ebeus33-pokemon

September 2025 Pokémon Market Report

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:17:21 GMT

Ebeus33 | September 2025 Pokémon Market Report

Hey Trainers - Welcome back to the Monthly Pokémon Market Report!

I’m Josh – collector since before I could spell Charizard, seller for the past few years, and now running my own shop to keep things real in a hobby I love. No hidden fees, no shady shipping, just fair deals, careful packaging, and straight talk about the market.

This is only the second monthly report, but what a month it’s been. Japan brought Mega Evolutions roaring back with Inferno X. On top of that, I’ve got fresh PSA returns rolling in and updates on last month’s favorite pickups.

Every month, I’ll keep bringing you the inside scoop — the real trends, the sets worth chasing (or chilling on), my grading highlights, and the cards I’m most excited about right now

Market Trends & Hot Takes

Grading volume is still sky-high! PSA continues to post record submissions!

But what's interesting now is how buyers are treating the returns. High-end grails and iconic promos are commanding consistent premiums, while more common slabs (especially those under the $100 mark) are moving slower than earlier this year.

Translation: Collectors are getting picky, and the market's starting to separate "just slabbed" from "must have".

Values overall remain strong. Pokémon still outpaces a lot of traditional collectibles in 2025, with sealed boxes and scarce promos showing steady growth. But you can feel a real shift. Buyers are less willing to chase every spike, and more focused on quality, rarity, and art.

That's healthy -- it means the market is maturing past pure hype.

For collectors, this is the time to double down on the cards you truly love and not just chase what's trending. For investors, the safe plays are still iconic promos, vintage, and big-name alt arts - the kinds of cards that weather corrections and bounce back.

Main Takeaways:

Grading is still booming, but the market's filtering hype slabs vs. true grails.
Slabs under $100 are slowing; premium pieces are strong.
Long-term growth is tied to scarcity and icon status, not quick flips.
The market feels healthier than a bubble, maturing into a collector-driven space.

Set Radar: Inferno X

Japan closed out September with a bang: Inferno X officially dropped on the 26th, and here's what sets it apart:

Every single ex card in this set is a Mega Evolution.

There are no standard ex's. Just Megas all the way down. That makes Inferno X one of the clearest showcases yet of the new Mega block, and it puts a blazing spotlight on the set's star: Mega Charizard X ex.

�� Mega Charizard X ex (SIR): The Special Illustration Rare was leaked weeks before release, sending collectors into a frenzy. By release weekend, it became the chase, with early sales soaring into four figures for raw copies. Now that more packs are being opened, prices are beginning to cool, but it's still the centerpiece of Inferno X and one of the most talked-about Charizards in years.

�� Mega Gengar ex (alleged SIR leak): This card has shown up in some leaks and fan renderings, but it is not officially confirmed and has been flagged by many as likely fake or art-trickery. That said, don't discount the Gengar renderings entirely (sometimes leaks evolve and it could appear as a regular printed card or promo), but don't bank your strategy on it.

�� Other Megas: Mega Sharpedo ex, Mega Lopunny ex, and others round out the lineup. They're not hitting Charizard-level numbers (nothing does), but they add depth to the chase and give collectors multiple entry points.

�� Market Pulse & Predictions: Early release spikes are giving way to a gradual dip as supply grows. Expect Mega Charizard X ex SIR to stabilize lower in the coming weeks, then see a second wave of demand once Phantasmal Flames hits English shelves on November 14, 2025.

�� Josh's Take: As much as I want to snag that Charizard right now, I’m holding off. Prices on new sets almost always come out inflated, and there will always be someone willing to pay a premium to get it early. The smarter play is patience — I’ll wait for the market to cool before I grab my copy. In the meantime, I’ll rip one box with my fiancée just for fun. Long term? This card’s got grail written all over it.

