Hi, I’m practically on my way to buy my first “TCG battle accademy” set. I would appreciate any pices of advice you have for me.
I don’t currently play or buy any TCG cards so this is just generic advice.
- Set limits on what you’re willing to buy/spend/etc.
Prices on this stuff can change with the wind and cards that are new, popular, or seeing competitive play will come at a premium. Most TCGs offer reprints of valuable cards in stuff like structure decks and starter packs. While not the flashiest cards you can buy they’ll get you the core parts of what you need to play.
- Think about how you might organize, store, and protect them now.
You’re probably going to end up with tons of bulk to store and rares to protect. There are plenty of options to do these things but figuring it out before your house is full of cards is best. Cards that are worth almost nothing now can suddenly skyrocket in price if the meta changes, so keeping them around and in good condition is a good idea.
- AVOID MYSTERY PRODUCTS
Almost every TCG has some repackaging company pushing “Mystery Box” or similar style products. These are almost always repackaged bulk of sets they had a hard time selling and junk cards from starter decks. They’re also targets of theft because they advertise rare cards and items so it isn’t uncommon to buy one only to discover stuff is missing when you get it home. Don’t fall for it.
Thanks, without of your post I would be very likely to by mystery box. All great advices.
No problem, glad to help!
The same goes for the repackaged cards you find, usually in blister packs, offering large amounts of cards for suspiciously cheap with the promise of a few guaranteed rares. Those products are almost always cards from structure decks that have been opened and had the most valuable cards removed. It isn’t uncommon to see products like this selling for MORE than the structure deck the cards are pulled from. There are all kinds of scammy products with repackaged cards and very few that are worth their asking price.
Hello,
I’m still very new to the hobby (literally discovered it last week), so not sure how valuable any of my advice is.
Seems like the general consensus among the hobby is that the prices are a bit crazy now, and that scalpers are scalping 24/7 to make sure you can’t get cards at a decent price.
I personally just order singles as I’m just interested in the art and not in the pulling aspect, especially in this context.
That’s very intersting. And a little worrying. Didn’t behavior like that almost kill comic?
I didn’t even know there was scalping in comics.
You see people with this amount of stuff, it’s stupid
Well, TBH I’m not 100% sure what scalping is in that context, but people made a lot of speculative buying without the accrual appreciation of the medium, and one day when they all tried to unpack it turned out it was worthless. When they stop buing, market was decimated.
Seems to be the same definition!
