Help PTCGO Card Values Compared to the Real World

[Dravinator]

Hey guys, I am quite confused about pricing differences between physical and digital cards.

"Market Price" on tcgplayer.com for physical pricing reference:
ptcgoguide.com for digital pricing reference:

Shaymin EX: Regular Art: $9.87 OR 4.5 packs
Full Art: 0.76 OR 5 packs
Secret Rare: 4.19 OR 5 packs

M Charizard EX (Generations): 8.93 OR 0.5 packs

Zekrom (Gold): $54.96 OR 1.5 packs


Shaymin EX averages from about $9.87 to $14.19 in physical cards, which seems like a measly amount of coin beside M Charizard EX or the quite costly Zekrom. We then shift our focus toward the digital market, which flips the physical card prices entirely on their heads. Shaymin EX now retails for 4.5 to 5 packs, while M Charizard goes for nearly a tenth of that at 0.5 packs! Even the expensive golden Zekrom goes for less a third of the average Shaymin price at 1.5 packs!

What is the reason for this extreme change in the demographic of both markets? I originally inferred that it was because the ratio of collectors to players is higher in the real world than in the TCGO, but it seems like such a large change that it would be irrational for that to be the cause. Any insight would be quite helpful, as I am sure I am not the only one with this query. Thanks in advance!

 

[Otaku]

Do not assume you'll find a consistent ratio of generic packs to USD; they're two different beasts.

You've already allowed that PTCGO players may not be as collection oriented as the general Pokémon customer base. There are many other differences to consider. Just to name a few:

• Your price guides are not the same kind of price guide
• Your PTCGO price guide was last updated more than two months ago
  
• Packs and Theme Decks from any quarterly set are available - albeit it in a non-tradeable form - from the PTCGO in-game shop in perpetuity
• Other various in-game rewards
• PTCGO-exclusive Formats
• PTCGO-player preferences
• A general currency versus a game-specific one

I think most of those are self-explanatory. Yes, they can also push things either way; this is a complex matter!

 

[Dravinator]

Thanks for clearing that up, Otaku. I was quite confused about the difference, but now I am aware it is because different variables take place in both card markets.

 

[OU7C4ST]

Feel free to join my Discord. We have a bot that scans all public trades, and spits out what the highest bidding price, and lowest asking prices are for any specific card you look up. Much better than a price guide nowadays as this is constantly checking current traded that are listed. So you can see things in real time!

 

[Scoop]

What is the reason for this extreme change in the demographic of both markets? I originally inferred that it was because the ratio of collectors to players is higher in the real world than in the TCGO, but it seems like such a large change that it would be irrational for that to be the cause. Any insight would be quite helpful, as I am sure I am not the only one with this query. Thanks in advance!

This is pretty much the reason. Most people playing PTCGO are looking for cards they need for their decks, and thus, because the demand for said cards is much higher than a random collectible card that has no competitive value. Because there's no real use for a M Charizard-EX in a deck, it doesn't have demand, whereas in the real world, a collector has use for that card's physical copy.

Now, this isn't to say PTCGO doesn't have any collectors out there, I was one myself a few years back during the peak of the Legacy Format (Which I miss GREATLY and think its lack of support actually did harm to the collecting scene on that game by making HS-era cards harder and harder to obtain since then). There are some items that do have a little bit of demand to them based on scarcity alone.

It's very nuanced despite all this and I think @Otaku explains it really well. I know I didn't explain things all that well, I'm sorry for doing such, but I hope this helps.