What are your thoughts about collectors that hoard certain high end cards? Is there a negative stigma associated with these types of collectors, or is generally considered acceptable? For a example, someone owning 10 psa 10 base 1st charizards, or 10 psa 10 goldstar charizards, or 15 psa 10 base 1st blastoise, etc.
Collectors collect for different reasons and different things appeal to different collectors. I do understand the appeal in collecting multiple copies of high end, hard to get cards but was wondering about the general communityās thoughts on that.
Iāll just state IMO, typically itās done to try and corner the market to raise the value of the cards they own. Iām sure plenty will disagree with that statement though.
Everyone should be entitled to collect whatever they want, and however many they want. Thereās no set rules anywhere and if someone thinks itās negative itās probably just jealousy. Work hard and you can have them too, if not then someone who does will have them instead.
Im no one to judge whatever a collector decides to collect. My goal is 1 single copy of the cards i seek; not more; but i know people hunting several Charizards; Eeveesā¦ even Psyducks, lolā¦ Let them be ::
Itās an open market for pieces of cardboard with ink. You donāt need any of this to survive. However people collect is entirely their choice.
Also for the negative people, where is this line in the sand? Can businesses not own multiple cards, boxes? They should stop their livelihood because they built a position on certain cards to survive? Iād rather have a reputable store or collector own multiple cards for continuity.
Even so, if a collector/flipper etc. wants to hoard cards to dominate/saturate or otherwise a market they can. Itās an open market and if someone has the ability to buy the cards they want first then so be it. Yes, for new collectors it may be a shame, but nothing comes easy and collecting can take years of searching to obtain one card. One just has to wait in line.
I dont have any problem with someone who has the means to own a significant chunk or all of a particular thing. If theyāre doing it to corner the market for their financial gain, good for their wallets. Hopefully they arenāt too greedy though! And if theyāre doing it cause they simply want to have a rad collection, cool for them too!
It might suck for those who aspire to have the particular item in question but thatās just how the cool breeze bloowwssss
I think itās just a different way of collecting, and awesome in its own way.
A collection is unique to yourself, and having multiple copies of a rare card is another way of showing your dedication to the hobby. I donāt think of it as hoarding, but more so that you like the card so much you donāt mind having multiple copies of the same thing. Furthermore, technically speaking, cards are not printing 100% identically so the variations may be noticeable to the ultimate collector too.
When I know someone has multiple copies of a really rare card, I donāt really think ādamn, that person is hoarding the supply from the rest of usā, but more that Iām in awe and think āwhat type of dedication and skill did they use to grab multiple copies of that card?ā
Why stop with multiple copies? Who is to decide who owns a single copy? There are 7 billion people in the world, and nowhere near that many charizards. There will never be enough supply to meet the demand. Even cards with 100,000 copies, that is still not 7 billion.
So by the same cynical logic: If you own 1 copy you are ātakingā it from someone else.
In reality, there is no taking. There are only owners and buyers. They are the only people who decide. Everything else is noise.
I get the gut reaction with respect to equity in this situation. I think what this issue really gets at is relative happiness/enjoyment. If there are 100 copies of a card, and one person owns 10, I understand that there is some sort of visceral reaction to that fact if you consider that that personās enjoyment from acquiring a 10th copy is likely much lower than somebody elseās from acquiring 1.
That said, I think itās important to remember that high-end Pokemon cards are pretty much the epitome of luxury goods. Nobody āneedsā them even in the most attenuated sense, so I donāt see anything particularly wrong with fairly acquiring as many as you want for any reason or no reason at all.
For 20 years Iāve been chasing Base Charizards in the best possible condition. Itās been a rewarding, and at times frustrating, journey. Going into it I knew I could never own all of them but after two decades I only amassed 10% which is a little disappointing.
Now, do I begrudge anybody in the 90%. Of course not. I totally understand them. They are me. Being jealous or a hater would take the fun out of my hard earned accomplishments.
When that first prerelease article came out in 1998 and declared you āGotta catch em allā, I took it to heart. I just didnāt realize it would be impossible;)
I can see why people might be mad about a certain card price increasing due to a few people buying as much as possible and restricting supply. However, it probably only bothers those still chasing the card in question. In which case you have to up your bid if thatās not an option then you need to find a seller who accepts āemotional dollarsā
:
if thatās not an option then you need to find a seller who accepts āemotional dollarsā