Investing in Pokemon Cards (The Truth)

[@bullish3584]

If you enjoy the hobby and it increases in value, then great. Collections can absolutely be valuable, but the joy of your collection is worth more than the money. If you invest in Pokémon without the joy of the collecting, then you are just putting capitol in a high-risk volatile market.

[@orphancharmander1168]

Depends, all we need to do, iscut of the top of the Pokemon compagny, and get some new people in, the V cards was a horrible decision, the Black borders was ugly as hell 😬

[@bullish3584]

@Bugthesda Investments Fair enough, argue semantics. Point stands that if you are expecting another 1000% ROI off of sealed product, good luck. Every market in 2020 went crazy with the trillions of dollars dumped into the economy. They will all go through corrections. Unless by some miracle, our incompetent politicians can make modern monetary theory work. Everyone can spend their money however they please, but if it's your goal to solely invest in Pokémon for financial gain... well, if you lose your ass or don't make anything, I won't be feeling sorry for you.

[@Probasaur]

Very well said. 🍻

[@Burritoslay3r]

@@bullish3584 Alpha investments has entered the chat

[@jakedrada5574]

@Bugthesda Investments your statement is delusional

[@Cwilly315]

I thought about keeping stuff sealed but I don’t buy enough sealed stuff to really make a profit. So I learned my lesson to just open what I get or buy singles that I really want. It’s been fun and I love seeing my collection grow.

[@DannyPhantump]

I think that’s awesome

[@HeroBearKing]

Same, I’ve actually stopped collecting singles and moved onto exclusively collecting only slabs now.

[@exoespeon]

Louder for the people in the back selling pikachu V union box for $50+

[@cordellingram808]

While I'm in the same boat, I think I'm going to try my hardest to keep what I have sealed, sealed. I think it would be awesome to open them years down the road.

[@Dilemma009]

With how volatile the products are, you could buy 3 booster boxes and have a nice little payday. of coujrse as danny said, everyone in the community is keeping sealed.

[@cherrytinted_]

Pokemon investing in my opinion is really only viable if you actually like the cards. Unless you play/enjoy the cards genuinely it's a little harder to both want to keep up with the new and upcoming sets/know what fellow collectors enjoy! I think that at the end of the day, even if investing in it doesn't work out, I'd still have a bunch of cool cards to look at/open, and that makes me happy :)

[@wolfiek1610]

I really appreciate how you include and appreciate all in the hobby. You don’t throw shade or attack. You just appreciate and give your 100. Thanks.

[@JPumpkinKing]

Yep! That’s why I can’t stand people like Opossum, PokemonNerdKyle, and others who tear other content creators down. No wonder those losers have such small subscriber counts, and people like Leonhart, PokeRev, and others (who don’t mock others) have millions.

[@wolfiek1610]

@@JPumpkinKing but in Danny’s world of acknowledging and appreciating all in this hobby, he’d even give opposum and others their space. I like all the opposing views. I just appreciate some things more.

[@Drew-h3v]

I started playing Pokemon in 2009 with my kids. We took it all the way to the state finals. Incredible times of our lives and we all still love and open the packs.

[@Jeremy-bt8lo]

That’s nice! I started playing Pokémon in like 2010 by buying cards from this candy truck they came by my house a lot. I’m pretty sure they were fake since it was like a dollar a pack, but it still got me into Pokémon and made me wanna play the games on my ds. Glad to start playing Pokémon games again after the pandemic, like more than a decade later.

[@victormedina4559]

I just like collecting the cards. It's nostalgic for me and it's nice that as an adult I can afford the hobby unlike I was as a kid. Plus you gotta love the adrenaline rush when you pull something crazy. It is also nice to see some cards I have blow up in price even though I don't really plan on selling them. I don't usually pull the crazy chase cards but I have hope lol.

[@dylantedford2630]

This is completely mind blowing for someone who was out of the hobby between 2002 and 2021.... Mind Blown

[@mtv565]

The moral of the story is to be a BOTH collector and investor, I called it "collvestor". As collector, you collect what you like and when it raises in value, you're happy for it as an investor. Best of both worlds! Perfecto!