Main Takeaways:

This set is 100% Mega Evolutions, with no standard ex cards.
The Mega Charizard X ex SIR is going to be a grail. It was leaked ahead of time, spiked on release, is now cooling, but still the undisputed chase.
Other Megas give the set more depth, even if Charizard dominates attention.
Expect prices to dip as supply floods in, then rebound with the English release in November.

��Cards on Fire��

Every month there are cards that don't just rise, they absolutely ignite . Sometimes it's tournament play, sometimes it's a new set release, and sometimes it's pure card fever that lights the match. September gave us two huge examples of how fast this market can catch fire and why these cards are being seen as serious investment-grade assets.

Umbreon VMAX "Moonbreon" (Evolving Skies, 2021)

Raw copies skyrocketed from about $1,300 to $2,000 (+54%) this month.
PSA 10s surged from $2,800 to $3,700 (+32%) , cementing Moonbreon as the modern grail that refuses to slow down.
There are over 18,000 PSA 10s in circulation, yet demand is still so strong that prices continue to climb. That's the power of an iconic card.

Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat "Van Gogh" (Scarlet & Violet, 2023)

One of the most unique crossover promos in recent memory, this card went wild!
PSA 10s spiked from $1,100 to $2,500 at its peak before settling near $2,200 (+100%) which is double its starting price.
Even with over 43,000 PSA 10s graded, collectors can't get enough of this artwork. The cultural crossover makes it a must-have piece, regardless of population.

These cards aren't normal market moves, they're explosions. When a card doubles or even spikes 50%+ in a matter of weeks, it shows the kind of momentum that makes Pokémon collecting one of the most exciting alternative investments out there.

Grading Corner

Big win this month! The Mewtwo & Mew GX Alt Art (2019) I cracked and resubbed from a CGC 9.5 came back as a PSA 10! That's the kind of upgrade that makes this hobby so exciting!

That's all for September returns, but the grading pipeline is stacked:

50 cards are expected back in October
30 more are queued up for November

These include pieces from both my personal collection and client submissions, so the next couple of months are going to be busy (and fun) as fresh slabs roll in.

Curious about getting your own cards graded? I offer pre-grading and full submission services to PSA. Learn more here!

�� Grading & Submission Services

My Recent Pick Ups & Highlights

I did more than just watch market spikes this month. I made some pretty cool additions to my own collection too!

Psyduck Pikachu (Chinese Exclusive) - PSA 9

This is my very first Chinese-exclusive card, and I couldn't be more excited about it. The Chinese Pokémon TCG market is still relatively young compared to Japan, the U.S., and Europe, but it's growing quickly. Region exclusives like this Psyduck Pikachu already command strong premiums and are gaining traction among global collectors who want something different in their binders and slabs.

A quick tip for fellow collectors: I've started targeting PSA 9s when PSA 10s are out of reach. Why? Because 9s are more liquid. They move faster, hold steady value and make smarter investments than raw cards. Pair that liquidity with the built-in scarcity of a Chinese exclusive, and you've got a pickup that's both fun and strategic.

Custom Umbreon Cards (Shiny & Normal) - TCG Pocket!

I also grabbed two custom Umbreon cards - one shiny, one normal - and they are absolutely gorgeous. What makes them extra special is that they're custom prints of official TCG Pocket Pokémon artwork!

Custom and proxy cards may not be official releases, but they're a big part of how the hobby keeps evolving. They celebrate creativity, let collectors enjoy unique takes on their favorite Pokémon, and add artistry and personality to any collection. For me, they're reminder that this hobby isn't just about value. It's about passion, expression, and community.

Shop The Drop

From raw singles to freshly graded slabs, the shop's always stocked with something worth chasing. Click through, explore, and snag your next pickup before it's gone.

Huge shoutout to Tyler one of the shop's MVP repeat buyers. Support like that keeps this place running and the connections built is what fuels me.

�� Shop Raw Cards

�� Shop Graded Cards

COMING SOON

October and November are going to be huge! I've got nearly 80 cards coming back from PSA across my own collection and client submissions. Big reveals are on the way, and I'll be sharing the highlights as they land.

