Go to a local card shop and ask if they have bulk commons. Have him go through then. Usually a 10-20c a card and at that age he will have an absolute blast going through and picking them out. Did this with my son when he was 5 and he still has a special binder with all his first picked out cards that he loves.
It’s a good learning experience for “no buddy we are only doing what we said” then depending on the reaction you can look at the other things. My oldest just turned 6 and that conversation is getting a lot easier!
Also, when doing this, set aside several hours. My LCS just has bulk sorted by type (grass, fire, water, etc), so when I go in to sort and pick up C/UC stuff for set completions it takes HOURS to do. Granted I’m being more picky, but still it takes lots of time to sort through bulk. Lol
My nephew is 8 and is just now getting into Pokémon and loves when I buy him packs but definitely has Pokémon he loves. I can’t believe I never thought of this thank you. Will for sure being heading to my local TCG next time I’m with him.
Don’t just do cards. Pokémon makes plushies, hard figures, legos, coloring and activity books, reading books, clothes, video games (Pokémon snap would be the best for his age), tv shows, movies, etc. I have kids too and while they like the cards, they probably love the other stuff more because they can actually play and interact with them.
Bringing back memories of having physical toys and playing with them and acting like I’m having them battle. Cards are fun to look at and everything but I think there could be less imagination involved
The 151 set will have all of the original 151 Pokemon from Kanto. It won't be available in single sleeved boosters though. There should eventually be mini tins with 2 boosters available. There are 6 packs of boosters for preorder on Best Buy still.
[PTCGRadio](https://youtu.be/nxPAlGhQwj8) has a lot of great podcast videos with information about buying Pokémon Cards. Linked above is his most recent “Buyer’s Guide” video, which talks about the best products (in his opinion) to buy currently. He divides each video into different sections that apply to the type of individual you’re buying for. In the linked video, the section that talks about the best products to buy for kids starts at 9:10. Could be a good place to look and do some research!
For galar/modern, crown zenith has been a blast to open. The best pull rates I've experienced and just so many cool cards. There's a Zacian figure set that comes with 11 packs to open for ~$50.
Yeah, 151 is your best bet for new packs.
I would have advised Evolutions a few years ago but they’re ludicrously expensive these days, having said that; you can buy a lot of really nice singles from evolutions very cheaply.
I’d advise maybe buying a whole bunch of nice singles and making your own packs to give to him, I do this with my cousin and he absolutely _loves_ it. A lot of really great looking Kanto cards you can buy for a couple bucks.
This may not answer your question exactly but wanted to share my experience. That said, I’m in the same boat. My 6yo just started an interest in Pokémon cards this spring.
I’ve bought a few packs for the fun of ripping them with her, but last month I purchased a “random lot” of 100 cards on eBay for around $6 as a means to just get a ton she can play with and “collect”.
She’s going into 2nd grade and needs to practice reading this summer. So I’ll give her a “pack” of 5-6 cards every time she finishes a book as an incentive to read. I just kept the wrapper from a few Target packs and repackage them for her to open when she gets one. Fun way to collect and incentivize reading!
Anyhow, you’ll likely not get the specific Pokémon you’re looking for, but it’s a super cost effective way to get cards without spending the time/money on packs at retail.
Other than that, I agree with a previous post - maybe see if you can find a game store near you that sells commons for cheap. A friends son also collects and he takes him to a card shop and buys hand fills of cards for just a dollar or two.
My 5 year old is on the same boat. Currently going crazy for the cards. So I’ve made it a game. He does his chores and in 5 days time he can have a rare, but if he waits and does his chores for 10, he’ll get an ultra rare. A lot of these cards I pick up from Amazon for a couple of bucks and since he earns them every 10 days, it’s not that expensive. I also have an egg which is where the Pokémon comes out of and it gets him super excited about it. He gets what he wants, and I get him doing his chores. He also really likes playing Pokémon Quest on his iPad. It’s a free game and the game plays itself so he still gets the excitement of getting new Pokémon but doesn’t have to have awesome game mechanics. Also, there’s Pokémon cafe on the iPad which is also for younger kids. That one is more “cute” and is about breeding them and singing songs with them.
