Mariah Carey is geting warmed up, but the Pokemon Market is cooling off quicker than this Northeast autumn weather. Let's talk about the do’s and don’ts in a Pokemon Market downturn, so we can continue to enjoy this hobby of ours. Let's rip into this one!

The Pokemon card market is seeing price drops from high values on cards and sets that steadily rose this year. Whether this is a price correction or a sign of things to come, there are things you can do as a collector to secure funds for future purchases.

This isn't investment advice, so I'm not guaranteeing returns on purchases made now. However, with collectibles, there are windows in the cycle that could pay huge dividends if you have the capital to act fast.

There's a reason I've declared booster boxes the king of sealed product. Buying a booster box is like buying gold: it always holds its value over time and will always be in demand. But if booster boxes are gold, then Pokemon Center stamped Elite Trainer Boxes are silver. They're just as good a long-term investment, especially since they're a PokemonCenter.com exclusive product. Booster boxes are distributed to retailers, but not PC ETBs.

If you're scanning the secondary market for investment plays, look no further than older sets that are considered "out-of-print." It's widely understood that Pokemon stops printing sets that are around two years old (SV:151 is the exception…). Check lists like this one from Bulbapedia.org to help determine what sets could be out-of-print and no longer see new reprints (restocks are a different story).

My advice: look for Paradox Rift and older products to purchase, as those sets most likely have stopped printing.

I personally believe that regular ETBs hold little to no long-term value. First, the excess of accessories in ETBs is a hard sell, especially considering ETBs are typically 2x more expensive than a booster bundle while containing only three more packs.

Second, they're a product for a very specific type of buyer. For people ripping packs, the extra weight of the accessories is unnecessary. For people collecting sealed product, there's little value to owning multiple ETBs of the same set considering the space they take up.

Avoid buying these, especially on the secondary market. If you see one you don't have at a retail store restock, go for it, but don't buy these to flip them later. Buy the booster bundles instead!

I don't have to convince you that spending cash on cards right now isn't the best idea. But I do think trading your raw singles for $200-$500 range PSA cards is a great way to convert the overinflated value of your raw singles into long-term value.

The Pokemon PSA slab market is young compared to the sports card PSA market, which means there's still a lot that buyers and sellers don't know about the value of PSA cards. We're learning about what cards tend to hold value, what cards will always go up in value, and what cards to avoid grading altogether.

Think of it this way: you're getting out of the risk of a raw single and putting the value toward something that has built-in value (its grade). So choose your raw singles wisely and trade out of them before they lose too much more value.

We all love POV vendor videos (if you don't, then I beg you to reconsider). But as a small, frugal collector, there's no need to shop for grail-level cards that are $1,000+. There are better ways to spend $1,000 for long-term investment. And with high-end cards, your money's growth is solely dependent on one singular card's ability to gain value on its own.

Instead, diversify that $1,000. Buy some sealed booster boxes from a trusted online retailer. Purchase some raw singles of cards you really enjoy. Buy some mid-range slabs you've been eyeing. Heck, buy some sleeved booster packs and rip them open! Do anything but spend $1,000+ on a PSA card right now.

The first cards to sink in value are always the ones priced above $1,000. Remember, the Pokemon trading card market is flimsy. It rewards people who are early to a card or product but brutally punishes those who are late.

Let's define "low-cost" as $25 or less.

There's a growing number of cards valued between $15 and $25 that could fetch a pretty penny down the line if they graded out to be a PSA 10.

Think along the lines of Elite Trainer Box or other product illustration rare promo cards. Look for IRs and SIRs of Pokemon that TPCi seems to produce very little of. Review card lists of sets with extremely popular or desirable booster boxes and hunt for value there.

However, the key here is to be extremely picky about what cards you buy to get graded. If there's even slight doubt that the card will get a PSA 10, then avoid buying it. Sure, the cost is low and the potential payout is great, but leave the card alone if there's even a shadow of a doubt.

Second, stick to popular Pokemon. Even if the artist is well-known or the artwork is amazing, just buy it—but not for grading. Just because a card is graded a PSA 10, you still need buyers for it once it comes back. Check TCGPlayer, Pokedata, or PriceCharting to see if there are any recent sales of a PSA 10 for the card you're hoping to buy and grade. And be quick to pass on a card.

Lastly, for cards $15 and under, hunt for promos, product-exclusive cards, or small chase illustration rare cards from large sets. Under $15 is a sweet spot for great value and turning a great margin if it grades a PSA 10. Your cost is low, the risk is fairly low, and you could realistically buy a couple, keep one, and sell the others to cover your costs.

It should go without saying: singles in the $500+ range should be avoided during this period.

Similar to the previous point about high-cost slabs, there's no reason to hunt down high-class raw singles for grading. The payout could be extraordinary, but the risk you run is tremendously high. Always assume that a card valued at $500+ that's made available for sale has some flaw a previous owner saw that's preventing it from being a PSA 10. The average buyer and seller today knows to look out for gradable copies and is already sending things out to be graded if they believe it's a 10.

Unless you're building out stock/inventory for card shows as a vendor, stick to trading up for those high-class PSA 10s and let someone else take the risk of buying and grading those cards.

The last thing I want to see is any of you wasting your time and money on these high-value risks.

This is a fun hobby that's meant to bring joy and excitement into your life. Spend only what you can afford to lose to $0, display the ones you're most proud of, and talk about your Pokemon cards, especially when no one asks. When all else fails, buy booster boxes, rip booster bundles, and buy your favorite slabs.

[List of three cards that are worth watching and buying soon]

Catch deals. Pull grails.