Want to see them first? Follow along on Instagram for real-time updates, fresh slab photos, and my takes as grades roll in: @ebeus33

August 2025 Pokémon Market Report

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 19:13:40 GMT

Ebeus33 | August 2025 Pokémon Market Report

Hey Trainers - Welcome to the very first Ebeus33 Monthly Pokémon Market Report!

I'm Josh - collector since before I could spell Charizard , seller for the past few years. I started my shop when I got tired of overpriced listings, flaky shipping issues, and unclear guidance within the community. Now I'm here with my own business to help you snag great cards at fair prices, find buyers for cards you're ready to part with, and provide guidance on grading.

Every month, I'm bringing you the inside scoop on the Pokémon card world - the real trends, the sets worth chasing or chilling with, my favorite acquisitions, and investment plays I'm eyeballing.

Market Trends & Hot Takes

Grading is on absolute overdrive right now.

In the first half of 2025, Pokémon cards made up 97 of PSA's top 100 most-submitted cards. The non-sports category overall is up year-over-year. Translation? Everyone and their Snorlax are sending their cards in to get slabbed.

The prices? They're not just creeping up, they're sprinting! On average, Pokémon card prices are up almost 46% in 2025 so far. That's faster growth than some of the hottest tech stocks , and way better returns than most traditional investments.

What does that mean for you as a collector? Well, the market's hot - maybe too hot. When grading spikes this hard and prices shoot up this fast, we start hearing whispers about a "bubble". That's when prices are inflated by hype and FOMO rather than long-term demand.

But here's the thing: Pokémon has weathered spikes before , and the truly iconic cards (think vintage grails or unique art promos) tend to hold value.

The trick is knowing whether you're buying a forever-card or just catching a hype wave.

Main Takeaways:

Lots of "hype" in the market right now -- some cards are inflated or even being shilled !

Long-term, truly iconic cards will correct, and then recover.
Evidence: PSA 10 SWSH Alts recovering from early 2025 dip

Set Radar

Black Bolt & White Flare

Let's talk about the Scarlet Violet curtain call. These aren't your standard expansion sets. They're twin mini-sets built on pure Unova nostalgia, pulling directly from the Black and White era that dropped in 2011. If you collected back then, these designs hit hard: sharp monochrome borders, artwork that feels like high-contrast storyboards, and full art variants that are basically frameable.

I got my hands on the Black & White cards from this set earlier this month, and let me tell you - the texture, the color work, they way they pop in hand? Chef's kiss!

As for the market side:

Right now, singles from these sets are floating between $8-$30 for standard arts and $40-$80+ for the more desirable full arts.
The chase cards - especially the Black Zekrom EX & White Reshiram EX alternate arts - have dropped from $170 to $130 raw, while their BWR rarity counterparts have settled around $250 (for the Japanese B&W sets) from an astonishing $500 release-day price on the BWR Zekrom raw card.
English, on the other hand, is brand new, so prices are still settling. Expect a slight dip as more supply hits the market over the next month or two, but long-term, I see these as a collector's set with strong staying power. They're not just another expansion -- they're a love letter to a specific era and Pokémon doesn't do that often.

If you're a sealed collector, a Black Bolt/White Flare box might be one to stash . If you're a singles hunter, grab your favorites now while the market's still soft from release hype.

Main Takeaways:

Japanese B&W alternate art & BWR singles are a BUY

English B&W alternate art & BWR singles -> Can wait a couple weeks, but still a good time to get in (if you don't mind a minor, temporary dip)

Sealed B&W ETBs are a BUY (especially Pokémon Center exclusive ETBs!)