[@7yourdesires86]

This is me. I have a ton of sealed stuff (every sword and shield booster box and ETB for example) but im also a collector and love my master sets, singles and slabs collections. I have the best of both worlds

[@mtv565]

@@7yourdesires86 I collected much less than you. Only some blisters, only the top chase cards which I like, and some miscellaneous low-value non-chase cards but I like the artwork a lot.

[@7yourdesires86]

@@mtv565 each person has their own goals and collecting Pokemon caters for everyone which is great

[@Laraizo]

A+ perspective Danny, great points to remember. I often get caught up in “good deal” fomo and I’m going to use this video as a pseudo “bonk” meme when those Zards got me sweating.

[@lissmaher1977]

Man, I just love the way you keep it real and don’t sell hype. I’ve just started collecting and investing, and I’m really in it for the marathon - I’m loving every second but not opening some of the boxes is soooo hard sometimes lol.

[@CardLogia]

I really hope to be like you someday, opening and collecting cards, running a pokemon tcg shop and doing youtube, loving it.

[@Zoroarkcollector]

13:20 Food for thought: “I don’t think that Pokémon will ever get that amount of attention that it got during the pandemic” What if, we eventually, (long term, many many years down the line) have a phase of nostalgia reliving the Pokémon craze from the pandemic, and people go “oh yeahhh, I remember when people went crazy for Pokémon cards” then go crazy for Pokémon cards. Idk, lemme know your thoughts

[@247OnTheFly]

Once again, great research, great information, thank you

[@justinmalabanan8298]

So I just started buying PSA 10 1999 base set booster pack at 34 years old, so when I am an old grandpa, I can reminisce my youth and open up these packs and feel like a little kid again. :P

[@K40576]

ITs NosTalGiC tO mEe I just started collecting with celebration and my god the amount of times I see people say “nostalgic” holy cow. I grew up with a game boy and played Pokemon when it was in black and white and now as an adult it’s not the most nostalgic thing I can think of. During that time we actually went outside and played. All this nostalgia, go outside and play basketball or go ride your bike if you want some nostalgia

[@pastimegamin]

I think if anyone is considering keeping sealed product is wise to do so. Yes it requires patience, but if you enjoy Pokémon, and if u can afford buying multiple boxes at release, open a few and save a few you really can’t go wrong. Even if boxes tank to $80 a booster history shows us 5 years later that box can conservatively 4-5x. $150 or less spent today can be worth 2k 10 years later. If you have kids who want to go to college or just saving for even retirement. Setting a side 1 box per week that’s 52 a year is 520 boxes that’s a pretty nice nest egg if every box averaged out to be worth $350 a piece. Again history shows us that a box can hit $1,000-$2,000 range within a 10 year window so that average can be vastly under valued. U can probably get the same return in a retirement fund but we’re talking about enjoying a hobby with a financial twist and it totally makes sense

[@MartezJoe150]

Not necessarily opposed to this mindset but you can easily do the same kind of thing with stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc and see similar if not greater returns. No one should 100% throw their eggs in one basket of course, but I'd caution about putting that much in sealed without also allocating funds to less "sexy" investments.

[@PokeInvestingyt]

Cards are for fun, sealed is for investing.

[@monkey39128]

Yep. Sealed is king. Speculating on singles is gambling.

[@ObstagoonGuy]

@@monkey39128 Exactly, you can always convert sealed to singles, but that's a 1-way ticket

[@PokeBeardTCG]

Strongly disagree.

[@andrematias2430]

Totally agree. I like doing both :)

[@MamoswineBING]

​@@PokeBeardTCG explain? Bc its pretty obvious YOU'RE incorrect if u just look at data lmao

[@Nurse_amac1322]

Danny, you’re videos have helped me make better decisions when it comes to spending money on Pokémon. I truly appreciate you and this channel from the bottom of my heart. I’m not a big collector. My son and I have just started collecting when my dad passed in 2021 and we found a binder he had saved for my kiddo. Much love to you and the community ❤❤❤

[@samjomian3127]

One of your most important Videos. People need to understand this.

[@MikeJacobs313]

I love this hobby. Started in base back in the day, stopped after neo. Came back around xy base amd been hooked again since. Even though I'll be letting my sealed collection go soon to help prep with our triplets we have on the way, ill stay a part of this hobby forever! Will continue to rip packs, and will share the joy with my new 3 additions ☺

[@theoogabooganed414]

Congratulations and good luck 👍

[@angkaihsien6767]

congratulations :)

[@haruka3203]

I got started around when Lost Origin was new. The last time I did pokemon was back when base set was new. It is such a huge contrast between base set and Lost Origin time period, like my god, I had never expected this to turn out this way in 2023.

