Guides
Plain-English guides to buying sealed trading cards at a fair price: what things should cost, why they cost more, and how to avoid getting burned.
Looking for a particular set? Browse set guides
Featured guideBuying cards on live streamsHow live breaks, roulette and auctions work, where hosts get their product, what each platform's rules cover, and a checklist for before you bid.Buying safely
What to check before you pay: repacks, weighed packs and risky listings.
- 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium CollectionWhere to try for the 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection (Day or Night) at its $179.99 MSRP on November 6: Pokémon Center, Best Buy, Walmart drawings and the other big stores, and what to check before you pay.
- Japanese vs English PokémonHow Japanese packs and boxes differ, how Japanese sets line up with English ones, and why loose packs, especially Japanese ones, can be weighed.
- Chinese and Korean PokémonHow Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese Pokémon cards differ from English and Japanese, whether you can play them in US tournaments, how to check a box, and what an import costs with US duty.
- Card shows, conventions and pop-upsHow card shows, conventions and pop-up shops work for Pokémon, Lorcana, One Piece, Riftbound and Gundam: what each sells, the rules at recent events, and how to judge a table price, check sealed product and pay safely.
- Premium Bandai Chance to BuyHow Premium Bandai's Chance to Buy lottery works for One Piece and Gundam: the four steps and their timing, every lottery so far, the rules, and how to be ready.
- Pokémon Center invite codesHow Pokémon Center's emailed invitations work, what it says and doesn't say, what happened on October 5, and how it compares with Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon and Riot.
- Promo cardsHow promo cards have done over time in Pokémon, Lorcana and other games, every US McDonald's Pokémon promotion, what's reported for 2026, and where big stores are heading.
- Fake Japanese vintage Pokémon cardsThe tells that still give away good fakes of Japanese vintage holos, which home tests to skip, and how to buy and claim safely, with one collector's comparison credited.
- Getting the most out of free alertsWhat our free email alerts cover for each game, what to set up at Pokémon Center, Walmart, Premium Bandai and the Riot Merch Store before one arrives, and the Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook and phone settings that keep it from being missed.
- How to get a Best Buy invitationHow to get a Best Buy invitation for Pokémon cards: finding Best Buy's own offer behind the marketplace price, asking in the app, and what we know about being selected, with the Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box sale of October 19, 2026.
- Alexa for Shopping invite alertsHow to ask Alexa for Shopping to watch for Amazon invitations on Pokémon cards: where to find it, what to say, how to check the alert, and what we could and couldn't confirm as of October 20, 2026.
- Deck Crafter's CollectionWhat the Pokémon Deck Crafter's Collection: Meowth ex contains, its $9.99 MSRP and October 23, 2026 release, and four checks before you pay.
- Walmart drawings and Pokémon Center queuesHow Walmart's collectibles drawing and Pokémon Center's virtual queue work: how to enter or wait, what happens if you're picked or get in, what Walmart has charged against MSRP, and how to be ready.
- Bandai Official Shop lotteryHow Bandai's ONE PIECE CARD GAME Official Shops sell new releases by lottery: register for one shop, random selection, in-store purchase, the EB-05 and OP-18 record, and what Bandai has posted for Gundam and Naruto.
- Buying and selling sealed cards safelyWhat eBay, Mercari, Whatnot, PayPal and Zelle say they cover when you buy or sell sealed cards, what publishers have posted about fake product, and how to meet in person.
- Target's Pokémon drawingHow to enter Target's Pokémon card drawings on the product page: sign in, press Enter drawing before the close, what happens if you're selected, the prices we saw, and what Target hasn't said.
- Riftbound Worlds bundlesWhat is in Riot's T1 2025 Worlds Champion Player Bundle ($70) and Riftbound x Worlds 2026 Edition ($80), how the November 13 to 16 drawing works, and what Riot hasn't said.
- Delta Reign release weekHow Best Buy, Walmart and Dick's sold Delta Reign in release week, and what we saw at Pokémon Center.