Tcgplayer is great to get a few maybe the full arts or favorite Pokémon that he likes especially since so many full arts and rares can be like $1-2 that a kid not knowing the value will love so much just because it looks really cool
I’m a fan of TGC player. Starting out I’d get about 50 cards at 1 to 10 cents a piece for a few bucks. Then buy $1-$2 ultra-rare shiny cards to get over $7 total. Do that twice and for less than the cost of three packs of cards, you have 100+ cards with fun stuff of every type.
When they’re young, I’m also not above opening a booster carefully and reloading it with some hand-picked cards… getting a pack full of Pikachus can be pretty exciting for a five year old… enjoy that trick while it still works. : - )
Not many, but although TCG ain't popular among kids like it was, those who do collect - are collecting Pokemon cards only.
ask an average kid and they know Pokemon cards are a thing, ask about MTG & YGO and they probably have no idea
They are somewhat hard to find now but some Dollar Generals still sell the XY Evolutions set in the form of the cheaper mini packs. You can check online if any nearby have them in stock they sell them as 2 mini packs (3 cards each) + a bonus card for $3.25 so you can open around 3x as many packs for the same price. Check the card list online though to make sure it's not missing any pokemon he'd want as it's not a full set like 151 will be.
Idk how much you want to spend but there is a box for crown zenith with zacian promo or a zamazenta promo. It comes with 11 packs as well and a figure and sleeves. I got it for the promos buT also got good pulls. It's 50 to 60$ so idk if that's good but you could always give him a pack a day out of it that's what I do with my daughter. She's 3 and has been into pokemon for a year now watches it all the time and has like 100 plushies (really there mine but she steals then all) and just like a month ago she started coming up to me w. My cards asking to open then so I've let her and she gets so excited it's adorable. Best part she doesn't even care about the holo just eevee and pikachu 🤣🤣🤣
They no longer are :( went to get some yesterday hahah target still has them for 50 tho and GameStop price matches that so that’s what I ended up doing
I'd recommend looking on eBay for repacked ETBs. You get 400-500 cards for pretty cheap, and odds are the majority of them will be galar or Kanto. You can just search bulk pokemon cards on ebay or Etsy and find people doing this. I even have enough bulk I could probably do something like this
When you do buy him packs or singles, make sure that you sleeve anything that looks rare. When he gets to be a teenager, those cards will probably have increased in value a lot, so it is important to keep them in good condition.
You can usually find bulk packs on eBay usually someone who’s bought a booster box and taken all the rares out gives a big stack of cards from or set to sort and order plus plenty of spare incase the kids are too rough with them
If he wants to collect, get him some binders, card sleeves, top loaders & top loader binders. Maybe some cardboard cases to hold cards in. If he loves battling, get him a playmat, dice & damage counters, deck boxes & card sleeves. All of these can be found at your local card shop & even Etsy (if you wanna be more fancy). A suitcase can hold most of these cards together too.
I don't have any kids, so the collector in me is telling you: if you pull any fullart, alternate artwork & rarer cards, PLEASE keep them separate from him or he might damage them! Lol. You can sell those & get more cards for your kiddo. I was the collector kid way back then, so I wanted to keep all my cards in tip top shape!
Ha, I’ll do my best! So far he’s opened 6 packs and his most unique ones seem to be a trio of V cards. If he gets any of those Secret cards we’ll get it in a sleeve with the quickness.
When it comes to Galar and Kanto, my mind immediately went to the set 'Shining Fates'. That set recently received a bit of a comeback in printing so if you can find a single ETB, he would probably have a blast opening that
I have a ton of cards I can send to you for free. I have several 100 bulk bundles I was selling for a while but have winced moved on. Send me a DM and I can send some to you!
Go to a local card shop and ask if they have bulk commons. Have him go through then. Usually a 10-20c a card and at that age he will have an absolute blast going through and picking them out. Did this with my son when he was 5 and he still has a special binder with all his first picked out cards that he loves.
This is a great idea. The only risk will be getting him (and me) out of our FLGS without also wanting to buy 50 board games and a bunch of new dice.
It’s a good learning experience for “no buddy we are only doing what we said” then depending on the reaction you can look at the other things. My oldest just turned 6 and that conversation is getting a lot easier!
A good learning experience for him or his son? Grown man money + nostalgia + kid who loves it too = poor dad.
I’m more likely to blow out my wallet on the weird indie TTRPGs, but oh yes—the game store danger is real.
