Whether you’re a long-time collector of trading cards (TCGs) or sports cards, or just recently got into this super exciting hobby, you’ve probably realized that it’s really hard to find sealed boxes and packs in brick-and-mortar stores or online.

We’ve been collecting TCG and sports cards since the late 1990s and honestly we’ve never seen the situation be this bad in terms of out-of-stock sealed boxes and packs plus exorbitant pricing from resellers and scalpers.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at:

1. What the situation looks like in terms of actually buying trading cards (e.g., Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece and Lorcana) and sports cards (e.g., baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards) at retail price in physical or online stores

2. Pro tips and useful links to free resources to help you buy sealed boxes and packs for recent TCG and sports card sets at retail (aka MSRP) price

3. Predictions for TCG and sports card pricing and stock in brick-and-mortar shops, big-box store retailers and internet sellers as we continue into 2026, 2027 and beyond

As collectors and players of both the Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering trading card games (TCGs) since the late 1990s, we’ve received all sorts of questions about topics like appraisal of single cards or huge collections, the most valuable Pokemon or Magic cards from the early years, metal Pokemon cards, and most commonly, whether Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering cards are real (aka authentic) or fake (aka counterfeit).

So, we decided to write this Knowledgebase article with an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to spotting fake cards with pictures of actual Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards, covering:

1. The difference between fake and real cards for both of these TCGs

2. Specific characteristics of real and fake cards to look for including up-close high-resolution photos of these features

3. Inexpensive tools like jeweler loupes that you can buy to help you discern real cards from fake cards

4. Where to purchase Pokemon, Magic, and other TCG cards to make sure you’re buying real single cards

The late 1990s and early 2000s marked the beginning of the Pokémon trading card game phenomenon, introducing some of the most valuable and sought-after cards in the hobby’s history.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the rarest and most expensive Pokemon cards from the late 1990s and early 2000s, including well-known characters like Pikachu, Charizard, Lugia, and more!