For most people, including most in the TCG community, the word “investment” isn’t normally the first word that comes to mind when discussing TCG products. However, a few use TCG products such as single cards, packs, and boxes to make a profit by getting the most out of TCG card value. Today, investment-related ideas have become a significant part of the buying and selling of TCG products, and many savvy investors have made substantial financial gains from the products they’ve bought and subsequently sold.

TCG Card Value

For example, let’s consider the Magikarp & Wailord GX card from the seventh-generation Pokémon TCG set Tag Bolt [SM9]. This is what its price graph looks like (the red line is for PSA 10 copies; the blue line is for ungraded copies):

As can clearly be seen, the card experienced a massive jump in value in the first half of 2023, going from a little over US$250 per PSA 10 copy in January 2023 to over US$850 per PSA 10 copy in May of that year. As such, an investor who bought the card in January and sold it in May would’ve made a profit more than thrice over.

Essentially, that’s the gist of TCG investment—making use of TCG market knowledge when buying and selling cards or boxes in order to make money.

Although an often-overlooked part of the TCG sphere due to their smaller numbers compared to collectors and players, TCG investors now make up a significant chunk of the broader TCG community. In some ways, TCG investors also play important roles within the community.

Why Is TCG Seen as an Investment?

As is the case with any other investment, the end goal of TCG investment is, of course, to make as much money as possible. Since many in the TCG community own thousands of cards and dozens of boxes, there are ample opportunities for these people to use their collections as a means to rake in serious money.

However, there are other reasons why TCG products are an appealing investment vehicle. For example, many of these investors might have either grown up with one or more TCG franchises, been active collectors and/or players, or both. To them, TCG investment represents a method to monetize their passion and even recoup the losses incurred on their collection or tournament decks. Those who have been interested in TCG since childhood might also view the investment as a way to make money while at the same time indulging in nostalgia.

In addition, certain TCG items have seen sudden price spikes while others have experienced steady growth over an extended time period. As such, those who are able to take full advantage of this stand to possibly make a much greater profit than what they would’ve received had they invested the same outlay in traditional assets. Finally, some people might be interested in making money through investment but have little to no knowledge of, for example, cryptocurrency or the stock market. These same people, however, might be long-time TCG enthusiasts who have a thorough understanding of the TCG market. They can put their knowledge and experience to use by investing in TCG products.

TCG Card Value – Pokémon vs One Piece vs Yu-Gi-Oh

It should be noted that the price trajectory of a specific box or card is NOT tied to its respective TCG franchise. While it’s unquestionably true that the prospects of TCG investment are almost always highly positive due to its massive growth potential and global popularity, a card or box is not automatically a better investment choice purely by belonging to Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, or any other TCG franchise.

Risks Associated with TCG Investment

That being said, unlike traditional assets, the values of TCG products are often more volatile. Certain developments in the TCG world can cause a card’s value to swing sharply—whether positively or negatively—with almost immediate effect. While it’s true that this makes TCG products riskier investments than traditional assets, it also means that investors who have much knowledge and understanding of the TCG market can certainly set themselves up to make major profits.

Additionally, it’s always important for any TCG investor to be certain that the cards being bought or sold for investment purposes are genuine. Those who attempt to carry out transactions with counterfeit and/or fraudulent cards will in due time be found out. They will not only lose out on a great deal of profit, but their reputation among the TCG community will also be severely damaged.

Investing vs. Scalping

Speaking of ethics and TCG investment, any current or would-be TCG investors need to ensure that their investing habit doesn’t morph into the unethical practice of scalping. While both investing and scalping involve purchasing TCG products with the goal of eventually selling them to turn a profit, scalping involves the use of practices that while not illegal, are regarded as highly unethical and very much frowned upon by the TCG community.

Examples of practices associated with scalping include going to a store early specifically to clear out the entire stock of a certain TCG product, reselling a product at several times its true cost—particularly if done almost immediately after buying it, using bots to pre-order products in bulk, and ransacking physical stores in pursuit of as many copies of a particular TCG product as possible.

Sealed Box vs. Single Card Investment

Some TCG investors prefer to invest in sealed boxes while others prefer to do likewise with single cards. Each option has its pros and cons. With sealed box investment, returns tend to be more stable as in most instances, these items tend to gradually appreciate over time. By selecting the right sealed boxes to invest in and waiting until the right moment to sell them, it’s certainly possible to secure a profit of multiple times what was originally paid for the boxes.

With single cards, the risk is higher—but so are the rewards. Single cards’ values are often far more volatile than those of sealed boxes because market conditions are more likely to impact single cards’ values. As such, it’s possible to lose much more money by investing in single cards than in sealed boxes. However, by investing in cards that are exceptionally rare, have impressive illustrations, feature highly popular characters, are promotional cards, or ideally a combination thereof, and conducting ample market research beforehand, the financial gains made via single card investment can far outstrip those made through investing in sealed boxes.

It’s always important to cross-check across various websites—including right here on SNKRDUNK—to get a better understanding of which cards make the best investment picks at any given time. Most reputable TCG websites will provide each card’s and box’s price history over a given period of time; this helps investors analyze price trends.

According to the latest figures, these items’ prices are beginning to make major climbs and thus rank among the best TCG products to invest in right now:

Best TCG Products To Invest In Now

Latias: 1ED[PCG2 065/082](Expansion Pack “Clash of the Blue Sky”)

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Eevee wearing a poncho: PROMO[SM-P 141](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Pikachu Munch Exhibition: PROMO[SM-P 288](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Giratina V UR [186/196](Sword & Shield “Lost Origin”)

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Warm Pikachu: PROMO[XY-P 096/XY-P](XY-P Promotional cards)

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Venusaur EX SR :1ED [CP6 088/087](Concept Pack “Pokemon Card Game Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary”)

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Mimikyu Munch Exhibition: PROMO[SM-P 289](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Tauros GX HR[SM1M 070/060](Expansion Pack “Collection Moon”)

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The Role Investors Play in the TCG Community

Although they might not have started investing in TCG products in order to take on such a role, TCG investors do indeed fulfill an important role within the TCG community. Through their frequent investments, they indirectly inform the community about the values of cards and other TCG products. Their input helps other buyers—investors and non-investors alike—better understand which cards are likely to see price rises or falls, which cards will soon be in much demand, and which items are likely to become icons of the franchise and the star of even the most impressive collections.

Now, after having read all of that, perhaps you might have become inspired to try your hand at TCG investment and perhaps already have an idea of which cards or products you’d like to start with. If so, you can start by purchasing those TCG items from the SNKRDUNK app—you can be certain that every single one is worth the financial outlay.

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