Full transcript
0:00What's up guys, Nico Rocha here, and if
0:01ever you wanted to start an NBA card
0:04collection in the Philippines, but
0:05didn't know where to begin, this video
0:07is for you. Today, I'm going to show you
0:09how to build your personal collection
0:11here, while avoiding the mistakes that
0:13cost most collectors a lot of money when
0:15they first start. So,
0:18how to choose the right cards, where to
0:20buy cards locally, how to know what
0:22cards are worth buying, and how to build
0:24a collection that actually grows over
0:26time. Because the truth is, collecting
0:28cards isn't just about ripping box es
0:30and hoping for big hits. If you approach
0:33it the right way, you can build a
0:34collection that you're proud of without
0:35wasting money in the [music] process.
0:37So, before we get into the tips, let me
0:39share a little bit of my story. I
0:40started collecting NBA cards years ago,
0:422020, [music]
0:44just as a fan of the game. I collected
0:46Tyrese Haliburton cards and Deni Avdija
0:48still this day. I still have their
0:49cards. At the time, I wasn't thinking
0:51about value, investments, or anything
0:53like that. I just wanted cards of
0:54players [music] I liked. Sino you mga
0:56rookies during that time? So, sabi ko,
0:58"Okay, I will invest in those two." But,
1:00over time, as I got deeper into the
1:01hobby, I started learning more about the
1:04market side of collecting. Today, I'm
1:06still actively in the hobby, but my role
1:08has expanded. I'm involved in box breaks
1:11and consignments, and of course, helping
1:13Filipino collectors access the global
1:15card market. But, like most collectors,
1:17I've made my fair share of mistakes.
1:18[music] I have overpaid for cards till
1:20this day. I have bought players that
1:22never panned out, and [music] I have
1:24definitely sold some cards too early.
1:28So, in this video, I want to help you
1:29avoid the mistakes I've made,
1:31>> [music]
1:31>> so you can build your collection much
1:32more effectively. So, the most important
1:35rule, know your why. The first thing you
1:37need to ask yourself before building a
1:39collection is simple. Why are you
1:41collecting? Are you collecting because
1:43you love the NBA? Are you collecting the
1:45players because you grew up watching
1:47them? Or are you trying to build a
1:48collection that also holds value? The
1:51truth is, the best collections usually
1:53have a mix of both. You want [music]
1:55cards that you genuinely enjoy owning,
1:57but it also helps if some of those cards
2:00have value in the market. [music]
2:01Because if a player you collect doesn't
2:03pan out, at least you still enjoy the
2:05card, diba?
2:05>> [music]
2:06>> So, tip number one, stick to a budget.
2:08One of the biggest mistakes new
2:09collectors make is spending too much
2:11[music] quickly. The hobby can get
2:13expensive very fast. So, one thing I
2:15always recommend is setting [music] a
2:16strict budget for yourself, and only buy
2:18cards you're comfortable holding. Is it
2:195K? Is it 10K? Is it 20K per month? You
2:23set your budget.
2:26Yung mga budget ng favorite collectors
2:27niyo, stick to your own. Only buy
2:29[music] cards you're comfortable
2:30holding, and remember, not every card
2:32will increase in value. Sometimes a
2:34player gets injured. [music] Sometimes
2:36the hype dies down. That happens in an
2:38NBA season, especially in the off
2:39season. So, [music] being financially
2:41responsible is extremely important in
2:43this hobby, and that is why it's tip
2:45number one. The second tip is do your
2:47research before buying cards. [music]
2:49Not all cards are created equal. For
2:51example, some cards are licensed
2:53products from Panini or Topps. Others
2:55are unlicensed, which [music] the hobby
2:57usually values less. You should also
2:59learn the difference between things like
3:01sticker autos versus on-card autos,
3:04game-worn versus player-worn
3:05memorabilia, different card sets like
3:07Prizm, Optic, Topps Chrome, and the more
3:10you understand the product, the better
3:11decisions you'll make as a collector.
