I always enjoy watching your videos. The other day I told my wife, who has been a teacher for 10 years, about your videos. She watched about 5 minutes and said “He must be a teacher.” 😂
Teachers can always recognize other teachers . . . for better or for worse. You better take care of her, we're in the trenches this time of the year! Thanks for the support and hope you have a great week!
Scalping/investing is the worst thing to happen to the hobby. I wish it was just how it was in the old days. Being able to buy stuff and just get cards because they look cool. I can't even buy stuff at a reasonable price 😂
Pokemon would go out of business without these people. Pokemon was on the backslide several times throughout the years relying on "Collectors" to collect. These products sat on shelf's for months and years at a time at some points. For MSRP. People who invest support card shops consistently, many buy a case of every set, even the shit ones. You wouldn't be upset with them for that, though. Investors are not the problem. It's the short term flippers and scalpers. People who are buying things they don't even want to sell it to someone else. I love my sealed collection. I wanted to collect it. I will keep it for many years before considering parting with some pieces to mainly further my enjoyment of the card hobby, I play 3 TCGs and rip packs frequently as well. Me buying 4 boxes of something is not the issues, it's the people buying 500 ETBs or booster bundles from somewhere like Walmart when their preorders pop up.
@FelixgreenYT i think you are mixing up what a collector and investor are though. I disagree with your premise that it is investors that are the ones consistently buying everything even the bad sets like you say. An investor won't buy those sets. Collectors will.
@@iamthehopefulromantic276 dude. You're talking to a self described investor/collector. I collect things that gain value over time, I love pokemon. I have played every game since I was a kid. I play the TCG in person. I have a collection worth $15000 that I paid only about $6000 for. I buy every set that comes out just like almost all of my buddies who do the same is because here's the magical secret cap. It all goes up. If you buy it, and keep it for 3-5 years it doesn't matter if it's shrouded fable, or battle styles, or anything else you think. It's when the scalpers and flippers come in and start trying to buy the entire stock of product that's meant to sustain everyone. Have you ever heard the quote "Buy when the market is fearful"? When nobody else will buy a stellar crown case for $300, we do. And then, when it's worth $100 a peice because the supply has dried up, people confuse us as some sort of bad guy. It's the scalpers, and short term flippers who really make it impossible for the majority of people to engage with the hobby
@@FelixgreenYTthis is absolutely not true. This is a game, not a stock market. Players kept the game alive, not investors. And it was never in danger of being discontinued. Up until Logan Paul opened his cards on stream, not many people cared. Investors are just long term scalpers, holding product that should go to players and charging each other hundreds of dollars for game pieces made of cardboard and ink. They have the same intrinsic value as a monopoly community chest card, but sure, treat them like an investment vehicle and ruin some kids day!
@@LastMemory015 There are multiple things that you said that are just factually wrong. The first being that the players kept this game alive. The players spend the least money in this hobby out of everyone you can put a meta deck together for like $40 worth of bulk. The collectors float the hobby. The people who buy the alt arts, float the hobby. The people who buy the stock that people don't want, float the hobby. I literally just explained to you my 25 year history with pokemon and to you I'm a scalper. Nothing I say will change your opinion. I put my money where my mouth is and support the brand by buying the products. Pokemon doesn't care if you sell the cards, trade them, or eat them.
I started adopting the behaviors listed here because I was scammed when purchasing some mtg cards a few years ago. I bought 2 copies of Blood Moon. One of which was fake, the other was altered (edges were colored). Since then I've been far more careful in assessing who I buy from and what I buy from them.
resealed packs is the scam im most afraid of. ive been away from the hobby from 13 years, and i just got back to learn this exists. for now, ive been shopping in stores on my city, where people normally gather around to trade, battle, etc. so i think it is safe. even tho buying locally costs from around 15 to 20% more than buying online, i think being around other people from the hobby and getting to chat and get out of the house for a while makes it worth it hehehe
Yeah, especially the infamous 'black dot' infestation on vintage cards. Cleaning is not the same as altering. As long as that is just that, not some kind of card bath lol.
Personally, I don't support any use of chemicals on cards. However, I agree that there is a hierarchy of acceptability when it comes to altering and cleaning. Ultimately, opinions will differ and that's ok.