Mega Evolutions Are Back and Trending Up

The Pokémon TCG is seeing a resurgence of Mega Evolutions. In Japan, the dual sets Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia just released on August 1, 2025, marking the first return of the Mega Evolution mechanic in TCG since 2016 . This pair of sets launches a new "MEGA" block (concluding the Scarlet Violet era) - notably, all ten Pokémon EX in these sets are Mega Evolution cards, each giving up three prize cards when defeated.

The renewed focus on Megas has caused a spike in interest (and prices) for older Mega cards. For example, the Celebrations reprint of M Rayquaza-EX saw a price jump and continued climbing, likely thanks to hype for Mega Evolution's imminent return.

An English "Mega Evolution" expansion is also officially slated for release on September 26, 2025 , bringing the Mega mechanic back to the West with 10 Mega Evolution EX cards.

Do you think the old Mega Evolution cards will continue to climb in value as this new era unfolds?

Main Takeaways:

Japanese Mega sets dropped on 8/1/25
English Mega set due to drop 9/26/25

My Recent Pick Ups & Highlights

Mewtwo & Mew GX (Alternate Art, 2019): I recently picked up this tag team in CGC 9.5 condition, which I decided to crack out of its slab and submit to PSA in hopes of a PSA 10.

Other Notable Pickups: Rounding out the haul are a few smaller ( but still awesome ) grabs: a 2016 XY Black Star Promo Gengar EX Holo (graded PSA 9), a 2019 Japanese Sun & Moon Espeon & Deoxys GX Tag Team (PSA 10), and a 2022 Japanese Umbreon McDonald's promo (PSA 9).

Luigi Pikachu "Poncho" Promo (2016): Another exciting addition is a Luigi Pikachu Special Box promo - the adorable Pikachu-in-Luigi-costume card. I acquired a BGS 10 Pristine copy of this card, which comes with some wild population stats .

The reasoning is clear: PSA 10 examples of this card command a significantly higher prices than a CGC 9.5. In fact, recent sales show PSA 10s fetching around $1,000, whereas new-label CGC 9.5 copies tend to sell around $400. The value gap is substantial, so if the card crosses to a PSA 10, it could dramatically increase its market value.

I bought a PSA 10 for $650 back in early May , and I paid $650 for this old blue label CGC 9.5 a couple of weeks ago. Factoring in taxes and grading costs, if this card gets a PSA Gem Mint 10, I will be in at $700 for BOTH of these cards, today worth $1,000 each!

It was a little sad to crack an old blue label, but but PSA's gem mint grade often carries a premium in the current market, even over other companies' 9.5/10 grades.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that PSA 10!

The PSA 10 population is 2,036 copies. For context, the companion Mario Pikachu promo has a PSA 10 pop of 1,957, so Luigi is in the same ballpark. However , only 31 of the Luigi Pikachu cards have ever attained a BGS 10 Pristine grade (with just 2 of those receiving the coveted Black Label!)

The price disparity underscores how special those top grades are: A PSA 10 Luigi Pikachu is valued around $8.8k, a BGS 10 around $11.5k, but a Black Label 10 shoots into the stratosphere — with a recent auction finishing at $30,600 back on May 26th of 2025 — one more recent estimate valued it at around $57k!

And that's only if you can convince one of the two people who own one to part with it!

That premium reflects the extreme rarity of a perfect "quad 10" card. The one I picked up is only 0.5 subgrade points shy of a Black Label (one 9.5 subgrade and all others 10). It's crazy that a mere half-point in one subcategory is the difference between thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in value. Regardless of the half point, this Luigi Pikachu is nearly perfect , and a true centerpiece for my collection.

These additions span multiple eras and regions, adding some nice variety to the collection. Each of these might not be headline stealers on their own, but they're great pickups that bolster the collection's depth and offer future upside.

COMING SOON

Stay tuned for a fun new tool I'm cooking up - a handy flowchart to help decide whether or not you should grade a card. If you've ever been on the fence about sending in a card for grading, our flowchart will walk you through the decision process in an easy, visual way. Keep an eye on my socials for the full reveal soon!