bucks" chances are you're going to be the poor bastard left holding the worthless overpriced junk after the hype dies...

Vax?

this might be blasphemy but when my younger brother gave me his collection of pokemon aprox 150 cards and asked me to sell it on internet i just threw it to the garbage BECAUSE it's just paper!!! my father is a good mechanic, pragmatic, fixing things like mvgyver, a practical man, and so i've been raised with a atheist normal approach to life with higher common sense than average. if you think about it from the point of view of a pet who will never appreciate the value of a picasso painting. it's just a object that has zero technology, zero useful. a radio on the other hand is something that works. last week there was a pokemon card in my front porch. it says knife cut. i hope it's just a coincidence, brought by the wind and not a creepy guy sendings riddles like the joker. maybe those hundred cards i threw had value, but i doubt it. the biggest value was when my brother was a kid and actually enjoyed that game for a while. and these are on spanish. it is hoarding, and as the acceptance of MINIMALISM it is sane to let it go, and see the truth. it is just paper, like the rest of paper in the trash bin. with some photos any can print. my cousin actually is working at a printer. it is cardboard. there is no magic in here, the only guy who earns is the maker of the cards because it is cheaper to make than toilet paper.

Some people dont have the same bank to start with.

Do you think vintage comic books will see price growth in 2025?

Regarding Pokemon what effect, if any, will the online Breaking business have or is it impossible to know since we have no past data?

I have to say I got back in sword and shield era, and I have to say I was hooked. Finally for once the art to the top chase cards have caught my attention (umbreon vmax, reyquaza vmax, giratina v) have stepped up their game, before it most of the mid era art felt soulless. Just like the stock market, most of them wont survive but a couple will and the top chases will be timeless and do great long term imo.

Soon as I heard invested in "Flesh and Blood" i knew it was a GG lol

What you haven’t considered is the new era of rip and shippers. There is only a finite amount of each set sealed and there are thousands of KZbinrs and streamers who need product everyday to rip and ship for customers. Imo you’re very wrong on the pokemon sealed product of modern era. Especially sets like evolving skies, fusion strike, team up and lost origin. You can pretty much add prismatic evolutions to that list as well bc the overall set value is already so high and yes I’m aware those card prices will drop but even if they drop by 50% the overall set value is still more than evolving skies

Pokemon is a form of gambling … it’s a gamble to get that rare secret art illustration…but if you keep the cards sealed unopened you will def make $$$ … my buddy gifted me a $25 gengar box from like 2018 and it’s worth about $250 today … I feel it will only continue to rise too

People like collecting flat items that are easy to store.

Bitcoin has been the best investment in the last decade. 100k currently

Go walking around Costco in full Pokemon clothing telling everyone you're wrong about Pokemon. Because Pokemon is not going anywhere!

If you are proven wrong you should wear Pokemon clothing. Pokemon Slides, Pickachu Cap, Pokemon T shirt and a Pokemon Watch. This is the internet and you need to show receipts.

Love your channel. Really awesome to hear a grounded voice when it comes to collectibles, especially TCGs. I’ve been speculating in this market, but I have my 401k maxed, HSA maxed, my kids 529s are taken care of, crypto that’s been held for 8 years (super lucky there), and we have a taxable investment account with passive index funds. The money I’m speculating with is truly extra. If we lost it, me and my family would be totally okay. So I’m doing this as a way to learn how these markets work because I find joy in these collectibles. I also love hunting for rare books when I travel :) Anyways, just commenting to say thank you. The hype train is real in the TCG world and it’s nice to have videos like these to keep me grounded and as objective as I can be.

Some points to consider. There was never a huge push to open those collectibles. The modern pokemon sets value is mostly in the chase. It has an entire gambling aspect everyone is missing.

Do you have an opinion on Zoids model kits as an investment?

Shawn, would love to hear your thoughts on vintage pulp comics from the 30's-50's

I was able to sell 50% of my sealed pokemon collection for ~400% profit. I was lucky enough to sell at/near the peak of the covid market. I did the same thing with vintage starwars collectibles between 2013-2016 I think the reason I've found success buying and selling collectibles is because I always approached collecting with an investor mindset. As a collector/investor it was easy to hold long term and enjoy my collection in the mean time. Couple that with knowing the market and the communities around collectibles, I was able to time things fairly well and earn good profit. Anyways, great video. Thought I'd share my experience in the collectibles market. Cheers fam.

Pokemon is building slot machines with a limited amount of pulls. I do agree that you need to have caution in times like this, but 10 years from now this stuff will not be next to worthless, especially because now the market has price memory of these things booming twice. Even if stuff drops 50% over the next 3 years, it will rebound stronger 5-7 years out.