@ Yeah, just use a soft fiber cloth (microfiber for example) and maybe very light touch of water on the cloth. I am not risking chemicals either discolouring or damaging the card in any way. I am already a bit scared of water and scratching lol
as a seller you are not secured by ebay, even if you are sending with tracking.... if the buyer says "it didnt arrive", he will always be right, even with tracking he can still say "it was empty" - i asked some ebay worker, cause i had trouble with some buyers, and this was his reply... at least in ebay germany, its the case - only if the same account does this multiple times, it will get banned (but until then, the scammer will create dozens of new accounts)
Im not sure if i lost my binders during carpet replacement and theyre just in a box in the garage. (Need to look again) but also someone might have just taken them out of my bag at the cards shop. Its wierd cause i dont think id have taken my digimom cards to the shop. I also got scammed from a fake tcg website when it looked like a sale was ending soon on thanksgiving morning. After i purchased it i saw the tcgplayer website was slightly off. I only spent 70$ but lesson learned
I always find tcg fans definitions of gambling interesting (as a tcg fan myself). TCG itself is inherently gambling so you cannot say you don't enjoy gambling if you enjoy TCG. Yes carnival style gimmicks on livestreams takes it to a different level and substantially lowers your odds, but it doesn't transform TCG into gambling since it already was gambling to begin with
I disagree, when you buy a pack you’re getting something for your money, it’s not like you lost the money and got nothing in return. Also some people actually play Pokémon TCG… the “trading card GAME” lol. You can also buy individual cards and not open any packs so not everyone is in it for the rush of opening a pack and finding something rare
@jonnahtron its still gambling. If you're opening packs just to open them because you like to, that's the same as playing the slots because you like to. Just because you get something physical in return with each pack it doesn't mean that it's immediately excluded as being gambling, it's just a different type of gambling. Even if you're able to stop at any time that just means you don't have a gambling addiction, not that you're not gambling. If you bought a pack to build your deck then your gambling on the chances you'll get the cards you need to complete it. Theres different levels of gambling and not being addicted doesn't change the fact it's still gambling. This excludes people who only buy singles/pre built decks you're right but my point still stands that TCG and ripping packs are inherently gambling
@@nicholashacault1965 idk why you’re bringing up addiction lol but I’m sorry I’m gonna have to disagree with you, just cause you don’t know what’s in the pack doesn’t mean it’s gambling. There’s a definition to words and I don’t think Pokémon fits that definition 🤷🏻♂️ it’s not that serious I just disagree with you
Great video in building awareness. Just knowing what to look out for allows you to dodge most scams. I partially disagree regarding proxies. As long as it's very clearly stated and does not look like an existing card. Some proxies are made by fans with their own, self made artwork for the card, and try to sell it as such for those interested, while making it very clear that is what they are doing. But yes, if they're trying to make it look like the original and ask high prices for it, it's clearly done with the intention of scamming. And that I despise. I most concerned about actual chemical tampering to "improve" the quality. As you mentioned there's no way to detect it :O.
That's fair. Technically, proxies and custom cards are trademark violations, and dangerous from a liability standpoint. Having said that, there are some very artistic creations out there that are clearly not trying to deceive people. I'm fine with those . . . in fact, some are really impressive.
This is very interesting. In my vlog I'm recording today and will be posted tomorrow morning, I talk about some single cards that I received yesterday in the mail which I purchased off TCGPlayer. In one package with 4 cards I received 3 cards I ordered but the 4th card was a different one in the set. I ordered the Water Type Paldean Tauros baby shiny from Paldean Fates and received the Fire Type Paldean Tauros instead. This could've been an honest mistake but I messaged the seller asking that they send the correct card or give me a partial refund. I'm waiting on a response since it's the weekend but still this kind of "mistake" has happened to me several times off TCGPlayer. Or the seller claims there was an "inventory" issue so they cancel the order but then relist it at a higher price. 🤦
I hate when I order a card on tcgplayer. The listing will say free shipping on orders over 20.00 . So say the card I'm buying is 19.00 . So I buy a 2.00 card from the seller also, so im over the 20.00 free shipping. They will cancel the 19.00 card & now I'm stuck with the 2.00 card I didn't really even need. So I end up paying shipping anyways, & get stuck with the 2.00 card. Smh
I have a critique but first I wanna say this video is exceptional well done. the only issue i take is that clearly labeled proxies aren't scams. some people just wanna play with their friends and don't wanna pay for a deck of official cards
Technically, they are still copyright violations made for profit. However, I agree with you. This was more directed at cards meant to deceive buyers into thinking they are authentic.
