Pokémon cards are everywhere. Literally. Most children’s bedrooms, most retail stores, everywhere online, and the list goes on. So buying Pokémon cards from the best places and in the best ways can be challenging.
The good news is, this article is here to help. Because there are so many options, you have a lot of ways to buy Pokémon cards according to what your goals are.
Are you a parent who is buying for their child who likes anything? Are you a serious collector looking to beef up their collection with some top notch cards and sets? Maybe you are a collector who is trying to get good value for what they pay for? I’ve got you covered on all of the above and more.
Shameless plug, if you would like to support the site, buy some cards through the link attached here!
So read on to find the best places to buy Pokémon cards.
Best Places to Buy Pokémon Cards For Kids
We’re going to start off the article assuming you are a parent who is buying for their child(ren). Let’s say that they are pretty young and like Pokémon but they really aren’t paying attention to the newest sets. They just like anything shiny.
In this case, most kids enjoy opening packs. There is such a good feeling when pulling a cool card yourself vs just buying them individually for them. In this case, you don’t need to go out of your way to find anything in particular, you can just grab whatever is in front of you. If this describes you and your kid(s), then my recommendation is..
Buying From Your Local Grocery Store / GameStop
Basically every grocery chain sells Pokémon cards. Walmart, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, so on and so forth. When your child isn’t picky, it’s usually best and easiest for you to just grab whatever is in front of you and available. And in this case, your grocery store is typically your path of least resistance.
Now, they don’t always keep stock available, which is why I also have GameStop on this option. GameStop tends to have a decent stock and will typically have a few different sets and packages for you to choose from. And since your child isn’t super picky, either of those options should have you covered.
Now, let’s assume your child is a little more particular. Let’s say they are looking for a particular set, tin, or something else. Then you will have to get a little more particular.
Buying From Your LCS (Local Card Store)
If you are in or near any sizeable city, it’s likely you have a game and card store somewhere within 25 minutes of you. These stores will typically have the best and most up-to-date stock as well as single cards available for purchase. This can make the trip more eventful for your child and give them a lot to look at and think about!
If you don’t have one close-by or are not willing to drive to one, then I have one other option for you.
Buying From eBay or Mercari
eBay and Mercari have a tremendous amount of Pokémon cards, packs, and collectibles for you to buy. Some of it will be new and unopened while others may be bundles or binders that someone is trying to sell.
If you child is looking for something particularly, these two options can be great ways to get them what they are looking for!
Don’t have kids or buying for another reason? Read on!
Best Places to Buy Pokémon Cards as a Collector
Let’s say you are now getting back into Pokémon or you are working to beef up and complete a collection. Once again, there are a lot of options out there and some are definitely better than others.
Let’s run through a few options.
Buying Pokémon Cards to Complete a Collection
Let’s say that you’re trying to complete a collection of a particular set. You maybe have some holos and a handful of non-holo common and uncommon that you need. Then let’s say that this will just live in a binder for you to enjoy.
I have one main recommendation for this, especially the common, uncommon, and non-holo rares.
TCG Player
TCGPlayer is an excellent website for picking up cards for relatively cheap. It also has an abundance of cards available at every condition you might be interested in.
Because of this, TCG Player is my first recommendation when trying to complete collections, and namely for common and uncommon cards. You can use it for holographic rare cards also, but most sellers don’t post pictures of the cards. Because of this, you don’t typically know exactly what you are getting.
So if you are picky and trying to get holo rare NM cards, you will find that the actual condition varies a LOT depending on who you buy from.
Fortunately, they do have a good return policy, but it doesn’t always make it worth the headache.
So, what should you use for your holo rare cards if not TCG Player?
Yes, I said and meant google. When looking for a particular rare card in a particular condition, google will be your best friend.
It can lead you to every website named so far in this article that has the card you are looking for. It might be eBay, Mercari, TCGPlayer, or a large number of others.
So yes, trust Google in this instance if that’s what you’re looking for. But let’s say you are a collector and you’re always trying to find the best deals?
Fear not faithful reader, I have a lot of recommendations below!
Best Places to Buy Cheap Sealed Pokémon Product
Now, there’s going to be a lot of recommendations below and I will list them from what I believe are the best options to the least favorable. I will also give reasons why I think that is the case.
I will also separate this into two sections. One for buying packs and sealed products, and one for buying individual cards or collections.
Last note. If you want to buy Pokémon cards for cheap, you’re going to have to put in time and work for it. Pokémon cards are an incredibly competitive market and most people will jump on a good deal if they see one. So it’s not always easy to do.
With that being said, let’s get to it!
Best Places to Buy Cheap Pokémon Tins, Packs, Booster Boxes, and Elite Trainer Boxes
Packaged Pokémon items are a completely different ballgame than trying to buy individual cards. For one, the more serious of collectors believe that BB’s (Booster Boxes) and ETBs (Elite Trainer Boxes) are the best investment of any Pokémon items.
A lot of people also just enjoy getting to open packs and pull something themselves rather than buying it. And I for one definitely can’t argue with that.