With the rise of rip and ship pokemon it has been taken into another form of gambling. So as star wars was collectable. Pokemon is collectable, is playable in the trading card game, is used for gambling, and investing. A lot more upside to me than star wars

I just want to say that people have been saying “I don’t see these cards holding value in 5 years” for about 25 years now. The same people are currently telling you not to invest in crypto are the same people that have said this all my life. Star Wars ruined itself. I WAS a long term Star Wars fan. I used to collect everything Star Wars. Somehow, Star Wars managed to kill all of my enthusiasm. This is something pokemon never managed to do, and I was a bigger fan of Star Wars than pokemon. As long as pokemon doesn’t pull a bonehead, I think it’ll be fine. On a side note, you are somewhat right. I don’t think the current market is sustainable. It won’t crash, but it will diminish

You always drop these videos at such a great time while I'm trying to navigate these crazy times. Thank you for what you do

First video of yours I’ve seen; got yourself a new subscriber! I’ve definitely been one of those people sitting on quite a bit of Pokémon product purchased well below market, and I haven’t sold *enough* considering the hype rn. This video is definitely the push for me to take more profit off the table and funnel it directly into my business / index funds. Being involved in Pokémon investing, there is definitely some echo chamber thoughts rn of “don’t sell because it will be more valuable in the future” which I’m becoming more skeptical about.

Around 14:50 you said you hate Yugioh, why is that?

I remember when a financial advisor said put 10% of my check and continue until I max out and she was showing me the return and it seemed to simple . I was in my 20’s and now I much older snd I would have had close to a million$ with doing nothing . I didn’t at the time but have since. If you would just listen to him he it will show you way . Great contents 👍🏽

Always solid content to elicit a good discussion on this channel. My only critique was the case study. TBH someone who is hoarding a few thousand dollars of sealed product isn't going to provide you or anyone else material insight into this market. I've been shouting from the rooftops that Pokemon (in my opinion) will be one of the most influential collectible categories for years to come while being multi-faceted, specifically modern Pokemon. Respectfully, even you acknowledging it's likely going to be a "hot market" for the next few years is a departure from your prior "manufactured scarcity" comment. My credentials. I devote 100% of my time to only the Pokemon hobby outside a professional corporate job (with most of my money in market-based investments), with an incorporated Pokemon business that does well over six figures in eBay sales. Primarily, huge volume of raw cards that are graded at high margin. I have over six figures in sealed, six figures in vintage, and six figures in modern PSA slabs. I am not a short-term speculator, and what I've seen is that Pokemon has created a perfect cocktail for long-term growth and nostalgia. To be frank, I have extremely rare low pop vintage cards, and modern cards blow those classic cards away (in every category except rarity) - given each card is a mini piece of art by a talented artist, and the reason we have hype cycles with Pokemon is because they are a great an innovative company and the demand for the product is there. Granted, the latest sets and hype will die down. I have about 300 SWSH PSA 10 Alts, and 100+ S & V. These are long-term grading plays, I'm not concerned about short-term market fluctuation. Pokemon is the worlds largest IP based on a fantasy world that resonates with a large slice of the world, they have video games, pokemon go, pokemon pocket etc.. there are also the "breakers" going through sealed product, which makes sealed product more and more finite as time goes on. We also live in a gambling culture, modern sportscards = sports-betting, and opening packs of cards have an allure to people who want to scratch that gambler itch. Pokemon is the ONLY company that can print the product, so no - they have proven adept at preventing a junk wax scenario, and in this case they haven't printed enough for recent S & V sets - hence the scalping. Once sets are out of print they are out of print. Compare that to toys, or sealed video games... cool - you can buy multiples, the toys sit in the box, and you only play one copy of a video game, which you can get digitally now. You can also hoard lego sets, but again how many variations of a star wars spaceship can you make ($600 because we used a slightly different color pallete!). No comparison IMO. There are also many ways to profit from this hobby, grading, rip and ships, content creation, vintage, modern, singles, the list goes on. My two cents.

Gotta love when people just dismiss Shawn's advice. He has so much experience and knowledge, dishing us out the truth for free! Listen up folks, this man does not lie! Mad props on relevance and consistent message.

Pokémon cards and video games have been going strong and rising in value for almost 30 years. Not worried about it going anywhere anytime soon. The current bubble does have similarities to other collectible bubbles but there isn’t anything like Pokémon when it comes to collecting. I’m strictly a collector that has a ton of sealed and raw goods since I’ve been at it since 1999. I don’t plan to sell anytime soon because it’s a hobby for me, not an investment.

For me, the key factor is whether children are buying and using these cards in games. Basically, are the cards being enjoyed and damaged, or put away by the millions in cupboards, storage units, and vaults? If it's the latter, prices won't even beat inflation.

Hot take MTG is garbage IP completely ruined by an incompetent company that gives normal people & hot girls the icke. Everyone in the world loves Pokemon. Hot girls get Pokemon tatoos. You cannot comprehend demand. Star Wars is lame Disney ruined that IP & tarnished the legacy of original trilogy. Sealed Pokemon for the win for the most overproduced product in the world still an impossible to feed demand. Congratulations all nerds getting rich everytime Pokemon puts a hat on Pikachu or any other thing they do