I have been indirectly scammed by purchasing repackaged blister pack which was sold at Target. Target purchased wholesale from their distributor, and resold a bad product that slipped through the cracks wherever it originated. It was a resealed booster pack and the crimping showed signs of inconsistency like silvering around the crimping marks which I assume someone heated something and pressed it back together. Basically bot much recourse considering it’s an opened product, and it was like $8 of time and gas going back to the Target.
I go to a card store in my area. I'm new to cards. The guy at the store buys them for 70 or 80 percent of what he can sell it for. Where do they get the selling price from? Perhaps a free app or website??
There's a bunch of different ones. PokeData.IO and TCGFish are a couple of my favorites for graded cards. TCG Player and eBay are both good for looking at recent sold listings.
Don't feel bad scam victims. I've been buying pokemon cards for years & I've been scammed a time or 2. It happens, we learn from it, we take chances again lol.
I always enjoy watching your videos. The other day I told my wife, who has been a teacher for 10 years, about your videos. She watched about 5 minutes and said “He must be a teacher.” 😂
Teachers can always recognize other teachers . . . for better or for worse. You better take care of her, we're in the trenches this time of the year! Thanks for the support and hope you have a great week!
Don't ever buy single loose packs.
Cap I’ve pulled all of my banger cards from single packs including the pikachu ex from surging sparks.
*from unvetted sellers, there's plenty of trustworthy lgs & online retailers
Scalping/investing is the worst thing to happen to the hobby. I wish it was just how it was in the old days. Being able to buy stuff and just get cards because they look cool. I can't even buy stuff at a reasonable price 😂
Pokemon would go out of business without these people. Pokemon was on the backslide several times throughout the years relying on "Collectors" to collect. These products sat on shelf's for months and years at a time at some points. For MSRP. People who invest support card shops consistently, many buy a case of every set, even the shit ones. You wouldn't be upset with them for that, though. Investors are not the problem. It's the short term flippers and scalpers. People who are buying things they don't even want to sell it to someone else. I love my sealed collection. I wanted to collect it. I will keep it for many years before considering parting with some pieces to mainly further my enjoyment of the card hobby, I play 3 TCGs and rip packs frequently as well. Me buying 4 boxes of something is not the issues, it's the people buying 500 ETBs or booster bundles from somewhere like Walmart when their preorders pop up.
@FelixgreenYT i think you are mixing up what a collector and investor are though. I disagree with your premise that it is investors that are the ones consistently buying everything even the bad sets like you say. An investor won't buy those sets. Collectors will.
@@iamthehopefulromantic276 dude. You're talking to a self described investor/collector. I collect things that gain value over time, I love pokemon. I have played every game since I was a kid. I play the TCG in person. I have a collection worth $15000 that I paid only about $6000 for. I buy every set that comes out just like almost all of my buddies who do the same is because here's the magical secret cap. It all goes up. If you buy it, and keep it for 3-5 years it doesn't matter if it's shrouded fable, or battle styles, or anything else you think. It's when the scalpers and flippers come in and start trying to buy the entire stock of product that's meant to sustain everyone. Have you ever heard the quote "Buy when the market is fearful"? When nobody else will buy a stellar crown case for $300, we do. And then, when it's worth $100 a peice because the supply has dried up, people confuse us as some sort of bad guy. It's the scalpers, and short term flippers who really make it impossible for the majority of people to engage with the hobby
@@FelixgreenYTthis is absolutely not true. This is a game, not a stock market. Players kept the game alive, not investors. And it was never in danger of being discontinued.
Up until Logan Paul opened his cards on stream, not many people cared. Investors are just long term scalpers, holding product that should go to players and charging each other hundreds of dollars for game pieces made of cardboard and ink. They have the same intrinsic value as a monopoly community chest card, but sure, treat them like an investment vehicle and ruin some kids day!
