Flippers, scalpers, and sellers. Oh my! 1 1

[The Nameless One]

There seems to be something of a misconception as to what exactly we are all doing here. I collect comics (say hi to Alan Moore in my profile pic) and, recently, pokerman cards. I operate on a limited budget (I made a chunk trading dogecoin lmao) and want to maximize my collection with said budget. I did my research, invested in the modern sets which I believe will hold value, and managed to get very lucky with my pulls

So, what is a flipper? I mean, I could have just sold my three Shiny Star V Marnie cards raw for around $1200 total (all prices are CDN). I decided to go the long route and get my cards properly evaluated, I spent $2400 on Shiny Star V and need to recoup my investment where a couple of high grade Marnie cards can pay that off. Big risk, however, the thing with Marnie is her value could have the rug pulled from under her at any moment. The recent English translation of Shiny Star V, Shining Fates, didn't print Marnie so that card is exclusive to Japanese sets. If she gets printed in English during the span of this grading process, the stock that card yields could plummet. Plus, character cards struggle maintaining relevance as new games come out and new character rosters take over. It's interesting because, currently, she is worth more than the Charizard VMAX, but that's temporary. Charizard is immortal, I imagine that card will fetch 2-4x in five years when the pokemon 30th anniversary strikes, so that's a card I hold. Each individual card is a stock, the stock market is crazy right now

The "free tendie" set to open and flip is the Japanese set, Dream League. Personally, I'm trying to complete the CHR (character rare) collection, they are beautiful cards. The doubles, secret rares/hyper rares, and pikachus are good to flip. The pikachu is a common and the recent graded sale went for $160. You tell me, why do I need seven pikachus exactly? I don't collect pikachu, however, I invest in pikachu because market trends dictate that pikachu is a hot ticket. I'm an outlier because I don't have a connection to charizards, pikachus, or Marnies (read: waifu cards), they aren't valuable cards to me. The reality is, this is a TRADING card game, so, those are cards I trade. What cards do I want? Mew and a smattering of water pokermans. Alright, I want full flexibility when it comes to my Mew purchases, surely in these covid ridden times I'm not trading cards at competitive events, so where do I shop. Ebay, largely, and there it's "cash rules everything around me, cream get the money, dolla dolla bill y'all".

Why be pretentious about it, I want what I want, I have what you want, so, let's trade. That's what this is all about, pokemon is predicated on trading. I have no idea what the people chirping on about flippers do with their money, time, and collection... that sounds like a privileged position to be in - I don't have extra money to throw at this, I literally have to make something out of nothing, I have to pull off the greatest trick in alchemy and render some shiny cardboard encapsulated in plastic into gold or my hobby will stagnate and die. So, you can start to understand the stress involved with, say, TATs and wondering if your Marnie is going to be worth it in wake of striking while the iron is hot. Investing is tough! Personally, I like opening product, I like evaluating it, I like thinking about what other people want and offering a fair price - this stuff takes time, money, and work and people are going on as if life's some fluffy mound of clouds. As if

 

[Bird]

20 minutes ago, The Nameless One said:

There seems to be something of a misconception as to what exactly we are all doing here

I like engaging others, and have been having fun with the trading card threads (as well as posting seriously in them), so I will give my thoughts on your post. I only quoted the first line, but will give some stream of consciousness on the whole post.

I think we are all doing many different things here. There is no singular reason to be here. Many here do not even use cgc services. 

I am a flipper of comic books. There is no shame in flipping.

I love the term flipping Marnies as shorthand for what some do. I saw someone, perhaps you perhaps someone else, use the phrase and I love it. I learned what a Marnie is too, well, at novice level at least.

So flip them Marnies! Get your Mew! But above all have fun. I apologize if any of MY fun has been perceived as being at your expense, or anyone else. I will not be aggressive to anyone, but I do poke the bear occasionally and this last 2 weeks has been some of the most fun I have had on these boards, evah!

So hello.

We are awaiting a new "go fist yourself" emoji that should come in handy. Maybe that is a non sequitur. I am not sure.

In the past the coin guys and the comic guys were all under the same roof. Then they were separated. I was surprised when cards were included under the same umbrella as comics, so mods don't say I didn't warn you! The cards posts echo numerous occasions when comic guys would explode, so many of us comic guys are treating this in a long line of incidents and not as a new thing. CGC screws the pooch occasionally too, and some react calmly and some don't. Since it is a message board that plays out in public, and can be entertaining. That is what we are all doing here I think, trying to have fun. As Giannis found out, one man's fun can be another man's insult.

so stop flipping you wig and keep flippin' dem Marnies. This place can be a trial by fire for sure (when I tell people I sell cgc many say it is too rough here) but it is all in good fun. Mostly. You'll get to know the occasional bad egg but most are in it to win it just like you.

