Everyone at the game store keeps calling it 'value' when they really mean 'price'

I watched a guy trade away a mint condition Charizard for three modern chase cards last Saturday because he thought higher dollar amount equaled better value, and I had to bite my tongue since it's not my collection but aren't we supposed to be thinking about collectibility and scarcity instead of just what the current market says on TCGPlayer?

4 comments

4 Comments

west.richard25d ago

Bought a box of what I thought was vintage packs last week and it turned out to be a reprint set from 2016, so trust me nobody understands value worse than me. The whole "market price" thing makes people forget that a card's worth isn't just what some website says on a Tuesday afternoon. Seen too many folks trade away actual gems for a handful of flashy new cards that'll drop fifty percent in a month.

tessa_murray25d ago

See it a bit differently @nancyj11 - market price is just a snapshot, not the whole story, and people do get burned chasing it instead of knowing what they actually have.

williams.sage25d ago

That 2016 reprint set actually had a really limited print run, so some of those packs are worth more now than people realize. The foil versions from that set especially have held value better than a lot of the stuff coming out today. You're right that chasing market price usually leads to bad trades, but I'd argue that knowing the actual numbers helps you spot when something is undervalued. That shiny modern card Nancy traded probably has a real ceiling, but at least she checked before pulling the trigger. The trick is using market data as a tool, not a religion.

nancyj1125d ago

Oh come on, you're blaming "market price" for your own mistake? That's like saying the menu lied to you because you ordered the wrong thing. Websites track what people actually pay, not what you wish something was worth. I traded a shiny modern card last month that some guy swore would tank and it's actually gone up 20% since then. Reprints from 2016 might not be original vintage but they're still collectible and worth something to plenty of people.