Should You Invest In An Elite Trainer Box Or Booster Box?

Many collectors purchase Pokémon TCG products just to keep them sealed and hopefully turn a profit one day when the value has skyrocketed. Two of the most common sealed investments are booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes. But the question is, is one better than the other? 

Why People Invest In Sealed Pokémon TCG Products

People invest in sealed Pokémon TCG products for potential appreciation in value. A 1st edition Base Set booster box has seen a significant increase in value since 1999, but such appreciation is unlikely to happen again. However, many sealed products still show a good return on investment over a few years. 

A recent example is the 25th Anniversary Celebrations Ultra Premium Collection, which was a solid investment at an MSRP of $119.99. The Celebrations UPC has since seen a 4X return, selling at $500 or more. This happened in only 2-3 years.

Sometimes buying a sealed product to keep isn’t even about the return on investment, but just the passion of collecting. I have a small collection of booster packs from 1999, with no intention of ever selling them. They are a wonderful piece of Pokémon history. 

Should You Invest In An Elite Trainer Box?

Investing in an Elite Trainer Box (ETB) is a bit of a gamble. Some ETBs have not seen much appreciation in value, while others have increased significantly. For example, the Battle Styles ETB has not increased much, while the Evolving Skies ETB has seen a significant increase and remains in high demand.

It can be difficult to predict which ETBs will appreciate in value, making investing in them a bit of a risk. 

But investing always carries some risk, and ETBs generally don’t decrease in value. Worst case scenario, you’ll end up selling it for MSRP and hopefully breaking even. 

Pros vs Cons of Investing In ETBs

Pros 

1. Potential for appreciation in value. 
2. Access to a large number of cards and accessories for the Pokémon TCG.
3. ETBs are cost-efficient, usually sitting around an MSRP of $40-$50.
4. Pokécenter exclusive ETBs can resell for more.
5. Special sets like Shining Fates don’t have booster boxes, so the ETBs are in demand.

Cons 

1. No guarantee of appreciation in value. 
2. They can be hard to find at MSRP prices
3. ETBs can take up a lot of space if you’re storing many of them.

ETBs That Have Blown Up In Value

As previously mentioned, some ETBs have seen a huge increase in value over short periods of time. Here are some more ETBs that have seen large increases in addition to Evolving Skies.

(Below are links to eBay to check current prices)

• Cosmic Eclipse– $400
• Shining Legends– $220
• Unified Minds– $300
• Evolutions– $300
• Generations– $600
• Celestial Storm– $500
• Primal Clash– $400

As you can see, many expansions have produced ETBs capable of returning 200%+ of the initial investment. The factors to consider are supply and demand. For example, demand is high for the Celebrations ETB, yet it hasn’t increased in value because so many were produced.

Should You Invest In A Booster Box?

Some people prefer booster boxes over Elite Trainer Boxes. Ultimately, it’s up to the collector’s preference, but there are some key differences between the two:

• Booster boxes can’t be found at typical retail stores
• A booster box contains 36 booster packs, while an ETB has 10
• Booster boxes are more difficult to obtain, and harder to find at MSRP
• ETBs are larger than booster boxes, due to the included accessories 

That’s right, they are two very different products. The biggest difference is probably the availability. Booster boxes are meant to be on display, usually on the counter of a games store.

This way, customers can purchase booster packs individually, and the store owner can make more of a profit. Booster boxes usually don’t make a lot of profit as a whole, as they aren’t meant to be purchased by the average consumer.

What this means is that they are hard to find at low costs. In the last few years, it has become more common for us consumers to buy booster boxes as a whole, so times are changing. It’s now common to purchase one if you’re really into opening packs.

Booster boxes are at an all-time high in demand.

Pros vs Cons of Investing In Booster Boxes

Pros

1. Potential for appreciation in value, especially for rare and sought-after sets. 
2. Access to a large number of cards to build a collection or play the game. 
3. Booster boxes are often released in limited quantities, increasing the potential for appreciation. 
4. High demand; most people are looking to buy booster boxes before ETBs.
5. Smaller than ETBS, thus easier to store.

Cons 

1. No guarantee of appreciation in value. 
2. Hard to find at MSRP, and buying one at a markup could potentially result in a loss.
3. Booster boxes don’t offer a storage box or other TCG accessories.
4. The cost of a booster box can be substantial, making it a high-risk investment for some individuals.
5. Special sets like Shining Fates do not offer booster boxes

Booster Boxes That Have Blown Up In Value

(Below are links to eBay to check current prices)

• Evolving Skies– $400
• Cosmic Eclipse– $700
• Unified Minds– $450
• Evolutions– $1,000
• Celestial Storm– $650
• Primal Clash– $600

Generally speaking, if an ETB has blown up in price, the booster box will too. This is because it’s the expansion set that actually increases in value. Collectors are often seeking 1-3 chase cards of the set. These cards can sometimes sell for $500+, so they are gambling.

Evolving Skies is a great example here. This set has seen one of the biggest value increases in such a short period of time. 

The set offers many chase cards, more than most sets. This means that collectors are seeking to pull more cards, but also have a decent chance at pulling one of them. 

If a new expansion is released and it has enough hype around it, like Evolving Skies, it could potentially be worth your time to grab a sealed product. 

Conclusion 

Investing in an elite trainer box or booster box can be risky but there is potential for a reward! New ETB/Booster boxes will most likely not be able to demand exponential returns such as the earlier editions of Pokémon cards. However this should not discourage you from buying new Pokémon products. Be sure to always do your due diligence and be mindful of trends within the Pokémon hobby/market fluctuations.