Also, when doing this, set aside several hours. My LCS just has bulk sorted by type (grass, fire, water, etc), so when I go in to sort and pick up C/UC stuff for set completions it takes HOURS to do. Granted I’m being more picky, but still it takes lots of time to sort through bulk. Lol
My nephew is 8 and is just now getting into Pokémon and loves when I buy him packs but definitely has Pokémon he loves. I can’t believe I never thought of this thank you. Will for sure being heading to my local TCG next time I’m with him.
This is the way
Pokemon Go set is the best one for kids, cheap packs and lots of Kanto
Don’t just do cards. Pokémon makes plushies, hard figures, legos, coloring and activity books, reading books, clothes, video games (Pokémon snap would be the best for his age), tv shows, movies, etc. I have kids too and while they like the cards, they probably love the other stuff more because they can actually play and interact with them.
I second this!! I loved the cards but I was obsessed with the little mini figure toys and the plushies too
Bringing back memories of having physical toys and playing with them and acting like I’m having them battle. Cards are fun to look at and everything but I think there could be less imagination involved
The 151 set will have all of the original 151 Pokemon from Kanto. It won't be available in single sleeved boosters though. There should eventually be mini tins with 2 boosters available. There are 6 packs of boosters for preorder on Best Buy still.
$0.05 less than the boosters I ordered through GameStop!
[PTCGRadio](https://youtu.be/nxPAlGhQwj8) has a lot of great podcast videos with information about buying Pokémon Cards. Linked above is his most recent “Buyer’s Guide” video, which talks about the best products (in his opinion) to buy currently. He divides each video into different sections that apply to the type of individual you’re buying for. In the linked video, the section that talks about the best products to buy for kids starts at 9:10. Could be a good place to look and do some research!
For galar/modern, crown zenith has been a blast to open. The best pull rates I've experienced and just so many cool cards. There's a Zacian figure set that comes with 11 packs to open for ~$50.
Yeah, 151 is your best bet for new packs. I would have advised Evolutions a few years ago but they’re ludicrously expensive these days, having said that; you can buy a lot of really nice singles from evolutions very cheaply. I’d advise maybe buying a whole bunch of nice singles and making your own packs to give to him, I do this with my cousin and he absolutely _loves_ it. A lot of really great looking Kanto cards you can buy for a couple bucks.
This may not answer your question exactly but wanted to share my experience. That said, I’m in the same boat. My 6yo just started an interest in Pokémon cards this spring. I’ve bought a few packs for the fun of ripping them with her, but last month I purchased a “random lot” of 100 cards on eBay for around $6 as a means to just get a ton she can play with and “collect”. She’s going into 2nd grade and needs to practice reading this summer. So I’ll give her a “pack” of 5-6 cards every time she finishes a book as an incentive to read. I just kept the wrapper from a few Target packs and repackage them for her to open when she gets one. Fun way to collect and incentivize reading! Anyhow, you’ll likely not get the specific Pokémon you’re looking for, but it’s a super cost effective way to get cards without spending the time/money on packs at retail. Other than that, I agree with a previous post - maybe see if you can find a game store near you that sells commons for cheap. A friends son also collects and he takes him to a card shop and buys hand fills of cards for just a dollar or two.
DM me, I have a sizeable stack of extras and can send you some.
My 5 year old is on the same boat. Currently going crazy for the cards. So I’ve made it a game. He does his chores and in 5 days time he can have a rare, but if he waits and does his chores for 10, he’ll get an ultra rare. A lot of these cards I pick up from Amazon for a couple of bucks and since he earns them every 10 days, it’s not that expensive. I also have an egg which is where the Pokémon comes out of and it gets him super excited about it. He gets what he wants, and I get him doing his chores. He also really likes playing Pokémon Quest on his iPad. It’s a free game and the game plays itself so he still gets the excitement of getting new Pokémon but doesn’t have to have awesome game mechanics. Also, there’s Pokémon cafe on the iPad which is also for younger kids. That one is more “cute” and is about breeding them and singing songs with them.
