Dear Abby: Relationship Advice for your Card Collection

thecardpletionist
September 20, 2017
0 Comments

In the course of browsing one of the many TCG forums on the internet, it’s pretty common to see a post by a new or returning collector expressing dissatisfaction with their new hobby. These posts range from “I think I’m spending too much on cards” to more general expressions about how card collecting no longer leaves them feeling fulfilled. Growing pains like these are a natural part of any relationship and, believe it or not, your relationship with your card collection mirrors a romantic relationship in a lot ways. New collectors, like a new couple, are full of vigor and energy, completely smitten with their new hobby. Maybe they saw an attractive booster pack at a Target or Wal-Mart and, remembering fondly their younger days in the throes of Pokemon fever, decide to take it home and unwrap it (pro-tip: always use protection, sleeve your cards). One pack leads to another which leads to another which leads to a new and exciting relationship with the Pokemon TCG. This initial honeymoon period can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, but for many new collectors, there comes a time when the romance dies.  This can happen for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, financial concerns force new collectors to rethink their hobby priorities. Other times, new and returning collectors who have been told their whole lives that the goal of Pokemon is to “Catch ‘Em All” start to feel burnt out when they realize that there are literally tens of thousands of unique Pokemon cards, making this goal essentially impossible. For many of these collectors, by the time they decide to reach out on a forum, the damage has already been done and the relationship may have already soured to the point where it can no longer be salvaged. Card collecting does not have to be this way. The best way to avoid these relationship pitfalls is to be aware of their existence, so let’s discuss a few of the most common sources of disillusion with card collecting and the best ways to avoid them.

  1. I’m spending too much on cards.

One of the most common complaints that disillusioned collectors make is that they are spending too much money on their hobby. Spending money on cards is not, by itself, a problem. It can become a problem when one of two things happen:

Problem A: your spending habits are out of control.

Problem B: you feel guilty about spending money on cards.

Problem A can be preempted by staying organized. A healthy relationship requires boundaries. The same is true of card collecting. Set a weekly budget for yourself and be honest about your spending and saving habits. If you know going into a week that you only have $20 to spend on Pokemon cards, you will force yourself to focus your spending on the products that are really important to you. Tell others about your budget to help hold yourself accountable to the program you’ve established. Setting a realistic budget will help keep your spending in check and prevent you from falling into Problem A. Having a weekly game plan may even help you preempt some of the feelings of guilt associated with Problem B as well.

One last important thing to note on Problem A. Booster packs are, by design, intended to be addicting. If your spending habits are out of control to the point where you are buying cards instead of paying for life essentials, you should seek professional help. Legitimate addiction to card collecting is a problem that only a small minority of card collectors encounter, but it is a very serious one. If you are reading this and you think you might fall into this group, consider calling 1-800-522-4700, the number for the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network or seeking other professional help.

To address problem B, you need to identify where the feelings of guilt are coming from. Sometimes these feelings come from external sources - parents or friends saying that your hobby is a waste of money. Sometimes these feelings have deeper internal sources. In either event, it’s important to be honest with yourself and with others about your hobby and about what makes you happy. Everyone is different and will struggle with this issue differently, but thinking about it now, in the earlier stages of your collection, will help you maintain your collection in a mentally healthy manner going forward. In my case, I made peace with this issue long ago. I know that if I took all the money I’ve spent on cards over my life and instead put it in a savings account, I’d probably be able to buy a few brand new cars at this point. I don’t feel guilty about these lost opportunity costs. Other people have their own hobbies and stress releases, but I know that mine is card collecting.  I know that card collecting makes me happy and helps me feel relaxed. Those mental health benefits are important and they are worth pursuing. In other words, I know that card collecting makes me happy and frankly, I’m worth it.

  1. Burn Out

Once the honeymoon period ends and collectors realize the sheer number of Pokemon cards that have been printed, they start to feel burnt out. The key to avoiding burn out is to set realistic expectations for your card collection.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will not own one of every Pokemon card ever made. I know this because there are cards out there like the prize cards from the Pokemon World Championships. From 2004 - 2012 only three copies of each prize card were ever printed, meaning, at best only 3 people can ever own one of every card in the world. Since literally “catching them all” is essentially impossible, you have a tremendous amount of freedom to make your collection your own. Maybe you are only interested in collecting Pikachu cards. Maybe you want to collect one of every card from a particular booster set. Whatever you decide, the best way to avoid burn out is to do your homework ahead of time to make sure the goals you set are realistic and manageable.

Do you have other suggestions for addressing the problems in this article that I didn’t cover? Are there other card relationship issues that you think I should have covered? If so, leave your thoughts in the comments section.

 

Thecardpletionist has been collecting Pokemon TCG cards since the game’s English release in
1999. You can read more from the author at http://thecardpletionist.blogspot.com/ and follow
him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thecardpletionist/