I keep Finding Storm Emeralda In The Bulk Bins….

Yesterday was once again a successful bulk bin expedition. Even though I had goals and objectives in mind, only half were met, and one failed miserably. However, it was also the second week in a row I found Storm Emeralda cards in these bins. Slowly but surely, this will allow me to get the base set completed at  a fraction of the cost. 

The Current State of Storm Emeralda

Pokemon fans who keep an eye on Japanese TCG products will know this set is very weird in many ways. Storm Emeralda launched at a price of 25,000 yen, and while it has come down a bit, remains fairly expensive in most cases. The shop with the bulk bins sells packs at 10 euro, or 300 for a booster box. It is their right to do so, but that’s just silly price territory.

Looking at the PACTCG website – where you find Japanese sellers directly – things look a bit better. Yes, you still pay around 15,000 yen (including shipping) for a Storm Emeralda booster box, although prices can be as high as 19,500 yen. The lowest price equates to around 81 euro – excluding import duties – with the higher price hovering near 105 euro.

Evidently, both prices are a far cry from 10 euro per pack or 300 per box. However, finding a sealed booster box locally under 175 euro is virtually impossible. I can order one online for a bit cheaper, but the shipping costs will offset the benefit. It is tricky to buy Storm Emeralda at a proper price as of right now. 

One obvious alternative is Cardmarket. While usually a lot cheaper, you also have to consider a lot of these sellers acquired stock at peak prices. They will want to at least recuperate their initial cost, which is bad news for collectors like me. The cheapest option right now: 110 euro + 12 euro shipping. Better than my shops, but still well over market price. 

M6 Cards in the Pokemon Bulk Bins

With this information in mind, you wouldn’t expect to see this set’s cards in the bulk bin. To be specific: a card in this bin costs 25 cents, unless it’s holographic, then it’s 1 euro. Even so, I keep finding Storm Emeralda cards in these bins for 2 weeks in a row now. 

I have no idea if someone bought packs there, opened them, didn’t like what they got and put them into the bins. Maybe they sold their bulk back to the shop for a few cents per card. The reality is: I found 2 cards last week, both connecting halves of the Legendary Summit stadium card.

That find was already exciting, but it got better this week. Yes, there is one duplicate in the pile, but I picked up all the Storm Emeralda cards I could find. A total of 12 cards, 2 stadiums complete, and half of the third. Oddly, that third stadium has 2 left halves in the pile. Hopefully I can find the missing right half next week.

So far, I’ve spent under 2 euros on getting some of the coolest base set cards in the Storm Emeralda set. The other cards are also nice additions, and will slowly help me complete the m6 set. While there is no guarantee to find more cards in the bulk bins, I will definitely keep an eye out every time I stop by.