And good luck with your cards.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Bird
I myself never consider a thread that I start "mine", once you post it belongs to the world

[Mephisto]

 

[Toybot]

My personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt(or the whole shaker, upto you).

 

The biggest reason those cards are worth what they are is because supply. Technically all cards are based on this.

But there's a difference between will never print again and slow production.

Pokemon already said they will finish 2 new factories in USA and start ramping up production this year.

I believe the value of these new cards, which are set to print in record numbers, are going to fall like a rock.

So will alot of other Pokemon cards since lets be honest, the fact that the new stuff is so expensive right now is affecting all Pokemon card pricing thus, the fall in their prices will affect them as well.

 

 Again, my personal opinion on these cards.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Toybot

[Bird]

5 minutes ago, Toybot said:

My personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt(or the whole shaker, upto you).

 

The biggest reason those cards are worth what they are is because supply. Technically all cards are based on this.

But there's a difference between will never print again and slow production.

Pokemon already said they will finish 2 new factories in USA and start ramping up production this year.

I believe the value of these new cards, which are set to continue printing in record numbers, are going to fall like a rock.

So will alot of other Pokemon cards since lets be honest, the fact that the new stuff is so expensive right now is affecting all Pokemon card pricing thus, the fall in their prices will affect them as well.

 

 Again, my personal opinion on these cards.

stop hatin' dude, we're flippin' Marnies here.

"insert 'go fist yourself' emoji"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeffro.]

I'm here because I'm an embittered old comic guy who hates on complaining card noobs

 

Spoiler

 

 

[vheflin]

15 minutes ago, Bird said:

stop hatin' dude, we're flippin' Marnies here.

"insert 'go fist yourself' emoji"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

revenge flip!

[The Nameless One]

3 hours ago, Bird said:

*snip*

 

 

Thank you so much for the kind post, I needed that, and cheers for the welcome. I just see "buzz words" from previous threads and my journalistic sense tingles, I like transcribing whatever it is I'm interested in. I get the trial by fire aspect of starting out in a forum, if I'm going to do anything about it it's provide the best content I can (while hopefully not digging too deep into the collective nerve). I hope my small sliver of experience provides some insight on what is going on and why people are on edge

[The Nameless One]

2 hours ago, Toybot said:

My personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt(or the whole shaker, upto you).

 

The biggest reason those cards are worth what they are is because supply. Technically all cards are based on this.

But there's a difference between will never print again and slow production.

Pokemon already said they will finish 2 new factories in USA and start ramping up production this year.

I believe the value of these new cards, which are set to print in record numbers, are going to fall like a rock.

So will alot of other Pokemon cards since lets be honest, the fact that the new stuff is so expensive right now is affecting all Pokemon card pricing thus, the fall in their prices will affect them as well.

 

 Again, my personal opinion on these cards.

It's a good opinion! There is absolutely a bubble period involved and, given the chatter, it will take about 15 months for the pokemon company to fully ramp things up. The pandemic is wild, the 25th Pokemon Anniversary is wild, these might be once in a lifetime trends. NA collecting is in an abysmal state, product is scarce, the card quality is horrid, and there are no tourneys to play our quality cards in (srsly, I've opened 5 NA booster boxes and got next to nothing worth grading, so excuse my subjective salt :p). Japanese product availability, however, is rock solid, I have had no trouble finding MSRP boxes of higher quality (for grading purposes) cards. This leads me to believe that the pokemon card market isn't as globally insane as one would think. The English Logan Paul influenced market is buck wild, yes, so I just avoid that spectrum altogether now, lesson learned. NA product is worth keeping sealed and I simply don't have the investment base to buy boxes and sit on them for five years until the 30th Anniversary hits and all of these cards which may temporarily go down will shoot up again, especially with the sets being collected now going out of print. Like, the fact I can get an out of print Dream League box for $120 is astonishing, it really screams that through the chaos people haven't quiiiiiiite figured out the trick to all of this. Ultimately, the bulk of my collection is for that magical 30th Anniversary. This period, to me, is "won't make that mistake again" in wake of not stocking up on older sets, now people are laser focused on dissecting this time period and evaluating the market trends which are rock solid - the zards, chus, and waifus and whatnot

The big speculation is what sets will the pokemon company reprint in wake of the shortages? Likely Vivid Voltage, so, the chonk rainbow pikachu chasers better be sweating, along with the people sitting on sealed VV product. Future sets will all print to capacity, that capacity has increased, thus the market is diluted. There will be more chase cards floating about, maybe the 30th anniversary lands with a total thud and all of the stock we've accumulated becomes commonplace. Another reason I go Japanese, they print to a smaller capacity and, thus, is not impacted by the growing NA supply. Time will tell, I don't have a crystal ball but this is at least my logic moving forward. Whatever helps me sleep at night! haha

Edited March 20, 2021 by The Nameless One

[TrayKnight]

Now this is what I'm talking about......education 

Thanks brothers...

