How to Start a Pokémon Card Collection in 2026

So you've decided to dive into the world of Pokémon card collecting. Maybe you’re full of nostalgia for your childhood cards, or maybe you just stumbled upon a new set with absolutely stunning artwork. Whatever your reason, welcome!

Starting a collection in 2026 is completely different from starting one in 1999 or even 2016. The landscape is huge, the number of sets is overwhelming, and it’s easy to get lost — and spend way too much money — if you don’t have a plan.

I believe collecting should be fun, accessible, and personal. If you approach the Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game) with a clear focus and do some research upfront, you won't end up with a mountain of disorganized cards you regret buying.

First, Define Your Mission: What Kind of Collector Are You? 🤔

Before you buy a single pack, the most important step is to define your collecting goal. If you don't, you'll end up collecting everything, and trust me, that's a path to a collection scattered around your house, and an empty wallet.

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Do I want to collect because I want to play the TCG, or do I want to focus on collecting cute, rare, old… cards for pleasure?
Playing the TCG means focusing on cards with useful game mechanics. Collecting for pleasure means focusing on the artwork, specific Pokémon, cards you think are cool or rare, or even completing entire sets.

2. What is my theme?
A theme gives your collection focus. Maybe you only collect Pikachu cards. Maybe you only collect Full-Art Trainers. Maybe you only collect vintage cards from your childhood. Maybe you don’t really have a theme (which will most likely be the case if you want to play the TCG and experiment with different game mechanics) or you just want to enjoy collecting all sorts of cards(Just like I do) because you love Pokémon.

3. What is my budget?
Be honest with yourself. Collecting can get expensive. Set a monthly limit and stick to it. This will force you to be more selective, which actually makes the hunt more rewarding! I personally keep my limit to around 40 dollars a month. Some months are more quiet than others of course, but I make sure to average out around that number.

My personal mission is simple: I do it for joy mostly – all types of cute, old and prestigious cards are more than welcome in my collection! I enjoy opening packs or buying cards at a local card show together with my brother and cousins more than anything in the hobby! Of course I add some singles that I really like to my collection as well, don’t get me wrong here.

Where to Start Buying in 2026 🛍️

If you follow along on any social media platform, you are probably aware that finding new Pokémon products on MSRP(Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) is getting harder and harder. Buying sealed products is not only more expensive than ever, it’s also just not the most efficient way to start a focused collection.

Focus on Singles, Not Sealed Product

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give any new collector: Buy single cards you actually want.

If your goal is to collect all Charizard cards for example, buying booster packs gives you a slim chance of pulling one. Buying a specific Charizard single online or at a card show ensures you get the card you want for a predictable price.

Pros of Singles:

• Guaranteed card
• often cheaper than pulling it yourself (unless you get super lucky)
• less bulk (if you’re not super interested in those cards)

Cons of Singles:

• Less excitement than opening a pack
• you miss out on commons/uncommons that fill out a binder.

If you want a more in depth guide on singles, feel free to check out why singles might be the best move right now !

Get the Most Bang for Your Booster Buck

If you do want to rip some packs from time to time (who doesn’t), look for these items:

• Booster Bundles (Bundle with 6 packs inside)
• Elite Trainer Boxes (Box with 9 packs inside most of the time + some extras like a promo card, Dice, Sleeves and a stack of energy cards)
• Booster Boxes (a box filled with 36 packs).

These generally give you the best price per pack. Right now, I try to only buy sealed products when the price per pack is under 5 dollars (with some small exceptions every now and then). That has been my personal rule for years now.

The only exception I make is when I see products with beautiful promo cards in it. For example: the Crown Zenith Elite Trainers Boxes contains a super beautiful Lucario card as you can see here below:

I bought this ETB when the price per pack was almost 8 dollars (75 dollars for the ETB back then), but the promo is just super cool, and Crown Zenith does have really good pull rates and other stunning cards that buying it was worth it for me.

Don't Ignore the "Pre-Loved" Market

Check out local card shops, flea markets, Facebook groups or even yard sales. This is where you can often find great deals on cards being sold by established collectors who need to downsize their own bulk or collection. If you are lucky, you might be able to find older cards for much less than the big online retailers charge.

However, if you are new to the hobby, it’s good to know that there are a lot of fake listings out there. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Check out my guide on how to spot fake listings to stand strong in your shoes when buying online!

How to Store Your Cards From Day One 🛡️

If you have been in touch with my website before, you might know how passionate I am about card storage! Don't let your collection turn into a disorganized mess that stays hidden in a box.

Every card you care about should immediately go in a penny sleeve. This will protect the cards already from small scratches or whitening.

When a card is in a sleeve, you can put it in a binder. For many years now, I keep my top-hits in 9-pocket binders like these:

But when I have cards worth 30 dollars or more (or other cool cards I’m a really huge fan of), I give them even more protection by putting them inside a toploader and toploader map.

What about bulk you may ask? Well, I store them in big ringbinders with 9-pocket-pages (not my double bulk, I keep those in empty ETB’s), sorted by type and HP to keep everything organized and visible.

I also have a more detailed guide on how I store my bulk cards , if you are interested!

Final Thought: Enjoy the Hunt

Collecting Pokémon cards is a journey, not a race. Since covid 19, and especially last year, the hobby has really grown huge, and maybe a little too competitive. Ignore the hype about investment value and focus on the joy of finding a beautiful card that makes you happy or that makes you feel like a kid again.

Set your focus, buy smart, and give your cards the protection and display they deserve. Happy collecting!