What’s Up with the Pokemon Card Shortage?
Remember back in 2016 when the world went nuts over a new mobile app called Pokemon Go? Well, Pokemon has made a resurgence in mainstream popularity once again. This time, it’s the cards, however. Fueled by the pandemic, there is in fact a Pokemon card shortage as many clamor to sell their cards on eBay. The demand is so great, in fact, that major retailers have halted their sales of the trading card game for fear of the safety of their staff.
With so much crazy demand, you might just be wondering: how much are your Pokemon cards worth?
Well, it depends. And while your Pokemon cards might be worth much more than other trading cards like Yu-Gi-Oh, it still is only a relatively few set of cards that bring in the big bucks.
What is Causing the Pokemon Card Shortage?
Again, the pandemic is partly to blame. When the world shut down and removed so many everyday distractions, many turned to a dizzying array of hobbies both new and old ranging from golf to building LEGO, doing home improvement, and beyond.
Trading, collecting and selling Pokemon Cards is just another fad that took hold during the pandemic. And it’s not hard to see why.
Many young adults (myself included) who were just children when the cards first debuted now have money, bank accounts, jobs and too much time on their hands. There is a nostalgic pull towards Pokemon, with many, many young adults having fond memories of opening up booster packs and trading cards with their friends on the playground.
However, there is an added element to Pokemon card collecting in 2021 that was not present back on the playground. Pokemon cards are worth money. And not just the old ones, either. While the oldest cards, and the first to be released, surely draw the biggest sums, even new and anticipated cards are selling for high amounts. Meanwhile, with an average value growth rate of 300-1000% year over year, those who don’t even have fond memories of the trading card game are taking stock of the cards (pardon the pun) as serious investment opportunity.
Just as there is a premium on scarce San Francisco based real estate, there’s also a premium on first edition, base set Pokemon cards. After all, there aren’t going to be any more of those cards printed ever again. Chances are these cards will continue to go up in value as more time passes.
How Much Are Your Pokemon Cards Worth?
Okay – so Pokemon cards are more valuable today than ever before. But just how much are they worth? Well, that depends on a number of factors. These are
Condition of the card.
Graded vs Ungraded
Shadowless vs Shadowed.
First edition vs unlimited edition.
Base set vs the Rest
Popularity of the card/Pokemon.
What Condition is Your Pokemon Card In?
Not surprisingly, the condition of your card will dictate largely how much it is worth. While there is some demand for Pokemon cards pretty much regardless of the condition, their value varies drastically between different grades.
For example, the Pokemon cards that sell for the highest amount are those certified mint condition. There just aren’t very many of those cards around. In fact, cards gotten directly out of the booster packs might not even have been in mint condition. After all, there was plenty of opportunity for their edges to be damaged or their surfaces to be scratched during transport and handling.
There just aren’t a lot of mint condition cards around anymore, making cards in this category very valuable.
To find out what condition your Pokemon card is in before you list it, take a look at this handy guide.
Are Your Pokemon Cards Graded?
During the pandemic, so many people were looking to get their cards graded that they literally overwhelmed the companies that offer grading. Now, grading Pokemon cards seems relatively new. Back when I was a teenager looking to pay for dates, I sold the majority of my Pokemon cards (many of which are worth many times more today than what I got out of them at the time). Back then, I don’t remember seeing a a lot of graded cards around.
Today, however, that’s changed. It’s very common to be browsing eBay and come across a professionally graded card.
Now, there is still a size able market for ungraded cards, but yeah – the biggest bucks are going to those graded cards, especially the ones rated a 10 or close to it. If you think you have a seriously valuable card on your hands and could benefit from that PSA grading, it might be worthwhile to check out how to get your card graded.
If your card is less valuable and/or not near mint condition or likely to be in the lower realm of Near Mint condition (a surprisingly large category), then you are probably fine just tapping into the ungraded card market.
Shadowless Cards are Rarer than their Counterparts
So this was news to me since getting back into Pokemon card trading just recently, but it turns out that the very first round of printed Pokemon cards did not have that handy shadow around the Pokemon art like the later cards did. That makes these cards especially valuable.
You might have heard about a certain Charizard card going for an insane amount of money. While normal base set Charizards are still worth a lot, shadowless propel that value upwards even farther. Check out this article to learn how to tell the difference.
First Edition Cards are Worth More than Unlimited Edition
First edition Pokemon cards are the first run of cards to be released – and they are by far the scarcest of all Pokemon cards and the most sought after. If, after reading this article, you consult your collection of old Pokemon cards and find a bunch of 1st editions, stock those away. They could be worth a lot of money, especially if we are talking about the original release of Pokemon cards. Which brings us to the next point.
Base Set Vs the Rest
Another thing to pay attention to is what set your Pokemon cards belong to. The Pokemon cards worth the most, and the ones garnering the majority of attention right now, belong to the Base Set. Basically, the Base Set is the first ever set of cards to be released. Of course, within that set there exist these different tiers of value – first edition, shadowless, and unlimited.
Beyond the base set, there was actually a second base set released, identified by this symbol on the card. While still valuable, these cards are considerably less valuable (at least at the moment) than the original base set.
If you are simply nostalgic for the trading card game and wouldn’t mind picking up a few cards for cheaper, then this might be the route for you to go. Also, base set II could very well be worth a lot of money some day. After all, cards that were worth 30 bucks back when I was selling them 10 years ago are wroth ten times that today. The same could be true for these base II cards.
The Demand of the Particular Pokemon and Card
Some Pokemon are just more popular than others, and the same goes for certain cards. For example, for whatever reason the Shining Gyarados Card (which is not even part of the base set or base set II but comes from a later expansion) is going for hundred of dollars. In fact, in mint condition the card is worth a whopping $10,000. Simple, near mint non first edition variations of this card are still going for hundred of dollars. Meanwhile, the original, base set Gyarados Unlimited is going for 18 bucks right now. Go figure? It all just has to do with demand.
Will the Pokemon Card Shortage End?
So after you look through your cards and find out that you only have a few first edition cards and that, over all, your collection isn’t worth as much as you thought, I do have some good news for you. I don’t think the value of Pokemon cards is likely to reduce drastically any time soon. So why not keep holding onto those cards?
Just like how housing in San Francisco has now become so scare that it’s going for ridiculous pricing, people eventually expand outwards, looking for the next best thing. Once all of the prices for first edition Pokemon cards are too outrageous for most normal folks to be interested in investing in, the price of those unlimited editions and later expansion cards will start to look more appealing.
Want to buy and sell card with me? Browse my eBay listings.
