When Should You Sell Your Pokémon Investments?

Pokémon collectors and investors love to talk about having a long-term mindset…

But what does that actually mean?

Certainly, anyone who held sealed booster boxes from the original WOTC era until today have made enormous returns on those products.

And, when I started collecting Pokémon cards again in 2020, that was my mindset:

I thought I was going to hold my sealed modern products for another 10 to 15 years or more.

But, as I've spent more time in the market, and studied more collectibles markets, I've realized the conventional wisdom about holding your Pokémon investments for the “long term” is completely wrong…

The amount of time you hold your investments doesn't matter.

It's true that the longer you're prepared to hold a Pokémon investment, the more likely you are to see it pay off. For example, there isn’t a single booster box of Pokémon cards that is 5 years old or older that is worth less than its original MSRP.

And, there are many examples of products around that age that are now worth many times more!

Anyone who bought these products during this time has benefited from holding it all these years…

But, that’s true today as we’re in the midst of a booming Pokémon market where all kinds of modern products are exploding in price.

And this is the key: the amount of time isn't the point…

The longer you hold your product only increases your likelihood that you’ll make it to the next market boom.

So, in today’s market, should you sell your Pokémon investments?

The answer is a resounding YES!

Because, choosing not to means that you are betting on the NEXT market boom sometime in the future.

And, as someone who decided NOT to sell into a market boom, I know this lesson all too well…

How I Missed Out On The Japanese Pokémon Boom

See: when I got back into Pokémon, I quickly realized I had a passion for Japanese products.

It started, because English products were caught up in a market boom, and Japanese products were a relatively affordable and accessible alternative.

And, I fell in love with them.

Before long, my investment priorities shifted from English to Japanese. In particular: I was convinced Eevee Heroes, the Japanese set that includes all the coveted Eeveelution alt arts from Evolving Skies, was the superior long-term investment.

It was already a hyped release, with booster boxes selling for 3-4 times their MSRP price.

But, as some reprints hit and the price stabilized at slightly lower levels, I started building my position.

I started building this position in early 2022 when this product was near its all-time low.

And, just over a year later in mid-2023, the Japanese market was in a boom, and Eevee Heroes booster boxes has tripled in price, to well over $500 a booster boxes on eBay.

But I didn’t sell.

For a couple reasons:

1. I loved these products, and

2. I have a long-term investing mindset and simply hadn’t held these booster boxes long enough.

I was committed to holding for 5+ years and expected huge payoffs over that time.

And, although a 3x return in just over 1 year was exceptional: it simply didn’t feel like enough.

But, since then, prices dropped. Not drastically… But from the highs of $550 to less than $400, where these boxes have mostly sat ever since. (These prices may be starting to rise again as the hype from the booming English market overflows into Japanese, but more time is needed to really understand what’s happening in the Japanese market at the moment…)

In hindsight, I wish I had sold part of my position into that booming Japanese market.

Because, since 2023, I’ve had to sit on the product and wait for the next boom in the Japanese market. And, even though the English market is now booming again, the Japanese market has been relatively flat, despite the popularity of Terastal Festival ex.

I do think the Japanese market will boom again: Pokémon is cyclical after all. But, the 2023 Japanese boom was a great time to capitalize on a sure thing, and I missed out.

It’s never a bad idea to sell into the hype.

This doesn’t mean you have to sell your entire position! But, I believe a booming market is a rare opportunity to cash in on your investments, or just sell duplicates from your collection to raise funds for future purchases.

Since 2016, we’ve seen a booming English Pokémon market every 4 years: 2016, 2020, and now 2024. Choosing NOT to sell into any of these markets forced you into an additional 4 year hold before your next prime selling opportunity.

So, be aware of this and take advantage of these markets when you can.

If you’ve been holding sealed English Pokémon products and have seen their prices rise drastically in the past few months: this is your chance.

As usual…

Thank you so much for reading the TCG Buyers Club newsletter.

My name’s Grey, I buy cardboard, and I make collecting and investing in Pokémon simple.

Cheers 🍻

P.S. My latest YouTube video asks the question: are Pokémon investors a problem? It’s more of an honest rant than usual and if you haven’t had a chance to watch I’m sure, as a subscriber to this newsletter, you’ll love it! Here’s the link to check it out.