3:14Tip number three, don't go all in on one
3:16player. So, another mistake collectors
3:18make is putting all their money into one
3:20player. Maybe they believe that player
3:22will be the next superstar. Valid,
3:24[music] but the reality is, sports are
3:26unpredictable. Players get injured.
3:29Teams [music] change. Narratives change.
3:32So, it's always better to diversify your
3:34collection instead of going all in on
3:36one guy.
3:38So, where do you actually buy cards if
3:40you're a collector in the Philippines,
3:41especially a new one? The most common
3:42place is Facebook groups. Then yung
3:44pinaka fastest way to build your
3:46collection or find the cards that you
3:48want. [music] There are a lot of great
3:49hobby communities where collectors buy,
3:51sell, and trade cards. Number one is The
3:53Cardboard Corner, NBA Filipino Cards
3:56BST, and NBA Elite Collectors PH, from
4:00from what I remember. You know top three
4:02ko, [music] which you guys can also
4:03check. So, just make sure that if it's
4:05your first time transacting with a
4:06seller,
4:06>> [music]
4:07>> you always ask for vouchers. Check mo if
4:09that seller already has past
4:11transactions, just to make sure, diba,
4:13you're protected, diba?
4:17Another great place to buy [music] cards
4:19is card shows. Meron sa Greenhills
4:21weekly. Meron sa shop that I manage,
4:24Cards Central Cafe, The Hobby Stadium in
4:26QC. Card shows are weekly na ngayon.
4:30Meron din sa Alabang Festival Mall.
4:32[music] So, always check Facebook groups
4:34for the latest news. Kailan yung mga
4:37next card shows? So, card shows are
4:40great because you get to meet other
4:41collectors, see cards in person, and
4:43build your network in the hobby, which
4:44is a big thing.
4:47>> [music]
4:47>> How to check card values. One of the
4:49most important skills you need as a
4:51collector is knowing how to check card
4:52[music] values. The two most popular
4:54tools collectors use are 130point.com,
4:57Card Ladder, and I want to add na rin
5:00eBay, kasi [music] nagpo-pull lang naman
5:01sila ng data from eBay. So, you can go
5:03straight to eBay. These websites show
5:05you recent sales data for cards.
5:07>> [music]
5:08>> So, before you buy any card, you should
5:09always check what the last few sales
5:12were. That way, you don't overpay. Comps
5:14are everything when it comes to [music]
5:16pricing a card.
5:19So, what card should you buy? When
5:21building your collection, you can
5:22generally split cards in two categories.
5:25First, sentimental cards. What do I mean
5:26by that? These are the cards you buy
5:28simply because you simply enjoy them.
5:31>> [music]
5:31>> Maybe because it's your favorite player.
5:33Maybe it's a beautiful card design.
5:35These can be parallels, autographs,
5:37memorabilia cards, even non-rookie
5:38cards. [music] The second category is
5:41investment-type cards. These usually
5:43include rookie [music] cards, on-card
5:45autographs, graded cards, popular
5:47parallels like silver prisms. These
5:49[music] cards tend to have stronger
5:51demand in the hobby. So, pick whatever
5:53you want, as long as it's within your
5:55budget.
5:57A strong collection usually has a
5:59[music] mix of different types of
6:00players. First are investment players.
6:04These are younger players you believe
6:05could increase in value over time. So,
6:08Luka Dončić, Jalen Johnson, most popular
6:12>> [music]
6:12>> example there. Keyonte George. But,
6:16since they're not proven yet,
6:20you shouldn't go too heavy on them.
6:22Second are flippable players. These are
6:24players who are trending in the market
6:25right now. Maybe they're having a great
6:27season. Maybe [music] their team is
6:28performing well. These are players you
6:30can buy and potentially sell when the
6:32hype peaks or
6:34>> [music]
6:35>> in their career. Third are generational
6:37players. Champions, [music] proven guys.