@@LastMemory015 There are multiple things that you said that are just factually wrong. The first being that the players kept this game alive. The players spend the least money in this hobby out of everyone you can put a meta deck together for like $40 worth of bulk. The collectors float the hobby. The people who buy the alt arts, float the hobby. The people who buy the stock that people don't want, float the hobby. I literally just explained to you my 25 year history with pokemon and to you I'm a scalper. Nothing I say will change your opinion. I put my money where my mouth is and support the brand by buying the products. Pokemon doesn't care if you sell the cards, trade them, or eat them.
Spending hundreds of dollars in pkmn packs is a scam! Pkmn company made it hard as fk to keep collectin
I started adopting the behaviors listed here because I was scammed when purchasing some mtg cards a few years ago.
I bought 2 copies of Blood Moon. One of which was fake, the other was altered (edges were colored). Since then I've been far more careful in assessing who I buy from and what I buy from them.
2:00 unforch eBay regularly favors scammers over the sellers. There's tons of vids showing it and how it's done.
resealed packs is the scam im most afraid of. ive been away from the hobby from 13 years, and i just got back to learn this exists. for now, ive been shopping in stores on my city, where people normally gather around to trade, battle, etc. so i think it is safe. even tho buying locally costs from around 15 to 20% more than buying online, i think being around other people from the hobby and getting to chat and get out of the house for a while makes it worth it hehehe
Thanks man. Very informative. I’m sure you’ve helped a lot of people with this one. Appreciate you.
If youre able to clean it without destruction of the card. Im cool with it. Trimming and inking tho. Kinda Fd
Yeah, especially the infamous 'black dot' infestation on vintage cards. Cleaning is not the same as altering. As long as that is just that, not some kind of card bath lol.
Personally, I don't support any use of chemicals on cards. However, I agree that there is a hierarchy of acceptability when it comes to altering and cleaning. Ultimately, opinions will differ and that's ok.
@ Yeah, just use a soft fiber cloth (microfiber for example) and maybe very light touch of water on the cloth. I am not risking chemicals either discolouring or damaging the card in any way. I am already a bit scared of water and scratching lol
as a seller you are not secured by ebay, even if you are sending with tracking.... if the buyer says "it didnt arrive", he will always be right, even with tracking he can still say "it was empty" - i asked some ebay worker, cause i had trouble with some buyers, and this was his reply... at least in ebay germany, its the case - only if the same account does this multiple times, it will get banned (but until then, the scammer will create dozens of new accounts)
excellent summaries and examples, very well presented.
I clean every single card I send out with a watered down window cleaner solutions, even bulk.
I'm not passing on 25 year old dirt.
Im not sure if i lost my binders during carpet replacement and theyre just in a box in the garage. (Need to look again) but also someone might have just taken them out of my bag at the cards shop. Its wierd cause i dont think id have taken my digimom cards to the shop. I also got scammed from a fake tcg website when it looked like a sale was ending soon on thanksgiving morning. After i purchased it i saw the tcgplayer website was slightly off. I only spent 70$ but lesson learned
no, the number 1 scam in the hobby is grading services
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Wow this was a great video i learned so much as i am just starting out with a pokemon shop. thank you for sharing. got my sub 😃
Happy to help and thanks for the support!
I always find tcg fans definitions of gambling interesting (as a tcg fan myself). TCG itself is inherently gambling so you cannot say you don't enjoy gambling if you enjoy TCG. Yes carnival style gimmicks on livestreams takes it to a different level and substantially lowers your odds, but it doesn't transform TCG into gambling since it already was gambling to begin with
I disagree, when you buy a pack you’re getting something for your money, it’s not like you lost the money and got nothing in return. Also some people actually play Pokémon TCG… the “trading card GAME” lol. You can also buy individual cards and not open any packs so not everyone is in it for the rush of opening a pack and finding something rare
@jonnahtron its still gambling. If you're opening packs just to open them because you like to, that's the same as playing the slots because you like to. Just because you get something physical in return with each pack it doesn't mean that it's immediately excluded as being gambling, it's just a different type of gambling. Even if you're able to stop at any time that just means you don't have a gambling addiction, not that you're not gambling. If you bought a pack to build your deck then your gambling on the chances you'll get the cards you need to complete it. Theres different levels of gambling and not being addicted doesn't change the fact it's still gambling. This excludes people who only buy singles/pre built decks you're right but my point still stands that TCG and ripping packs are inherently gambling
@@nicholashacault1965 idk why you’re bringing up addiction lol but I’m sorry I’m gonna have to disagree with you, just cause you don’t know what’s in the pack doesn’t mean it’s gambling. There’s a definition to words and I don’t think Pokémon fits that definition 🤷🏻♂️ it’s not that serious I just disagree with you
0:54 Nice...