Edited March 20, 2021 by TrayKnight

[The Nameless One]

Woof, got a Dream League box in the mail today and this is what I see when I opened it up. Nothing's safe! Dogs eating dogs! Everything is out to get me augugghghh, what happened to my precious sense of control! Whew, I can get a refund but what a waste of time, at least they left those delicious, pricy pikachus for me, . But, yeaaaaah, maybe avoid Amazon, particularly "ACCESS-JAPAN", for Japanese product and stick to the source. I've had very positive experiences with toysonejapan and they offer great prices, I just wanted *cough* my fix for the weekend *shifty eyes*. I'm a greedy greedy goblin and I want my gold!

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

5 hours ago, Bird said:

stop hatin' dude, we're flippin' Marnies here.

"insert 'go fist yourself' emoji"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Jeffro. said:

I'm here because I'm an embittered old comic guy who hates on complaining card noobs

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

4 hours ago, vheflin said:

revenge flip!

It's not Friday anymore.. 

 

 

 

 

 

See you next Friday! 

 

 

But as to The Nameless One.

This , like your last post in the other thread, are where it's at!

This gives a lot more information and detail as well as your own personal touches, experiences, as well as opinions.  Which always opens things up to conversation and good faith talks. These are the contributions that almost all of the boards enjoy. ( not that we don't enjoy the random drive by shoutings and a good roast. ) Still it is a wonderful collective community that enjoys sharing their own experiences, opinions, and knowledge.  We are never too old to learn something new. I welcome you to the boards and continue to look forward to seeing your posts. 

[Bird]

OP also took the time to write out his posts thoughtfully and honestly, so I too am glad to see him post more.

It seems that many of the people that were talking into their phones, or using text talk, in a frenzy last week are gone or on vacation. 

Looking at the card forum evolve is fun. It is like a movie where someone creates something whole cloth and it grows quickly and learns and evolves. There is a WTB post looking for a section to live in, a submissions tracking post, etc. It will be fun to watch boardies rise and unfortunately some will fall but it looks to have a healthy start here.

[Bird]

7 hours ago, The Nameless One said:

say hi to Alan Moore in my profile pic

Rorschach says "Hi Alan!"

Walt Simonson

Edited March 20, 2021 by Bird

[Ryan.]

9 hours ago, The Nameless One said:

There seems to be something of a misconception as to what exactly we are all doing here. I collect comics (say hi to Alan Moore in my profile pic) and, recently, pokerman cards. I operate on a limited budget (I made a chunk trading dogecoin lmao) and want to maximize my collection with said budget. I did my research, invested in the modern sets which I believe will hold value, and managed to get very lucky with my pulls

So, what is a flipper? I mean, I could have just sold my three Shiny Star V Marnie cards raw for around $1200 total (all prices are CDN). I decided to go the long route and get my cards properly evaluated, I spent $2400 on Shiny Star V and need to recoup my investment where a couple of high grade Marnie cards can pay that off. Big risk, however, the thing with Marnie is her value could have the rug pulled from under her at any moment. The recent English translation of Shiny Star V, Shining Fates, didn't print Marnie so that card is exclusive to Japanese sets. If she gets printed in English during the span of this grading process, the stock that card yields could plummet. Plus, character cards struggle maintaining relevance as new games come out and new character rosters take over. It's interesting because, currently, she is worth more than the Charizard VMAX, but that's temporary. Charizard is immortal, I imagine that card will fetch 2-4x in five years when the pokemon 30th anniversary strikes, so that's a card I hold. Each individual card is a stock, the stock market is crazy right now

The "free tendie" set to open and flip is the Japanese set, Dream League. Personally, I'm trying to complete the CHR (character rare) collection, they are beautiful cards. The doubles, secret rares/hyper rares, and pikachus are good to flip. The pikachu is a common and the recent graded sale went for $160. You tell me, why do I need seven pikachus exactly? I don't collect pikachu, however, I invest in pikachu because market trends dictate that pikachu is a hot ticket. I'm an outlier because I don't have a connection to charizards, pikachus, or Marnies (read: waifu cards), they aren't valuable cards to me. The reality is, this is a TRADING card game, so, those are cards I trade. What cards do I want? Mew and a smattering of water pokermans. Alright, I want full flexibility when it comes to my Mew purchases, surely in these covid ridden times I'm not trading cards at competitive events, so where do I shop. Ebay, largely, and there it's "cash rules everything around me, cream get the money, dolla dolla bill y'all".