[@jeremyregh]

I’m in the same boat. I was in like 1st grade when base set came out and after not touching Pokémon cards since then I’m so lost 25 years later haha

[@gparkmoney]

Thank you for a more realistic view of what to expect with sealed boxes. Not everything can go to the moon and we can’t expect those prices to keep climbing like that forever.

[@thekingtauros]

Best video on the channel! Bravo, Phanny!

[@exoespeon]

I just love Pokémon in general. The anime, the cards, the plushies and the community! I never look to hard into value more then what I actually love. At the end of the day it’s YOUR collection. Not anyone else’s to tell you what to collect

[@Seelbro]

This was a great video. It's crazy looking back at the price points prepandemic. I remember picking up base set packs for like $15 a piece in 2018-2019 for a nostalgia kick

[@Playa566]

Wish I'd got back in 2018 ish instead during the boom.

[@PokeRetroFan]

You said it beautiully, buy and collect what you like. not only do you get to genuinely enjoy your cards etc but they will most likely gain value over time. win-win. Im collecting mostly vintage banned art cards, also gengars, gardevoirs, mewtwo etc. so much fun

[@CoinGoblin97]

Im just getting back into collecting cause I used to buy cards all the time when i was a kid, my goal in "investing" in cards is not to make huge gains, but to hold value while enjoying a piece of childhood excitement in my late 20s

[@_RiseAgainst]

I think sword and shield will hold its value, just because a lot of people will remember these sets as their first. But think 50% to 300% gain in value (if you paid msrp or less) is possible. Those gains sound good, but you have to store them correctly for decades. Edit: Sealed products!

[@Vsp712]

Every set that comes out can be considered someone's first pack

[@thederpster2911]

I agree, I looked at sun and moon boosterbox prices and on average they increased 3.7x within 3-5 years, with crimson the weak set and team up the best set(11x). Sword and Shield will do even better with trainer galeries and alt arts.

[@indicarlos]

I started collecting in 1999 as a child when pokemon cards were created,took a 19 year break and now I'm back I love the pokemon brand and the family this brand has created amongst all of us .

[@sam88wise22]

Money is ok to think about, but when it turns into greed, then it become a problem - Danny Phantump 2023

[@qtn88]

Amazing channel especially for the marketing/stats part to Pokémon. Not too many channels go in depth like this one 👍👍

[@irresponsible-cardboard]

I don't mind investing, selling, trading, etc. Whether you like it or not, it gives value to the collection you are able to obtain. I think what hurts the hobby more are when Scalpers (different than Investors, even short term investors) take advantage or cultivate FOMO culture in any collector niche.

[@Patches880]

This might be my favorite video so far from Danny.

[@_The_Jerk_Store]

Great perspective and the visuals were eye opening. I’ve had periods of nostalgia in the hobby and remember buying a few Fossil and Rocket boosters in 2016 for ~$8-$9 dollars at the time. I have to think we’re still in a period of inflated prices in vintage with some mean reversion to come. Also totally agree with your take on people expecting 10-20x on modern product. Enjoy what you buy and temper expectations on investing in sealed. Put true investment dollars into mutual funds/ETFs and take a few long shots in Pokémon sealed if you want to roll the dice.

[@michaelkrynski7793]

The thing I love most about Danny is his honesty! Ty friend :)

[@etrainfsb]

Your love and passion for Pokemon is so real I love it!!!

[@pokechef7006]

I was a collector and became a player over the last year , definitely enjoying it

[@TIAexperience]

I think it's best to do a bit of all 3; collect, invest and play

[@smr.trading.cards.]

Such an INSANE amount of perspective in this video... Thanks again for everything you do for the community Danny 🙌

[@natebercume9052]

I bought 6 sealed boosters of evolving at 140 and sold at 350 each all but 2 and opened one and kept one sealed I had a blast following the prices. Making the investment and being able to both open up product and make money is beautiful. As well as the community it’s only been a win win from anything you’ve ever told me yet and I can’t thank you enough.