Great video in building awareness. Just knowing what to look out for allows you to dodge most scams.
I partially disagree regarding proxies. As long as it's very clearly stated and does not look like an existing card. Some proxies are made by fans with their own, self made artwork for the card, and try to sell it as such for those interested, while making it very clear that is what they are doing.
But yes, if they're trying to make it look like the original and ask high prices for it, it's clearly done with the intention of scamming. And that I despise.
I most concerned about actual chemical tampering to "improve" the quality. As you mentioned there's no way to detect it :O.
That's fair. Technically, proxies and custom cards are trademark violations, and dangerous from a liability standpoint. Having said that, there are some very artistic creations out there that are clearly not trying to deceive people. I'm fine with those . . . in fact, some are really impressive.
Villains. Hate them.
Very educational
Yeah theyre wheighed packs online. Thats a scam
This is very interesting. In my vlog I'm recording today and will be posted tomorrow morning, I talk about some single cards that I received yesterday in the mail which I purchased off TCGPlayer. In one package with 4 cards I received 3 cards I ordered but the 4th card was a different one in the set. I ordered the Water Type Paldean Tauros baby shiny from Paldean Fates and received the Fire Type Paldean Tauros instead. This could've been an honest mistake but I messaged the seller asking that they send the correct card or give me a partial refund. I'm waiting on a response since it's the weekend but still this kind of "mistake" has happened to me several times off TCGPlayer. Or the seller claims there was an "inventory" issue so they cancel the order but then relist it at a higher price. 🤦
I hate when I order a card on tcgplayer. The listing will say free shipping on orders over 20.00 . So say the card I'm buying is 19.00 . So I buy a 2.00 card from the seller also, so im over the 20.00 free shipping. They will cancel the 19.00 card & now I'm stuck with the 2.00 card I didn't really even need. So I end up paying shipping anyways, & get stuck with the 2.00 card. Smh
For the algorithm🎉
I have a critique but first I wanna say this video is exceptional well done. the only issue i take is that clearly labeled proxies aren't scams. some people just wanna play with their friends and don't wanna pay for a deck of official cards
Technically, they are still copyright violations made for profit. However, I agree with you. This was more directed at cards meant to deceive buyers into thinking they are authentic.
I have been indirectly scammed by purchasing repackaged blister pack which was sold at Target. Target purchased wholesale from their distributor, and resold a bad product that slipped through the cracks wherever it originated.
It was a resealed booster pack and the crimping showed signs of inconsistency like silvering around the crimping marks which I assume someone heated something and pressed it back together. Basically bot much recourse considering it’s an opened product, and it was like $8 of time and gas going back to the Target.
lol Gi Joe yo :)
Used friends and family to bypass the fees and protection set in place to avoid scammers? Deserved all the scams
3rd
lol i see no 1st or 2nd . Not sure if your counting is right 🤣
@ 😆 i always post it if i have nothing to say and i support the channel. Any interaction pushes the video out more
@ but technically was the 3rd comment
Italian company Gedis, have buy a Collection and the pack inside is resiled
I go to a card store in my area. I'm new to cards. The guy at the store buys them for 70 or 80 percent of what he can sell it for. Where do they get the selling price from? Perhaps a free app or website??
There's a bunch of different ones. PokeData.IO and TCGFish are a couple of my favorites for graded cards. TCG Player and eBay are both good for looking at recent sold listings.
Don't feel bad scam victims. I've been buying pokemon cards for years & I've been scammed a time or 2. It happens, we learn from it, we take chances again lol.