Collecting Why Collecting the TCG in Ireland is a Pain...

[Hemos]

As you may have read from some of my previous posts, my TCG collecting slows down whenever I'm in Ireland due to not being able to find many places that sell the card game. The places I do find that sell them are either slightly overpriced, or EXTREMELY overpriced. In this case, this is the latter.

I took a day trip to Limerick yesterday just to browse around, and I saw that the Gamestop there was selling Pokémon TCG packs aside from some merch. Sadly I didn't end up buying anything because the prices were flat-out insulting. A booster pack of Roaring Skies was 6 euro, a deck of cards was 17 euro, and a tin of cards (the Groudon and Kyogre ones, none of the new ones) were 25 euro each. Compare this to the Tesco in Tralee where a booster pack is around 5 euro (but then you get a promo with it) or 13 euro for 3 packs and a promo.

I'm not even kidding on the prices:

Spoiler: WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?

This is mainly why my collecting comes to a screeching halt whilst I'm here, I'm not willing to pay that much for one single pack, or that much for a tin.

 

[Athena]

Yeah, I feel your pain in the Netherlands as well. High cost of cards in euros (21% VAT doesn't help) is one of the reasons I've stopped buying English cards often, though I do get some every time I'm in the US. It's not as bad ordering online, but in store prices are ridiculous.

 

[TheStrictNein]

Yeah, I feel your pain in the Netherlands as well. High cost of cards in euros (21% VAT doesn't help) is one of the reasons I've stopped buying English cards often, though I do get some every time I'm in the US. It's not as bad ordering online, but in store prices are ridiculous.

I do find it funny that because of VAT I'm better off buying a card from the USA and getting it shipped here than buying locally most of the time. $20 USD + $3 shipping (£14) versus £20 for the same cards locally. Insane

 

[Hemos]

Yeah, I feel your pain in the Netherlands as well. High cost of cards in euros (21% VAT doesn't help) is one of the reasons I've stopped buying English cards often, though I do get some every time I'm in the US. It's not as bad ordering online, but in store prices are ridiculous.

Yeah, for the time being I'm getting the cards from Tesco every so often whilst they have the multipacks on offer. On my next trip back to my homeland I do plan on getting one of the new EX tins, but I have the feeling to get some Ancient Origins I'll probably have to get some more writing commissions in to get more funds on my PayPal so I can order a box.

I do find it funny that because of VAT I'm better off buying a card from the USA and getting it shipped here than buying locally most of the time. $20 USD + $3 shipping (£14) versus £20 for the same cards locally. Insane

Yikes, thats pretty nuts ^^; I'll probably end up getting the Rayquaza collection imported from the US cause I want that figure to add to my shelf of dragon things.

 

[Cubdo]

Dublin Girl here so I can completely agree with the insane pack prices, Smyths currently have blister packs and tins in at the moment that are reasonably priced compared to the ridiculous pricing in Game Stop. Although I do buy cards from Tescos I tend to buy everything from Ebay, even with shipping costs you will still save money compared to going into a shop.

 

[Hutchie91]

I'm a bit disappointed to find that these days booster packs are £3.50 for 10 cards compared to when I was younger and the Pokemon TCG had just began and it was £2.50 for 11. Anyways, does anyone know any safe places to buy booster packs online as I see prices of only around £2.50 or like 4 packs for £9.99. However, I'm really reluctant to order booster packs online or from Ebay just from the risk of them being weighed before being sold.

Mind you, the local card shop I've been buying from has proven to be a very lucky place to buy booster packs from in terms of the pullls I've been getting.

Also, does anyone know the best places for getting a booster box for the cheapest price that is factory sealed and hasn't been weighed, refilled and then reshrink-wrapped?

 

[Athena]

Many packs sold on eBay have been weighed. If you really want to pay less per booster pack and order online, your best change of assured unweighted packs/boxes would be to buy from a regular online retailer instead of an eBay seller. If you're in the UK, ChaosCards in the best retailer than I'm aware of. You can preorder a factory sealed booster box of BreakThrough for £70 from them, which comes to less than £2 a pack.

However, it is important to know that ChaosCards (and other such sites) also buy cards and not just sell them. You may not think this is important, but unfortunately this leaves the possibility open for people to weigh packs and then sell the weighted packs to these resellers. So, there is a risk that any loose packs that you buy from them may have been weighed, even if the company itself did not do the weighing. If you want to buy loose packs instead of full boxes, you're probably best off sticking to your local shop.

 

[kaners]

Many packs sold on eBay have been weighed. If you really want to pay less per booster pack and order online, your best change of assured unweighted packs/boxes would be to buy from a regular online retailer instead of an eBay seller. If you're in the UK, ChaosCards in the best retailer than I'm aware of. You can preorder a factory sealed booster box of BreakThrough for £70 from them, which comes to less than £2 a pack.

However, it is important to know that ChaosCards (and other such sites) also buy cards and not just sell them. You may not think this is important, but unfortunately this leaves the possibility open for people to weigh packs and then sell the weighted packs to these resellers. So, there is a risk that any loose packs that you buy from them may have been weighed, even if the company itself did not do the weighing. If you want to buy loose packs instead of full boxes, you're probably best off sticking to your local shop.

Chaos Cards and Magic Madhouse are both pretty good for people based in the UK/Ireland. Postage to Ireland is a little bit expensive but what you pay in postage will more than likely be made up by what you are saving by not buying in Tesco, Smyths, Gamestop etc. I live in Northern Ireland and yesterday I ordered a box of Ancient Origins boosters from MagicMadhouse for £73 and an Ancient Origins Elite Trainer Box for £28. Postage came to £6. All in all I paid £107 for items that I probably would have paid £150-160 if I had just bought them in local stores. I also ordered a Roaring Skies booster box in July for £73 (and got some great pulls including my first ever Shaymin Ex!)

There is a Forbidden Planet in Belfast that does a great range of Pokémon TCG stuff but it's not the cheapest. I only go in to buy the odd booster pack and I have asked before do they allow people to weigh them and they told me that it is completely against their store policy. I totally believe them as I bought 4 Roaring Skies boosters last month and got my second Shaymin Ex in one of them!