[@natebercume9052]

I make very passive investments for long term savings funds for my kid one day he can choose to rip it all or sell it and see what he gets.

[@ultimatum.]

Whats absolutely wild, is based on Evolving Skies, you may have sold too early! They are approaching 1k a box. Keep the last one sealed

[@natebercume9052]

@@ultimatum. I can get 25 rn for 360 and every listing is for 430

[@ultimatum.]

@@natebercume9052 Well I would jump back in at 360 then. Isn't the data obvious? Up to you.

[@Voltron4ce]

Probably the most important video youve made so far Danny! Thank you!

[@ObstagoonGuy]

One addition to the price movement of old cards: most people who started playing Pokémon in 1999 were children with no own capital and only really hat the money to buy loads of cards and drive the price growth 15-20 years later.

[@Jawann21]

As a collector that enjoys completing master sets. This helps alot. Thanks Danny!

[@EasyCartoonDrawingTutorials]

This should be required viewing for all pokemon card collectors, and anyone thinking about joining the hobby.

[@Daenerys_Targaryen]

It’s nice to hear that I’m not the only one struggling to afford a lot of these items. Greed is getting out of control with Pokémon.

[@nevercold808]

Great vid, man. I collect simply because I enjoy the cards. It's hard to explain but they just make me happy.

[@CristianDiaz-im2du]

Danny, in my opinion this is one of the best videos you have ever done. People are under the impression that sealed product will go up in eternity and they are taking huge positions on sealed product like never before. While I agree it makes sense to buy one or two booster boxes at retail price for every set release and speculate on them, people are going overboard and buying multiple cases hoping to 5X their money. I am also very hesitate to trust all these booster box "collectors". In my opinion, people are mostly buying modern booster boxes because they think the prices will keep going up. At the end of day, please collect what you love and always try to look for value. The beauty about Pokemon is that there is 25+ years of beautiful cards and there are several eras where cards are undervalued in comparison to the modern sets.

[@pokebeaches1097]

I love seeing the excitement on my daughters face when we get a good card haha brings back memories of opening cards myself back in 1999. You have the realest content on KZbin man thank you for not charging us money for it lol

[@kazelt55]

I appreciate that you are putting things into perspective. It really helps see the bigger picture of where things are headed with the hobby :)

[@a-b0t633]

I'm not really sure where I'm going in terms of investing. More specifically, selling. I'm just 1 year into sealed collecting, and I want to sit on it a few more years. We want to buy a house and my personal collection could cover a down payment. But that's my childhood in those binders. I wish my sealed collection would explode overnight.

[@kingdavidkang]

Good video Danny. Collect what you like is the key

[@BCTvfx]

another great look at stuff from ya. I've also been tryina offload the majority of my sealed in favor of slabs and singles. They're just easier to store and move generally

[@Flowmaster925]

ima gona say, how kids are growing up today, will impact how they act when they are older. and the 50th anniversary will pop off again

[@pinarderio1]

Love it!!! ☺️ Great channel

[@pokebronxakaunclerico]

Amazing always family thumbs up 👍 keep up with the great work

[@ScytherStevesy]

I like having sealed stuff. If it goes up in price great, if not I’ll rip it. Im sure it will be really fun to open brilliant stars or evolving skies in 5-10 years and chase some alt arts and trainer galleries.

[@jedmumu]

it has been a minute! glad to see you're still doing great things for the community and I hope you can hit that 100k this year! thanks for the data talks!

[@EnochTheMuffin]

Great video. I have to explain this to everyone when I tell them that I collect. Nobody's getting rich quick off of flipping Pokemon cards. And if you could open sealed product and make a ton of profit by selling rare singles, then nobody would sell sealed product. It's just fun. It's a way for me to connect with my son, meet new people, play games, and get the dopamine rush of chasing cardboard to wrap in plastic.

[@yamairomaynard3857]

Love the video man good luck

[@knucklessplinters2404]

When ever I pull a really expensive card I'm like "wow that's so much money that's insane" and then I never sell it because of the memory of pulling it

[@svenmcthias]

I get a lot out of your videos from numbers to history. I like it... well I already "Liked" it. Thanks again

[@Huff19daddy]

My comment for the algorithm. Keep up the great work.