- Costco Pokémon waiting roomWhat Costco's app screens showed during its November 13, 2026 Pokémon waiting room: the countdown page, the virtual queue, the 10-minute window, and what we haven't confirmed.
- Lorcana D23 CollectionWhat is in the 2026 D23 Collection ($99.99 MSRP), the three ways Ravensburger offered it, how an EQL drawing works, and what Ravensburger hasn't said.
Understanding prices
What sealed product should cost, and why it often costs more.
- Lorcana chase cardsThe three chase tiers, how rare they really are (Ravensburger publishes no odds), one foil slot per pack, and why buying the single beats opening boxes.
- Why sealed cards cost so muchHow print runs, release waves, reprints, bots and resellers set the price, why launch week is often the most expensive time to buy, and when waiting saves money.
- ReprintsWhat a reprint is in Pokémon, Lorcana, One Piece and Riftbound, what publishers have said about printing more, and dated price history around past reprint waves, including Sword & Shield sealed.
- Why One Piece costs more, and how to get it at MSRPWhy English boxes sell over the price on the box and sell out early, and how pre-orders, Release Events and Bandai's drawings get you one at MSRP.
Getting started
The words collectors use, how prereleases work, and how each game sells.
- Prerelease events explainedHow Pokémon, Lorcana and Riftbound prereleases work: this fall's dates, what's in each kit, what stores charge, and how to sign up and get a seat.
- Pokémon buying guideWhat a new Pokémon player should buy first, what Delta Reign contains and should cost, where you can buy at MSRP right now, and how to get an alert.
- Pokémon formats and card legalityWhat's legal in Standard, Expanded and Unlimited, where the regulation mark is, how rotation works, and how to check a card or sealed product before you buy it to play.
- The art of Pokémon cardsFind your favorite artists and build a collection around them: where the illustrator credit is printed, thirteen illustrators to explore, how to look closer at the artwork, and how to start with one page of favorites.
- One Piece buying guideWhat a new One Piece player should buy first, what EB-05 and OP-18 contain and should cost, where you can buy at MSRP right now, and how to get an alert.
- One Piece formats and blocksStandard vs Extra Regulation: which One Piece Card Game block numbers are legal now, which sets carry which number, what leaves Standard in April 2027, and how to check before you buy to play.
- Lorcana buying guideWhat a new Disney Lorcana player should buy first, what Hyperia City contains and costs, what is due next, where you can buy at MSRP right now, and how to get an alert.
- Lorcana formats and legal setsCore vs Infinity: which Disney Lorcana sets are legal in each format, how the yearly rotation works, and how to check a card or sealed product before you buy it to play.
- Riftbound buying guideWhat a new Riftbound player should buy first, what Radiance contains and should cost, where you can buy at MSRP right now, and how to get an alert.
- NARUTO CARD GAMEBandai's NARUTO CARD GAME: the June 2027 launch lineup, Demo Decks and demo events, dates, where it will be sold, Naruto cards that aren't this game, and what happened at Bandai's last two launches.
- Getting NARUTO CARD GAME earlyEvery way to play NARUTO CARD GAME or take cards home before the June 2027 launch, earliest first: convention tutorials and the CP-001 promo, the Bandai Card Games Fests, Premier Demo Events and Demo Decks.
- Gundam buying guideWhat a new Gundam Card Game player should buy first, what Stardust Trails contains and should cost, and how to buy at the price on the box.
- Gundam Card Game setsEvery Gundam Card Game booster set, starter deck and Premium Bandai product with its release date and MSRP, what's announced next, where it's sold and the reprint status.
- Collector glossaryOver 160 collector terms in plain English, from raw and comp to case hit and allocation, with why each matters when you buy.
Upcoming and recent
- Radiance
- Hyperia City
- Stardust Trails
- EB-05 Heroines Edition vol.2
- Delta Reign
- OP-18 The Dominance of God
- Legacy
- EB-06 Extra Booster
- Blazing Fist
- Into the Inkdark
- The Reckoning
Past releases
No set guide matches that name.