One caveat before we get into it though. Sealed product, especially Booster Boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes, will be tough to pick up for cheap. Because they are such a hot collectible item, ones that are priced well will typically fly off whatever platform they’re on.
So be aware that all of these will take time to accomplish if your goal is to get items for cheap.
That being said, what are the best places to pick up cheap sealed Pokémon items?
Grocery/Retail Stores
Grocery/retail stores are in my experience are the best and most consistent place to pick up cheap(er) sealed Pokémon items. They are accessible to everyone, they are everywhere, and I’ve seen them run deals on items that you don’t find anywhere else.
There are a few factors that make this more or less viable though. If you are shopping at major grocers and they are in densely populated areas, it will be harder to find good and cheap products. Those will typically sell out of stuff quickly and don’t keep it on the shelves long enough to run deals.
The more remote the location though and sometimes the more obscure the grocer/retailer, the less people are aware that they even carry Pokémon items and the more likely you are to get a deal. Most people are very aware that Wal-Mart and Target carry a lot of stuff so those tend to be picked off more than others.
Here is a small list of less known and/or local retailers that carry Pokémon cards that are worth checking out.
- Kroger
- Meijer
- Scheels
- Hobby Lobby
- Five Below
- Party City
- Walgreens + CVS
- Family Dollar / Dollar Tree / Dollar General
Now that you’ve got a few options there, let’s get to the next item on this list.
Facebook Marketplace / Facebook Pokémon Groups
Facebook Marketplace is like a local shop that people from your area sell on. It’s easy to work and has a pretty large Pokémon presence.
I recommend the Marketplace first over the Facebook groups mainly because Marketplace will typically have less competition. Add in the fact that you can meet up and you can usually work out a better deal since they are avoiding shipping costs and selling fees through that means.
If you’re not in a major market or city though, the pickings might be pretty slim. If that’s the case for you, then Facebook groups can work as well.
Last recommendation with this one. If you post in the groups that you are looking for sealed product, then you can get people who are willing to sell to come to you! This is a great way to draw in some options while on your search.
Read on for my final recommendation!
eBay Auctions
Not unlike the other two, eBay auctions will take time and effort to land some quality products for under market price. Fortunately, eBay is an incredibly large marketplace so it will likely have a lot of items you may be looking for coming through.
Unfortunately, eBay is an incredibly large marketplace (yes, I did say the same thing), which means that there will be lots of people online trying to do the same thing that you are. All three can be good options, but depending on where you are located, eBay might be the best option.
My recommendation with this one is to follow the postings you are interested in so that you get notified that the bid is about to end. If you are able, jump on in the last 20 seconds to place your highest bid. If you do this for every item you see, you can come out with some nice items at decent prices!
Those are my best recommendations for sealed product. If there’s any I missed or any you know of that are worth looking into, let me know in the comment section at the bottom!
Now that we’ve covered that, let’s jump into individual cards.
Best Places to Buy Cheap Individual Pokémon Cards
Buying individual Pokémon cards is a whole different ballgame than buying sealed product. For one, sealed product pricing will stay far flatter as everyone is betting on the same random pulls that the sealed product may have.
Pokémon cards however get their value from their condition and rarity. Once pulled, everyone can see what card it is and how much wear it has. From that point, the collector or seller will individually decide it’s worth based on those factors.
I’ll start by sharing the best places to buy cheap cards then give a few other tricks afterwards.
Mercari
Mercari is a great app with a good amount of product consistently moving through. I’ve personally had the most luck with this app and find that it’s built-in ability to negotiate pricing makes it one of the best options to pick up cheaper Pokémon cards.
Now, you do have to check it somewhat frequently as low-priced items do get sold very quickly. There are also scams that get run through the app that you should be aware of. Fret not though, the customer service and anti-scam measures in place are pretty good.
If you haven’t checked it out before, give it a try!
Facebook Marketplace + Facebook Groups
Yup, back to Facebook again. People who post to Facebook are usually pretty savvy and price their cards at or slightly above market. That being said, a lot of people post on both every day looking to offload their cards and collections and are willing to let them go for cheaper than stated originally.
When offering, figure out how they got the price and make sure that the quality of the card matches the pricing. Typically 80% of total is reasonable and some will drop down to 60% depending on the cards, their situation, or how many you will buy. Any lower than that and you’re getting into rip-off territory.
So do a browse every day or so to see what’s been posted. It does take some work but you can get some great Pokémon cards from them both for a solid deal!
eBay
Ah, eBay. It’s been in this article a few times already, and for good reason. eBay sells MILLIONS of items every single day, and Pokémon card sales have continued to jump up pretty significantly since 2020. So it’s no wonder it’s on this list as well.
Now, since eBay has an incredibly large selling market, it also has an incredibly large buyer market too. That is the main reason that this is 3rd on the list rather than 1st or 2nd.
Watching, bidding on, and being ready at the final minute of auctions takes some work. And while you can definitely get some cheaper items, it’s not always easy to do so because of the competition.
If you’ve never tried to pick up some cheap items from eBay though, start following some items and see what you come up with!