[@potendogamer]

Crazy to see what prices were for base set before the pandemic… definitely was severely underpriced… I feel like the amount of old sets like that being opened during the pandemic had to put a decent dent in sealed items from that era, as it doesn’t seem like holding sealed Pokémon product would have been a very common practice, until around the time of the pandemic… thanks for the info, Danny! The market has certainly changed in unprecedented ways!

[@deadshot244]

No it wasn’t underpriced it wasn’t until that turd logan paul put his fingerprints on pokemon tcg that these cards boomed in price if it weren’t for him Pokemon tcg wouldn’t even be close to how bad it is right now

[@a-b0t633]

It feels like we are in a different world from then. I didn't even think of my collection as an investment until the pandemic blew the prices up and I realized I was sitting on 5 figures worth of cards. I knew they got more expensive over time but that usually took several years. And they started out so much cheaper then.

[@kelm7908]

I’m fine waiting 20 years. If if they appreciate great if they don’t, I have some fun nostalgia to go through.

[@RedawNLIVE]

Well said Danny, great video man!

[@tdavis6887]

Pokemon as a hobby is definitely more mentally manageable if you have clear goals. It can be very overwhelming.

[@christopherondo6174]

I'm a collector first, and if it happens to make money in the future and I need some extra funds then great. If not then I just have my collection to enjoy

[@bythepowerofoa]

Another factor is the sheer amount of product being opened today also, it has to be at least 10 times what it was 5 years ago

[@dylantedford2630]

I started investing for real the past few months. It’s much more enjoyable than stocks and seems to return a higher profit lol. Thanks for all the insight!

[@7yourdesires86]

My favourite poketuber atm. Keeping it realistic. Great content yet again

[@sonofamerc]

I put up and item or two of sealed when I can. But not for me, for my sons when they turn around and wish they would’ve kept their collection the same way I did. The enjoyment for me is getting the pulls or buying the singles that I think are awesome, not what the market thinks. I keep sealed what I want, and open what I want. I heard if you do open, share with someone so I make crappy content for the maybe 2 people that do watch lol 😂

[@cremegg]

much agreed im a casual collector myself so i dont really look for investments and look more for enjotment.

[@2ssrs950]

I spent 2 grand this yr on pokemon because my son is now 3yrs old and I wanna open up these sets with him when he gets older and understands pokemon he's already into it I can't wait

[@RFseeker]

Excellent content. Just started following you and appreciate the advice, insight, and statistical figures.

[@rainbowsock2544]

Actually, opening and collecting Pokemon Cards brings me so much joy and peace in everyday life it became my drug. I was Pokemon fan for years before I even touched cards, then just like that, I got swallowed by it so quickly and I love it.

[@Ladybug622]

Danny! OMG you're awesome! I just started collecting and allowed myself to buy a few big priced items to enjoy, but for the long run as I collect this info I need! Thank you for not just sharing the hype and love for this hobby, but sharing the truth! So glad I found your channel!

[@DoubleTrouble41122]

Danny giving that dad advice that I not in love with hearing but need to hear.

[@Vintagetechnica]

Great as usual! 😄👍

[@dylanwilson652]

I have always have been collecting sealed product ; games , pez dispensers , funko pops and TCG's and from a storage aspect I find the TCG product is less space taken for a decent profit to add to my collection. My favorite thing is having a passion for a product because you love what platform it originates with before it is hit with the trendsetters who "discover" how awesome it is. Once scalpers sniff profit , it ruins the fun of it and for me becomes less desirable which saves me making a big money move that will possibly loss me money.

[@jesseswrestlingshow]

Great video!! I am glad you level set investment expectations. People going to lose their shirt if they are careful.

[@josephyang6900]

Great info mister and keep them coming

[@MisterStubstep]

Thank you for the history lesson. I think a lot of people are quick to forget what’s happened over the past 5-7 years

[@Poke_Skate]

I love Pokémon in all its forms and for me the kind of investment I enjoy is selling to buy more cards than my original budget would have allowed. I have made some bad decisions, but because it was 'extra' money or outside of the money I have put aside for cards I didn't lose my love of Pokémon just learnt some lessons. Thanks for the awesome content, all the effort you put into your videos shows through.

[@11Manidontcare]

I think you’re right, these items will never fall down to where they were, “a new market has been set”. Unfortunately I think a new market has been born too. I don’t think we will see the same level organic growth from before 2019. That was a different market. It will be very interesting to see what happens and honestly it is exciting.

