A few weeks ago I talked to a Pokémon collector who has been in the hobby for over 15 years and has built up a network of his own suppliers from Japan. He shared some interesting news that will very likely also influence the EU market: Since a month or two ago, The Pokemon Company Japan started cutting ties with Pokemon businesses that are not owned by Japanese citizens. They basically said: If you are not Japanese, you will no longer be able to buy Pokemon products from a Japanese distributor. They are doing this to combat the insane demand for their products and the huge shortage that's going on in Japan. Last month they took it a step further, now they don't care where you're from (even if you're from Japan), if you are selling overseas as a Japanese business (so to the EU, US, etc.) you're out. This means that legitimate Japanese businesses that have been selling Pokemon products for years, including overseas, will now have to get their supply from the secondary market, and very likely for a higher price, meaning they will have to sell it for a higher price as well to still make a profit. It probably also leads to Japanese businesses stopping to sell overseas completely. What does this mean for us if Pokemon Japan sticks with this decision? - Less Japanese businesses selling overseas, for higher prices. - Japanese citizens buying product locally and reselling for 5x the price on marketplaces such as Mercari and Yahoo Auctions (this can also tempt more people to reseal products). - Fewer products will hit the EU market, and prices of sealed products and singles will increase. - Higher chance of released products, as the % chance of buying from an illegitimate source increases. The only real solution to fix the insane demand for Japanese products is more supply, but Japan seems to try and take the route of trying to block everyone out. I hope they will reverse this decision and try to go another route, but for the time being it's not looking that good.

Collecting sealed products is my way of collecting, although i have found myself opening more the last 2 weeks. To put it into perspective i have 40% in cards and 60% in sealed products. My portfolio hasn't gone down as much as i expected, i want to end next week with a opening since i have achieved a milestone in my life that i would like to celebrate. The only thing that is holding me back is the fact that my collection will likely be 50%/50% after this. I have a personal rule about not buying singles, so the only product i buy is sealed. I will definitely add more to my sealed collection this and next year (not for opening). -What are your thoughts? -How do you spread your investments or just your collection? -Are cards liquid or rather hard to get rid of? Many thanks again for welcoming me with open arms into this community. Kind regards

Hi everyone, hope everyone is doing alright! I am 20 years old and i am currently studying to be a watchmaker. I have a passion for traveling and cars (especially the ones from Stuttgart) . Recently i got back into Pokemon after a friend reminded me of the many wonderful times we had on the playground. The Pikachu that i attached is a card that my dad recently pulled after i handed him the booster pack, and it reminds me from when i was young that he would bring every week something from the toy store near his work to lighten my day!