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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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
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- Stardust Trails
- EB-05 Heroines Edition vol.2
- Delta Reign
- OP-18 The Dominance of God
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