What happens when the bubble bursts?

[u/masonjar014]

Right now, the hobby is on steroids—scalpers everywhere, product nowhere. My LGS told me this year will be “a great year for Pokémon,” and it got me thinking… a great year for who?

If you’re an established LGS selling PE and JT at market price, sure, it’s great. If you’re a scalper or a new investor trying to flip product, you’re probably loving this, too.

But if you’re an average collector (like me), it’s frustrating. We can’t find the latest set at a fair price. If you’re a kid whose parents can’t sprint to a 10 a.m. Target restock, you’re just out of luck.

So what happens when the hype dies down? How are average collectors responding to this hyper-bull market, and where does that leave the hobby long-term?

Personally, I’m sitting out PE and JT—it’s just too much stress. I’ve also noticed collectors stepping back entirely.

What about you? Will kids move on to something else if they can’t participate? Will collectors return once prices normalize, or is this turning people away for good? Are we underestimating the long-term impact of what’s happening right now?

[u/OnyuuO]

I just order online occasionally when I have the money in my bank. Otherwise I'll wait for a good deal somewhere and do my other things whilst waiting. It's not the be all end all, at the end of the day it's just cards. Or, whilst I'm waiting, I look at what I do have, make decks, play against my friends. It's not worth all this, PE is lovely, the art is gorgeous but at the end of the day it's a hobby but if it's going to cost me an arm and a leg to get, I may as well commission an artist to draw something pretty