Sadly I sold off 99% of my Pokemon collection a few years back - mostly due to college being so damn expensive! Well, I’m finally finished with college and have landed an AWESOME job
Anyway, I’d like to attempt to rebuild my collection. Back in the day I had nearly every WotC Set (1st Ed. and Unlimited) in NM/M Condition; I’m hoping to rebuild that collection again in the same condition. So, my question is… How?
which would be cheaper, start off by purchasing a few 1000-2000 card lots on eBay and sorting them out (re-selling the extra cards) or purchasing already completed sets in my desired condition? Since I currently only have 100 or so WotC cards remaining I think it may be cheaper to start off buying lots of cards rather than sets; however, what would you guys do?
Welcome back! A lot of us have been in your situation so let me offer some advice:
Buying complete sets may be the easiest way to complete your goal. If you find one seller with high quality cards, chances are there sets are also in high quality save for maybe a card or two. I bought a huge lot of EX sets awhile back from the same person. Everything was mint, identical condition and I bugged him for more sets on my list. Sure enough, I found many more mint cards. Always get copious pictures when you can.
One downside to buying sets is that many consider putting sets together to be more rewarding. I sort of agree, but some cards are just too rare to find individually (especially ADV/PCG).
@soulwind is bang on. While it may be cheaper to buy a complete set, it is much more fun to put it together yourself. I would buy some loose packs or something and open them up to get mint commons/uncommons/non-holo rares, then fill in the holes in your set by looking on eBay or speaking with collectors here, many of whom collect WOTC and would be more than eager to help you out.
Hi:-) Buy bulk collections, much cheaper and then sell what you dont need on ebay.Have a price you are willing to pay for complete sets in your desired condition and dont spend more.No need to rush and buy everything you want in a few months or so!
If you have the time then buy bulk for the fun of it to see what you get. A year ago last May I bought two near 8k card lots from TCA and another 8k card lot from a local and it took me roughly 3 days to organize each of those lots… and that was 3 days of doing just that (easily 7+ hours), but I had time because the college semester just ended and I had time off waiting for my summer job to start. Now I work full-time and there is honestly no way I would want to sit down counting cards for 7 hours after working a 40hour week desk job. That’s just me though.
My advice is to buy complete sets, but challenge yourself as well. For the sets that contain reverse holo cards: the 3 e-sets and legendary collection - try to complete the master set and buy the reverses individually. That way you mix it up and get best of both worlds! You’ll know what’s best for you though
Thanks for the advice guys! Quick update, I just ordered Unlimited Base Set, Jungle Set, and Fossil Set from what seems like an excellent seller on eBay (fingers crossed). Small start, but better than nothing!
It takes a lot of time and work to take that route.