How to Buy Cheap Pokémon Slabs
Slabs or cards that are graded fall into a slightly different category from both sealed product and non-graded cards. And depending on the kind of collector you are, graded cards may be what you are after!
Graded cards have properties of both categories we’ve discussed. It is still an individual card, so it will sell based on the popularity, rarity, and grade of the card. Because it’s graded though, these cards will have a much more defined price than ungraded, more like sealed product.
If you are after graded cards, I would actually still recommend the three places that I did for individual cards as well. Mercari, Facebook, and eBay will still be your best bet in my experience to pick up some under-market slabs!
If you’ve found others, please feel free to let me know in the comment section below!
Other Strategies to Buy Cheap Pokémon Cards
All of the above apps are great places to buy cards from. There are a few ways in particular though to make sure you are getting a good deal for yourself while working within those apps.
They are-
Buying More Pokémon Cards Gets You Better Pricing
Buying a single card, especially a nice and/or rare one for under market will be incredibly difficult. There are too many pricing apps out there that tell people what the value is or could be, and people certainly price them appropriately to that.
So, buying big lots of cards, be it a binder, a collection, or otherwise, will allow you to get cards for cheaper typically than if you tried to buy them individually.
You also have to consider that if you want to sell cards, it takes a lot of work to part them out individually. Depending on where you sell them, you typically will have to take and post pictures, write up a description, then ship them out afterwards. All of that is a headache that people who want to sell collections are trying to avoid.
Long short then, the more you buy, the better the pricing you can get for your Pokémon cards!
Do Your Own Pricing Research Before Buying
This one should be somewhat self-explanatory, but it still needs to be said. Don’t take peoples pricing at face value. Everyone uses a different app or system that seemingly all have different prices.
If you don’t know where to start, I have another article that helps you to identify and price your collection. The short version though is that Pricecharting and eBay sold listings tend to be your best bet on finding what your collection may be worth.
For those that have TCG Player pricing, I would tell you to be very careful about moving forward, especially with vintage cards. The app tends to make it very appealing to say something is nicer than it actually is, which can bump the price tremendously.
So, do your own research. With that, you can go into deals with more confidence that you are getting a solid deal!
Throw Out Offers and Start Discussions with Sellers
Seemingly another simple one but this will give you an idea of how open the seller is to offloading their stuff and also how much wiggle room they may have.
If you find a lot or a card you’re interested in, do your pricing research and either ask if they are willing to negotiate, or come up with a price before starting the conversation.
80% of value, especially when buying lots, is usually pretty fair. If I’m a seller who goes through eBay, Mercari, or otherwise, I’ll be losing 10%-15%+ of my in pocket dollars because of selling fees. Then eliminate the need for me to ship a whole bunch of it and 80% can be a decent deal.
Going below 60-70% will be a tougher sell, especially if the collection is a nice one. It can also be a little insulting so it’s worth being careful of.
We’ve covered a lot of where to buy Pokémon cards. Let’s look at one more thing before bringing this article to a close.
Where NOT to Buy Pokémon Cards From
We went through a lot of solid options for buying Pokémon cards. Now it’s worth explaining a few that are not worth your time.
They are…
Amazon
Yes, I know Amazon is a big company. Yes, I know you may find something that looks interesting from it.
At the end of the day though, Amazon gets a lot of sellers who try to offload “packs” or “bundles” that don’t have nearly the card possibility of real Pokémon packs.
A lot of these sellers are opening packs, taking the rare cards, then just selling the bundle for more money than if you just bought the cards they were selling.
Can they be cheap? Sure. Can they be appreciated by kids who don’t really care what they get as long as it’s shiny? Yes. But part of the fun is pulling a COMPLETELY random group of cards, not one that has been picked through.
So if you choose to buy Pokémon cards though Amazon, I’d recommend sticking to the sealed product, not the makeshift packs you may find.
Etsy
Etsy is the literal home of fake (“proxy”) Pokémon cards. You will not find a real card on this website as almost everyone creates their own to sell.
If you think you are getting a real card for a good deal, look for the words proxy, custom, or personalized. If it says any of those, it isn’t a real Pokémon card.
If that’s what you’re looking for, have at it! If it’s not, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
AliExpress
AliExpress is a similar story to Etsy. You will only find fake Pokémon cards here rather than authentic ones.
If you want to buy something that you can collect, you can definitely get lookalikes for very cheap here. As a Pokémon card collector and fan, please do not buy them for your child if they are going to trade with friends. It can be incredibly hard to tell the difference and it can ruin the experience when a child finds out that a card isn’t real.
If you want to be able to spot fakes better, check out my other article explaining how to do just that!
Summary
Hopefully you found this article useful! If you are looking to sell off some cards, feel free to send an email to [email protected] with pictures and an asking price.
If I missed anything or if you have any comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the same email above!
Want to know the best ways to sell Pokémon cards? Look no further.
Curious what some of the best apps and websites are to value your collection? Check it out here.
Know what some of the most expensive Pikachu Pokémon cards are? See how many you can name before reading!
Thanks for reading!