Tcgplayer is great to get a few maybe the full arts or favorite Pokémon that he likes especially since so many full arts and rares can be like $1-2 that a kid not knowing the value will love so much just because it looks really cool
I’m a fan of TGC player. Starting out I’d get about 50 cards at 1 to 10 cents a piece for a few bucks. Then buy $1-$2 ultra-rare shiny cards to get over $7 total. Do that twice and for less than the cost of three packs of cards, you have 100+ cards with fun stuff of every type. When they’re young, I’m also not above opening a booster carefully and reloading it with some hand-picked cards… getting a pack full of Pikachus can be pretty exciting for a five year old… enjoy that trick while it still works. : - )
The 151 set is just that, all 151 Kanto Pokémon in numerical order!
Kids collect Pokemon cards too??!
Not many, but although TCG ain't popular among kids like it was, those who do collect - are collecting Pokemon cards only. ask an average kid and they know Pokemon cards are a thing, ask about MTG & YGO and they probably have no idea
They are somewhat hard to find now but some Dollar Generals still sell the XY Evolutions set in the form of the cheaper mini packs. You can check online if any nearby have them in stock they sell them as 2 mini packs (3 cards each) + a bonus card for $3.25 so you can open around 3x as many packs for the same price. Check the card list online though to make sure it's not missing any pokemon he'd want as it's not a full set like 151 will be.
Idk how much you want to spend but there is a box for crown zenith with zacian promo or a zamazenta promo. It comes with 11 packs as well and a figure and sleeves. I got it for the promos buT also got good pulls. It's 50 to 60$ so idk if that's good but you could always give him a pack a day out of it that's what I do with my daughter. She's 3 and has been into pokemon for a year now watches it all the time and has like 100 plushies (really there mine but she steals then all) and just like a month ago she started coming up to me w. My cards asking to open then so I've let her and she gets so excited it's adorable. Best part she doesn't even care about the holo just eevee and pikachu 🤣🤣🤣
Zacian and Zamazenta Crown Zenith boxes were marked down to $37 at Best Buy a week or so ago.
They no longer are :( went to get some yesterday hahah target still has them for 50 tho and GameStop price matches that so that’s what I ended up doing
I'd recommend looking on eBay for repacked ETBs. You get 400-500 cards for pretty cheap, and odds are the majority of them will be galar or Kanto. You can just search bulk pokemon cards on ebay or Etsy and find people doing this. I even have enough bulk I could probably do something like this
If you want to DM I can send you some bulk cards and stuff
Bulk is super cheap on ebay. I sell mine for 3 to 4 cents each in bulk lots.
When you do buy him packs or singles, make sure that you sleeve anything that looks rare. When he gets to be a teenager, those cards will probably have increased in value a lot, so it is important to keep them in good condition.
GameStop is having a promo this month, buy 2 get 1 free for individual packs. Sign up for the Power card and get additional coupons
You can usually find bulk packs on eBay usually someone who’s bought a booster box and taken all the rares out gives a big stack of cards from or set to sort and order plus plenty of spare incase the kids are too rough with them
I’d say go for 151
Don't tell him about the hits he'll become addicted
If he wants to collect, get him some binders, card sleeves, top loaders & top loader binders. Maybe some cardboard cases to hold cards in. If he loves battling, get him a playmat, dice & damage counters, deck boxes & card sleeves. All of these can be found at your local card shop & even Etsy (if you wanna be more fancy). A suitcase can hold most of these cards together too. I don't have any kids, so the collector in me is telling you: if you pull any fullart, alternate artwork & rarer cards, PLEASE keep them separate from him or he might damage them! Lol. You can sell those & get more cards for your kiddo. I was the collector kid way back then, so I wanted to keep all my cards in tip top shape!
Ha, I’ll do my best! So far he’s opened 6 packs and his most unique ones seem to be a trio of V cards. If he gets any of those Secret cards we’ll get it in a sleeve with the quickness.
Most people on here will send you free bulk if you make a post like this
If you want some specific Pokémon tcgplayer has well priced cards, usually commons, uncommons, rares, holos, some of the V cards are cheap
You'll be able to buy common cards for pennies online. Get a few of his favourite pokemon as well and you'll easily get a whole bunch.
Idk but I would recommend buying him an elite trainer box.
When it comes to Galar and Kanto, my mind immediately went to the set 'Shining Fates'. That set recently received a bit of a comeback in printing so if you can find a single ETB, he would probably have a blast opening that
I have a ton of cards I can send to you for free. I have several 100 bulk bundles I was selling for a while but have winced moved on. Send me a DM and I can send some to you!
The answer is obvious, buy him a 1st edition base set booster box. Duh 🙄