How to Afford The Pokemon Tcg

Fireblast

Fireblast

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hi guys, This is just a thread for players who are having troubles affording the Pokemon Tcg, anyone have any tips on how they save for their cards or to flip your cards for price, while still being able to purchase others? With the increase in price for cards increasing, and packs now being 4-5$ a piece at most retail stores :headbang What is the best way to purchase your cards, while still being cost efficient? by the box? Singles? pack lots?

Everyone is welcome to share your hints and tips here! :D
 
In my experience, the best way to minimize the cost of pokemon is to sell your bulk cards. Troll & Toad and Pokecorner immediately come to mind, and I'm sure there are others which hopefully other people will post. Buying cards in bulk also is cheaper than buying only several packs at a time. Normally a pack of cards runs about $3.50 - $4.00, but if you buy a booster box your packs usually end up averaging at around $2.50 a piece. And any cards you don't want, just turn around and sell to one of these companies that buy bulk stuff (assuming they are on the store's buy list).
 
In terms of buying singles, Reshiphlosion and Stage 1 Rush can be pretty cheap: all of the main pokemon in Tyram are promos, DCE is a league promo and Cinccino is cheap. Saving up for a booster box is cheap as opposed to buying the same amount of packs. I've found you're more likely to pull what you need too.
 
In my opinion; it all depends on the format.

However, the best way I find to save is looking out for sales. You can still drop a good amount of money, and it may not seem like saving, but if there are many things on sale; go for it. I remember when Toys "R" Us had a sale over here, I spent at least $24 for over 8 packs worth + promos + more.
So you can get some good bang for your buck with those.

If you're just starting out, don't expect to get into the competitive scene too quickly.

Buy a deck that you like, with Pokemon you like, get in your comfort zone and get used to the way some of them play, or practice with a friend's deck. If you've got a preferred style of play, look for a deck you like that fits that style, slowly build upon that deck, constantly upgrading it. Over time, some cards may remain, or be switched with a similar one (Example: A new Escavalier comes out and you like it more than the Escavalier from your starter deck, replace it with whichever one you like better). It's a lot easier on you to get into the comfort zone when playing a game, because that way you have a lot more fun, and it's very easy on your wallet.
 
eBay. I sold what I got at the PR for a $60 profit, and still got a playset of Eviolite and N.

Whatever you do, do not buy booster packs unless they are insanely cheap.
 
It depends on what your goals are, I think. As a collector AND a player (or at least I plan on being a player soon...) , I usually end up buying boxes; you get a cheap price for packs compared to the MSRP, a good headway to getting a full set (I actually DID get a full set in the boxes I bought for BW and EP), and any competitive cards can get added to your decks. If I were just playing, I'd probably just buy/trade for singles.

Reselling bulk is a good way to get some money back for cards you may not want or need anymore. If you're looking to stay competitive, you can also trade older cards for newer ones, which could help keep you up-to-date with minimal cost.

If you do want to buy packs, buying booster boxes is probably the most economical way to do so. Prereleases are also a good buy, especially if you're in a position to sell/trade cards for profit while they're still scarce, and then you can buy them back up again after the set is out for a while and individual cards are cheaper. Buying tins and/or blister packs when they're on sale isn't bad if you want to spend less money in a single sitting; it's not going to be as cheap as a booster box per pack, but it'll still be cheaper than MSRP.
 
Three simple things:

1) Only ever buy singles. No boxes. No packs. Ever.

2) Borrow as many cards as you can from friends.

3) Win tournaments and sell all of the stuff you win.

You'll still lose money, of course, but nowhere near as much as if you don't follow these three tips.
 
Become a girl and let all the guys give you cards. No money spent.

Or borrow, that's always fun.
 
^Not to be stereotypical, but out of all the girls I've seen play this game (admittedly not a lot), I've only seen one who was attractive enough to give cards to. :p
 
Because I am a collector and a player, I buy packs most of the time, it can get a little price at times tough, so if you are just playing competitively it would be much cheaper to by singles instead of packs
 
Broken Pokemon EX said:
In my experience, the best way to minimize the cost of pokemon is to sell your bulk cards.
Click to expand...

How much does trollandtoad charge for shipping? (or do they pay?)
 
^99 cents for standard shipping of less than 100 single cards. I only buy from them and ebay; their prices and shipping time are pretty much unmatched.

SotH said:
Well, I get free cards, so I'm happy. xD
Click to expand...
Very good argument. :p
 
^bahahahahahaha

...My opinion may not mean a whole lot, as I haven't actually bought packs since Rising Rivals, but if you want to continue and keep up in the Pokemon TCG, I can see two options available:

~Buy singles. Honestly, I find that buying packs is really just a waste of time and there's no real guarantee you'll get what you want. Prereleases are nice though, as you're getting about $40 worth of stuff for only $25. The cost for each pack is an average of $3 or so, at least in my area, as opposed to the $4. Failing that, you can use the method I use:
~Staff a lot of tournaments. You get paid in packs (can vary anywhere from 6 packs to a whole box, depending on the event), and from there, you can trade for what you are lacking, since you will get a lot of cards, some of which you need and some of which you don't. This is how I've kept myself going this whole time.

either way, buying packs = not so much of a good idea
 
Most of the time i attend Pre-releases, sometimes buy tins/those special box things. And when the format shifts and i need cards.
I mostly buy them.
 
2) Borrow as many cards as you can from friends.


This si also really important. Borrowing a Tropical Beach from eevee will save me $100.
 
years ago buying Packs was the shiznit and today it still is, but not to the extent as it once was.

what is the staff tournaments or whatever? prereleases?
 
You can staff prereleases, Battle Roads, Cities...and sometimes the higher-up ones, if you get invited to do so.
It's not too much of a big deal.
 
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