6:40Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Steph,
6:45Magic, Bird.
6:47Yung yung one of many na generational
6:50players. I'm sure I'm missing out more.
6:52Pero yung yung baseline.
6:53>> [music]
6:54>> These players always have collectors
6:55because of their legacy.
6:57Yung Magic and Bird mostly sa US, sa
6:58Philippines wala masyado. Finally, you
7:00have personal favorites. These are
7:02players you simply collect because
7:03you're a fan of them. That could be
7:05anyone, no? I know someone who's a Penny
7:08Hardaway fan. Penny Hardaway's career
7:10has been cut short, but it doesn't stop
7:12him from collecting Penny Hardaway
7:13cards. He enjoys si Penny. He saw him
7:15play during the '90s, so [music] diba
7:17tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung pag-collect niya
7:18sa Penny Hardaway cards.
7:21So, I just want to add here how [music]
7:22to protect your cards. If you want to
7:24protect your cards, there are a few
7:25options. If you want to display them,
7:27use card stands. And if you [music] want
7:29maximum protection, you can store them
7:31in a Pelican case. Usually it's a
7:33Pelican case yung mga graded cards,
7:34pwede yon. And if you have graded cards,
7:36it's always good to keep them in a
7:38container that protects them from
7:39moisture. Bili kayo ng mga silica gel
7:41when you put them into
7:43>> [music]
7:43>> uh what do they call this? Mga drawers
7:44and stuff, just to make sure na hindi
7:45siya mag-moist. And as always,
7:48>> [music]
7:48>> put sleeves and top loaders on cards
7:51that are usually above $5, $10, above
7:53300 pesos. Lagyan na lang top loader and
7:56sleeve, just extra protection lang,
7:58guys.
8:00Some were asking me, "When is the best
8:01time to buy [music] cards?" So, one of
8:03the best times to buy cards is at the
8:04start of the start of the regular
8:06season, or even before the start of the
8:08regular season. So, one of the best
8:09times to buy cards is during the summer.
8:12Why? Eh diba mababa yung cards? Exactly,
8:14mababa yung mga cards during the off
8:15season because the attention is
8:17somewhere else. The attention is in
8:18different sports.
8:20That is why this is the perfect time to
8:22buy. Pag mababa yung cards.
8:24Worst time naman is to sell during the
8:26[music] off season.
8:27By that time, the off season hype has
8:29cooled down, and players still need to
8:31prove themselves again. And in a way,
8:32nakakalimutan ng mga tao how good this
8:33player [music] was. So, prices are
8:35usually more reasonable.
8:38The best time to sell cards is usually
8:40during the playoffs. Sometimes iisipin
8:43mo na tataas pa to eh. Baka tumaas pa
8:46yung cards, baka mag-champion pa to or
8:47what. Pero, if if you're just going to
8:49maximize the selling of a card, why not
8:51sell [music]
8:52during the playoffs already? Wag mo na
8:53hintayin, as long as profit, profit,
8:56diba? So, if a player has a big playoff
8:57performance, their cards can spike very
9:00quickly. Another great selling window is
9:02during the free agency, [music]
9:03when trades and big moves create hype.
9:05Building an NBA card collection, guys,
9:07is one of the most fun parts of being a
9:09basketball [music] fan. And if you
9:10approach it the right way, you can build
9:12something that you're proud of over
9:14time. If you [music] guys are starting
9:15your collections, I'd love to see them,
9:17or let me know in the comments kung sino
9:19yung mga kino-collect niyo right now.
9:20I'd love to see them. Feel free to tag
9:21me @nicorochacards on Instagram, and we
9:24might repost your collection. Uh if you
9:26enjoyed this video, make sure to like,
9:27comment, subscribe, and I'll see you
9:28guys in the next one.
9:29>> [music]
9:30>> Peace.