#kammuity

[nevinwebster]

MACHOKE 

[trainerkameo]

$85/1000

So I am a few days into my research into Pokemon and I have already realized a few assumptions that I made were wrong...  Firstly, the actually game is much simpler to play than when I first tried to play it in grade school and how closely it resembles the the Gameboy version of the game in terms of battle game play. 

Secondly, I figured that the the PTCGO codes would be undervalued by the local sellers and over valued by the PTCGO community. In fact it turns out that it is the inverse. The sellers of the codes in my local community seem to be tuned in that the codes has some value to those who demand. With that demand it allows them to sell codes for more than someone like myself would want to spend. For example, the roughly 58+ codes I bought for $15, might be worth $30 if I sell them individually at their values posts online, but depending on where you look, they could be worth less than I paid depending on how fast you want to unload the cards. 

Thirdly, there is a “rotation” of cards built into the TRG that forces players to remain involved in deck building to allow for tournament play. The rotation adds an element of hype within the Pokemon TCG community. This impacts the valuable of both physical cards value but also the value of the corresponding codes. 

UPDATE I spent $85 buying 1000+ Pokemon cards with the earliest being from 2014. From my research, if I am looking to collect cards, I need to be looking for cards from 2003 and earlier. However, after reviewing the cards that I bought, I can certainly make back the money by making booster packs to resell. If I sell 10 min packs for $10, I would make back my initial investment, but it would also let me test to see who is buying or if they are interested in buy because I believe the Pokemon “collectors” are still mostly kids these days, who don’t understand the game play or understand how the resell value. The value proposition of Pokemon for school children has not changed since I was in school; the value comes from the validation you get from others, rather than the actual market or game strategy value of the card. 

WHAT’S NEXT?

I am going to sort these cards and start to categorize them in a speadsheet to see what sort of dollars we are looking at for resell value and then begin bundling cards together for resell. I also want to create a deck for myself to play in person, so if I have the chance to play someone, I am ready. I am also going to keep playing the PTCGO to learn more about the community & engage in the forums around the game. For the $100 I am invested into Pokemon TCG, ahead in understanding the culture by forcing myself to research and learn more. I have found an interesting podcast about the card game called PTCG Radio that is very insightful into the enthusiasm around Pokemon.  Furthermore, I do want to research more into the Pokemon World Championships as I feel like I could develop the skills to compete if I focus on understanding Pokemon community.