[@Griffator]

It's wild to see how far Pokemon has come along since its conception. I am so excited to see what the future holds.

[@simsam17]

Great video, awesome info!

[@MohammedMuhiUddin]

I bought a gold star zard, base set zard, expedition zard, many other zards for a total of £140 on ebay bidding around 2015-2016. I sold the gold star around a year later for triple the price.

[@PootLoops]

I think investing is always part of the collecting hobby - my goal is to complete every set and I have a very late start, so collecting sealed product and trading/ selling for singles down the road gives me a lot more joy then just saving more money and only buying.

[@MrMuscleman1990]

Thank you Danny, I've been criticized and been told to get out of the hobby before by other collectors themselves and I'm just thankful for someone like you who understands that we all walk different paths and we all have different motives but the thread the connects us all is our love for Pokemon.

[@thederpster2911]

You do you, whichever path that is, don’t let people bully you out of that path my friend!

[@MrMuscleman1990]

@@thederpster2911 thank you bro. I appreciate you.

[@kennethscott4997]

I've just been value-buying singles online from local shops that offer free shipping. It's returned way better value than packs.

[@EnsignGarak]

Danny, your market analysis vids are pure gold! As someone with less than a year in the hobby, I just want to "invest" enough to build a collection and sell purchased product to create a "fund" from which I can purchase new product. I guess it's just a matter of that multiple that one is willing to take to make a sale. Recovering the original cost of product -plus- covering the fees to sell -plus- a little bit extra for that "fund" is what I am hoping to reach. Thanks again for all the graphs and discussion!

[@Poke_Geek]

Maybe not 10k but if you put a $100 evolving skies booster box in sealed for 5 years and now it's worth $1000 that's 10x

[@pokemaniacdavid]

I’m mostly just going along for the ride. Recently started making content just to help justify the money I’m blowing on random product haha. Not looking to make a return anytime soon, I just feel a lot of joy opening packs and interacting with the community. It’s very fulfilling in a cold silly world.

[@paulriley6962]

As always, the greatest insight

[@g1Tron]

I started a sealed collection a few months ago, but when I went to sell some stuff that appreciated in value I realized how illiquid it really is to invest in Pokémon. It's very difficult to move product as a single person rather than an established online store. Decided it was no longer worth it and will not be doing it going forward. I make substantially more money in other markets, and those assets are very easy to exchange for money.

[@Detigers1990]

Did you try Reddit? Super easy to sell really anything on there.

[@MidwestBoom]

Timmy

[@Detigers1990]

@@MidwestBoom lmao I’m not a shop Reddit is fine I don’t do high volume just for fun stuff

[@Profshorebreak]

Can’t wait for the video “The Big Short of Evolving Skies!”

[@Ilostmyairpod]

I see everything selling out in stores again. I’m even seeing people standing in line early for restocks. I think the 2020 hype is happening all over again. Im not ready for this lol

[@DannyPhantump]

Part of the problem is just supply keeps dropping. Reprints have disappeared and product releases have slowed tremendously.

[@headPokemon3126]

​@@DannyPhantump do you think it's an issue getting product they use to make the cards? Or is it them printing for china now? Idk. I hope they do the same thing they did last year and dump tons of boxes on stores out of nowhere. I heard itll be may before we hear about anything about reprints.

[@theoogabooganed414]

The same is happening in my area

[@flare31777]

@@headPokemon3126 I think the reason for not making reprints of SWSH sets is POKEMON Co wants to raise the base level of MSRP price of the new sets. If no reprints, the supply will not meet the demand and the price will keep growing and then it is justifiable to raise the MSRP price of the new sets. If it was normal to buy booster boxes for 55USD, this will be a new level to buy them for 100USD.

[@mikescardboard]

Love these insights and words of wisdom! Thank you!

[@brandonhogan4449]

I have "invested " quite a bit. I love it and it can be profitable. It's hard on the wallet, but I know I have a honey hole to fall back on of need be. Pokemon nerds are always buying, selling, flipping, trading and capitalizing on the products. As long as it's fun and it stays affordable in "your" budget. Then its a great hobby that has potential to make a few bucks from time to time.

[@A_Never_Me_Wez]

Love your content Phanny ❤