How to Collect Pokemon Cards

Pokemon cards build on the franchise's collecting and hording mentality. Some Pokemon cards are used to play a game while others are simply trading cards. It's easy to collect Pokemon cards, and a large stockpile can be worth a significant amount.

Instructions

Acquire Pokemon Cards for Fun and Profit

1. Set a budget for your Pokemon collection. Cards usually come in two different kinds of packs: large starter packs and smaller, less expensive, booster packs. You can build a huge collection over a few months and buy only a handful of packs each month.

2. Look for individual, plastic card sleeves or binder inserts to protect your Pokemon cards. If you want to play the game with your Pokemon, individual sleeves may work best for your deck, and you can keep the rest of your collection in a binder. Separate binders for each edition can help you to organize your Pokemon.

3. Figure out the cash value of your cards. Most hobby shops rely on published-price guides for Pokemon cards, and you can ask a store manager which monthly magazine provides the most accurate values. A Pokemon price guide may be much less expensive than a complete card-game guide.

4. Use the price guide to make fair trades with your friends. If you are a parent, you may wish to supervise your child's trading to be sure that both parties will be happy.

5. Shop online for those hard-to-find Pokemon cards. Use trusted online-auction sites and sellers to be sure that you don't get ripped off.

6. Sell your duplicate cards to help finance your Pokemon habits. Hobby stores will give you more money if you take a store credit instead of cash when you sell cards. It may be more profitable to list cards online if you have the time and patience.

Tips & Warnings

• Collect the rare editions. There are different editions of Pokemon cards, and some are only available in the nine-card booster packs. Card values can skyrocket after their editions go out of print.

• Go international. Some stores stock Japanese editions of Pokemon cards, and you may want to collect those as well. Art and editions sometimes vary by language.

• Don't pull out your collection at the wrong time. Pokemon cards have an appropriate time and place and are banned at some schools.

• Avoid online-trading deals because you often don't have a guarantee that you'll receive your cards.

• Put super-rare holographic cards and your favorites in hard cases to keep them from being bent by accident.