OkJLUV recently uploaded this video talking about collector sentiment about the hobby.
Curious to hear your thoughts.
I collect what i like the look of and can afford. I dont care if its commons or rares.
TPCi will never win. Everyone just wants something to complain about.
If they make the card too scarce, then collectors complain (e.g., Chilling Pain, Evolving Cries, etc.).
If they make the card too plentiful, then collectors get bored (e.g., S/V era).
Pokémon is a hobby. Every collector should set goals, especially “realistic” goals. There is a reasonable budget for every collector. You don’t have to be a trophy collector or collect the “Umbreon Vmax” of the year every single year.
If you set unrealistic standards for yourself, of course you will lose interest. That happened to me last year and now I’ve taken a more approachable and healthy collecting relationship now and feel good about collecting Pokémon.
JLUV ends the video by saying…
“there’s a feeling that the good will and support of core fans, is well and truly gone.”
“…Core fans; those who collect for passion, who don’t care about the daily value movements. Collectors who just like the feeling of finding a cool looking card, or who relish in the thrill of finding obscure, unknown cards. Their ‘own’ version of the hunt.”
I consider E4 to be filled with “Core fans”. What do you guys think? Is the good will gone? Isn’t he being a bit melodramatic?
E4 is probably like 5-10% core fans. Most people in E4 are driven by the demand/price. If every Pokémon card was like $5 and it was all about just “collecting them all” I probably wouldn’t be in the hobby.
It is human nature to want what other people don’t have and I’m sure without social media, ig, or a platform like eBay to sell/flip cards there would be a lot less people on E4 (don’t witch hunt me ty).
Negative, reactionary, and sensationalized content performs better in media. Pokemon is obviously fine, but that won’t stop people from making videos like this, because it brings in the views.
Collector sentiment is fine. Investor sentiment is not.
I believe investors outnumber collectors which is why the overall sentiment isnt as good as a few years ago.
Yes
I think they are louder and more opinionated than regular collectors which gives the impression there are more of them than reality. It also makes the viewpoints of “everythings bad” pop up more.
I get the points being made and don’t necessarily disagree with them in general, but I also think the video is a little bit dramatic. Things are fine. This video almost completely applies to people who rip tons of modern and now don’t like to anymore. I think it’s presented a little disingenuously because churning through modern booster packs is like the tip of the iceberg of the hobby.
I am very engaged in the hobby and just choose to ignore modern unless it something I care about like the cheap alternate arts. Opening packs does nothing for me, and hasn’t for years. Nothing in this video impacts me as a collector because I choose to just not engage with that stuff.
Investors still exist in Pokémon? 
I know they mean this largely for modern set cards, but I think the delineation should have been more clear. Something like “Why modern pokemon cards stopped being fun” wouldve been a more appropriate title.
No one is complaining that collecting wotc or early nintendo psa 10’s isnt fun.
I don’t really feel like giving him a view but I’m still having a great time collecting. I took a solid break during the covid boom because I wasn’t having fun. I also stay away from poketubers and all the rip and flip content that we are surrounded by. One less poketuber is fine by me!
Yes and they are not happy😅
Seems like the Cabal’s work is paying off
I was curious which way the video would go. It doesn’t speak to my experience at all but I still feel the general sentiment of despondency.
I don’t think jluv is wrong in the assessment. It’s laid out very logically. But I just thinks he is only speaking to a specific slice of this hobby. It’s not a coincidence that 100% of the screenshots that are evidence of how people feel is coming from reddit.
Ironically the video itself makes me feel pretty out of touch with the main stream of this hobby. I don’t enjoy opening product so the pull rates or whatever mean nothing to me. It’s not about being anti-modern e4 cabal whatever either- i have bought plenty of modern singles when I enjoy the card enough. But this sentiment that I don’t understand or relate to the general vibe of the hobby does ruin the enjoyment for me.
It’s like a was a fish in a little lake and very suddenly millions of invasive species take over and the pH slowly changes to a point where I can barely survive in this habitat. It may be a loaded analogy but to be clear, there is no judgement. You can’t blame the new fish for just adapting better to the home they find themselves in. I’m just trying to capture the emotion.
I just can’t relate to the average collector anymore. This video is unintentionally a symptom of that. Whether it’s online spaces or irl events. There is like this background level noise of competition. It’s a race to compare the number of follows, etbs, autographs, trophies, dollars you own. To the point where the significance of the underlying cards themselves are eroded into just tools to pump your metrics. And the people you meet in this hobby are no longer friends by default. They are competition, out to get you at all times. You can run a community that saps up hours of your time daily, free of charge, constantly trying to improve it and still be called evil for it. What a fantastic hobby to be a part of.
I don’t think the jluv video is wrong. But just as I missed the tree from the forest with my expectation going into the video, I think jluv misses the forest for the trees. I really belive there is a strong burnout happening across the hobby. Everyone has their own personal reasons for feeling it, the video is one possible take. But i just think when the whole hobby is driving at full speed for multiple years in a row, eventually everyone crashes. Either that or I’m just projecting my own feelings. Feel free to disagree.
Now is definitely the hardest time to stay motivated. He did a great job highlighting the issues with modern sets. Prior era’s there was a more consistent tempo, you knew what to expect. Where now some sets have seemingly endless supply, but then japanese 151 feels like they only printed 151 pallets! 
Outside of the product itself, there is more noise and vitriol than ever. I think during the 2020 run up that noise was still largely focused on the cards and the hobby was more communal. Where today, its gone beyond. There are people in pokemon who probably couldn’t name 20 pokemon. There are people here who don’t even care whats on the cards, its purely an outlet for their ego/money.
Ultimately the product and community are equally disarrayed. What was once a humble collectible is now a mainstream brand and identity. This is probably the new norm. With that said, there are plenty of positives, you just have to work harder to maintain your passion. @lyleberr has the right focus, but you have to keep blinders on to preserve that perspective, where in the past that wasn’t as necessary.
If something isn’t fun any more. Stop. It’s the classic advice gamblers get for a reason.