A Surging Sparks Pikechu ex 238 PSA 10 is currently selling for $2425 on ebay. The price has only gone higher since that screenshot.
The price is now up to $3050! For a Pikachu ex! The hype for Surging Sparks is so high apparently that one of the first Pikachus to come back from PSA is selling for absurd prices.
You can find the auction here if you’re wanting to participate in madness: https://www.ebay.com/itm/286148469023?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=5Rarb1m3RIq&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Surging Sparks is a new set and at this moment the listing does seem to be the only one for a PSA 10 on ebay… so it makes some sense that there would be some price premium. But I did not think it would be this much. The pricing of this Pikachu ex is absurd. If this price sticks to other Pikachus it is going to be one of the most expensive cards in the entire Pokemon universe.
That is not a good thing. The Pokemon hobby already has enough scalpers and hoarders and investors. We do not need more being encouraged by ridiculously high prices. The hobby is full up.
How are we going to manage to keep Surging Sparks product available to everyone if it becomes worse than Evolving Skies price wise? We aren’t. Your average person just isn’t going to be allowed to participate. It’ll become a set filled with people out for a profit while kids are still stuck picking up Silver Tempest packs from Kroger (does anyone know why it’s always Silver Tempest at Kroger?).
As a hobby I’m not sure what we’re doing.
It’s like so many people are being driven by profit they’ve forgotten we’re talking about shiny cardboard and not precious metals. And what’s interesting is when it comes to precious metals, Surging Sparks is only silver. Prismatic evolutions is platinum. And The Glory of Team Rocket is gold. The hype for Surging Sparks does not compare to the hype we’ve already build up for The Glory of Team Rocket. So if $2000+ cards are what we’re doing now, I can’t imagine what The Glory of Team Rocket’s cards are going to look like price wise.
Pokemon is getting weird.
Update – Pikachu 132 PSA 10
There are actually several PSA 10 Pikachu ex SAR 132s available on ebay right now. All are around $300 so far. I guess some people used PSA’s Express, Super Express, or maybe even Walk Through service in an attempt to get a “first mover advantage”.
Update – Pikachu 238 PSA 10 Auction
The card has ben bid up to $3150. An absurd price but here we are.
Update – Pikachu 238 Sells for $3400
Three bids were canceled and the card is back down to $2850
We’re up to $3000 now
Not much movement, things are calming down now it seems, $3050.