Why be pretentious about it, I want what I want, I have what you want, so, let's trade. That's what this is all about, pokemon is predicated on trading. I have no idea what the people chirping on about flippers do with their money, time, and collection... that sounds like a privileged position to be in - I don't have extra money to throw at this, I literally have to make something out of nothing, I have to pull off the greatest trick in alchemy and render some shiny cardboard encapsulated in plastic into gold or my hobby will stagnate and die. So, you can start to understand the stress involved with, say, TATs and wondering if your Marnie is going to be worth it in wake of striking while the iron is hot. Investing is tough! Personally, I like opening product, I like evaluating it, I like thinking about what other people want and offering a fair price - this stuff takes time, money, and work and people are going on as if life's some fluffy mound of clouds. As if

 

 

[The Nameless One]

What a gorgeous picture, now that's a treasure! 

I need to clarify a few things in regards to Japanese boxes. Dream League is an outlier with the three guaranteed CHR (character rares) per box, otherwise sets will adhere to this guide: https://www.pokeguardian.com/guides/394057_japanese-sword-shield-pokemon-card-rarities-list

NA boxes are frustrating, to me, for several reasons. A) 10 cards and a code card packs, that's a lot of bulk, I prefer the 30 pack 5 card thing Japan has going on, so nice to open and deal with, but that's just me B) Card quality... nuff said, this greedy goblin wants 9s and 10s out of their investments, and C) No fixed pull rate and higher price per box! I've heard stories of people opening cases upon cases of Vivid Voltage looking for Chonk Rainbow Pikachu, Japanese sets introduce much tighter odds and, from my experience, I've yielded big returns out of opening - getting two secret rare+ cards in a single box feels amazing, and having one guaranteed means you won't walk away with nothing (My Japanese opens are a comfy investment thus far, the market has me chomping at the bit to get at it more). However, you have to do research, many sets are duds and simply don't have much objective collector value - modern pokemon might take 10-20 years to become relevant on the market so sets which lean heavily modern don't fare as well currently, right now it's a bunch of squirrely 90s kids getting their fix. The three "current" sets, in that I can still find them, which I find valuable are Remix Bout, Dream League, and Tag Bolt (Tag Volt?) - Remix Bout and Tag Bolt have fantastic old school pokemon, Dream League could objectively be the best bang for buck set of all time and is goooorgeous, such pretty cards. I also like Miracle Twin but that's for Mewtwo and Mew purposes, your mileage may vary

Then we have Shiny Star V, the current "High Class Pack". High class packs are ridiculously fun, those packs wallop you with hits (two regular rares, one v+ with chances at amazing rares, shiny vault rares, full arts, etc), but this is where I have to go, well, it miiiiiight be better to keep these sealed. I got tremendously lucky, and that luck is short term, those three Marnie cards are a loaded bet. My bottom end with those boxes could dwindle where keeping them sealed will see them shoot up from roughly 120 to 400 per box in a year or two. Tough gamble, be patient for guaranteed payoff or play the opening game which requires grading and whatnot. Well my mam never taught me no easy path so through the thick of it I go! 

My ultimate point is that Japanese seems to have a more fair system when it comes to collecting, the fixed odds are great, I feel thoroughly rewarded, and it's less bank breaking when I decide to go into a box. What are people spending $150 on Shining Fates Elite Trainer Boxes, that's like 10 packs, a bunch of bulk, and the cards in said pack are diminishing in value because the NA market bubble is already popping. Abandon ship!

[The Nameless One]

9 minutes ago, Ryan. said:

 

That image is a good headcanon for how I imagine the more, er, seasoned comic posters wandering into the TCG forum looking. The lawn chairs are over there, yes we'll go to the store to pick you up a copy of the new amazing fantasy #15 settle down now

[Ryan.]

17 minutes ago, The Nameless One said:

That image is a good headcanon for how I imagine the more, er, seasoned comic posters wandering into the TCG forum looking. The lawn chairs are over there, yes we'll go to the store to pick you up a copy of the new amazing fantasy #15 settle down now

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

23 minutes ago, The Nameless One said:

That image is a good headcanon for how I imagine the more, er, seasoned comic posters wandering into the TCG forum looking. The lawn chairs are over there, yes we'll go to the store to pick you up a copy of the new amazing fantasy #15 settle down now

And the new young crowd flowing in is more like. 

Nom sayn'?  

[The Nameless One]

Just now, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

And the new young crowd flowing in is more like. 

Nom sayn'?  

Just turn us face-tatted hypebeasts onto Alex Ross and you're gold, *AIR HORNS* You would NOT believe the man's... REALISM! This art is, like, art, man. I'm going to drop a cold 2 milly on some signed 'Rosses and really deck out my exposed brick walls in my cool Toronto highrise ya, peace to my 3 million subscribers go buy everything now