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How to Start Collecting Pokémon Cards
Eight steps for anyone new to the hobby, from choosing what to collect to selling your first card. Each one links to the guide or tool that goes deeper.
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1. Decide what you collect. A focus keeps a collection yours.
Trying to own everything is the fastest way to spend a lot and enjoy it less. Most collectors pick one thread: a favourite Pokémon across every set, one set they want to complete, an illustrator whose art they love, or an era, such as the original 1999 to 2003 Wizards of the Coast sets.
Japanese cards are a collection of their own. Many sets came out in Japan first or only there, and many collectors like their print quality. You can mix languages, but decide on purpose: a Japanese card and its English version are separate cards with separate prices.
2. Set a budget, then buy singles. Packs are for fun, singles are for the card you want.
Decide what you spend in a month before you start, and keep to it. Opening packs is half the fun of the hobby, but a pack is a lottery: buying the exact card you want as a single almost always costs less than trying to pull it.
Before you buy anything sealed, check what the cards inside actually sell for. A chase card that sells for a lot pulls a whole set's prices up; most of the cards in a pack sell for very little.
3. Buy from places you can trust. Shops, shows and sellers with a record.
Local card shops and card shows let you see a card before you pay, which is the safest way to buy your first valuable one. Online, buy from sellers with a long history of good feedback, and pay with a method that has buyer protection. Never pay a stranger by bank transfer or as a friends and family payment.
Many collectors outside Japan buy Japanese cards through a proxy service, which buys from Japanese shops and ships to you.
4. Learn to spot a fake. Before you pay, not after.
Fakes are common, especially for popular Pokémon and vintage holos. Compare a card you're unsure of with one you know is real: the font, the colours, the texture of the surface and how much light passes through it. A price far below every other listing is a warning on its own.
Graded slabs get faked too. Check the certification number on the grading company's own website, and know what the right label looks like for the year it was graded.
5. Know what a card is worth. Sold prices, not asking prices.
A card is worth what it recently sold for, not what sellers are asking. Compare like with like: the same card, the same printing (first edition, unlimited, a reverse holo) and the same condition or grade. A PSA 10 and an ungraded copy of the same card can be many times apart.
Prices move with new sets, reprints and hype, so check close to the day you buy or sell.
6. Protect them from day one. A sleeve costs less than a crease.
Put every card worth keeping in a penny sleeve, and anything valuable in a toploader too. Binders are great for display; choose side-loading pockets and avoid ring binders, whose rings can dent the cards nearest them.
Keep cards away from sunlight, heat and damp. A cool, dry shelf is better than a drawer by a window or a garage.
7. Grade only when it pays. Most cards are worth more raw.
Grading puts a card in a sealed slab with a condition score from 1 to 10, from a company such as PSA, BGS or CGC. It costs money and time, so it only makes sense when the graded card would sell for clearly more than the raw card plus the fee. Check the centering and the corners before you send anything.
8. Sell when you're ready. Build a reputation first.
Buyers check a seller's feedback, and few will buy from an account with none. If you plan to sell on eBay, buy a few things there first, then start with a small batch of cheaper cards and ship them quickly and well packed. Feedback you get as a buyer counts toward your score, though careful buyers also check what you've sold.
Price from recent sold prices, photograph the front and the back of your own card, and put the exact card name, set, number and grade in the title. The BankTCG app can list up to 25 cards from your collection at once, with the titles and prices filled in.
Questions beginners ask
What Pokémon cards should a beginner collect?
Whatever you'd enjoy owning in ten years. Most collectors start with a favourite Pokémon, one set they want to complete, or the artwork of an illustrator they like. Starting with recent sets is easier on your budget than starting with vintage cards.
Should I buy packs or single cards?
Buy packs for the fun of opening them, and singles for the cards you actually want. A specific card is almost always cheaper bought on its own than pulled from packs.
How do I know what my Pokémon cards are worth?
Look at what the same card, printing and condition recently sold for, not at asking prices. You can search any card's price on BankTCG, or scan it with the free BankTCG app.
Are Japanese Pokémon cards worth collecting?
Yes, many collectors prefer them. They have their own sets and prices, separate from English cards, so decide whether you're collecting one language or both before you buy.
Should I get my Pokémon cards graded?
Only when the graded card would sell for clearly more than the raw card plus the grading fee. For most cards that isn't the case, so check before you send anything.
