Ask! I am sure your nephew will be glad to give you a not-so-short summary of the entire Pokemon universe. (Most kids that have hobbies like that usually have every tiny detail memorized and are willing to show off their expertise.)
I don't think I could handle that. I will ask my sister to do it and ask for a summary
Man after my own heart.
As a hobby shop employee Pokémon comes in many types of packaging but whatever you do don't buy single cards off Amazon or even lots. The number of fakes I have kids bring in that came off Amazon post the holidays is pretty high.
Packs are generally safe and if you want alot of packs elite trainer boxes come with 9 (atleast for the newer sets older ones vary) and booster boxes come with 36.
They come out with a new set every 3 months or so and the newest is surging sparks which is a pretty popular set. I'd be happy to answer any other questions if it helps your holiday shopping.
What is a good price? Amazon varies and now I'm worried about counterfeit cards
Alot of boxes go by popularity elite trainer boces tend to be $50-60 bucks but end up being priced higher if popular enough. Same for booster boxes $120+
I recomend tcgplayer.com for card stuff it's a market place like ebay but just for cards. It was so literally the ebay of cards that ebay acquired it in somewhat recent history. Anything from the "scarlet and violet" series of cards are readily available https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_Pok%C3%A9mon_Trading_Card_Game_expansions
It depends. Does he collect them because they're cool and he wants to trade with friends, or to play the game and win? If it's the former, get a bunch of packs (I think they typically have of order 10 cards each, and you're guaranteed one of the better cards with nice art). If the latter, you would need to ask so you get something that works with what he has; one possibility is to get a trainer box that has cards that tend to work together, or you can buy decks that previously won a championship or something.
Ask if he has a deck that he plays with.
If he does, get him some booster packs. Any recent set should do.
If he doesn't, ask him what Pokemon or Pokemon type he likes. With that knowledge, buy him a preconstructed deck with those Pokemon in it.
Not exactly a direct answer to your question, but on my local 2nd hand website are a lot of pokemon cards for sale for cheap.
I guess they're from collectors that buy a lot of packs in order to find the rare ones. Then sell the rest at loss.
This. Get him a pile of cards from craigslist or a similar 2nd hand side. I'd probably go for private sellers that are just quitting the hobby, so you have a better mix of good and ordinary cards compared to what @iii@mander.xyz described. But I would say especially younger kids can be impressed by quantity far more than quality.
If he only has a dozen cards and wants to play the game (not just trade) then a starter-deck, maybe with a couple boosterpacks would be a good choice
I asked similar a while ago.
There are packs setup for teaching the card game. "My first battle".
I have a card shop nearby with low quality, loose cards for cheap. Find one near yourself and take the kid shopping. 😁
The problem with "My First Battle" is that it looks like a very simplified version of Pokemon. You can play with those decks, but you aren't going to be able to play a full Pokemon game with them.
If the nephew wants to play with friends, I'd look for other decks or something like Battle Academy, which will teach how to play the game but with full cards.
Oh shit
Or, you can draw them yourself for a personalised gift which he will treasure forever!
(I also know nothing about pokemon)
That would be neat, but if he's looking to actually play the game, those cards won't be usable. If he's younger (and needs real cards to play at all) then that will probably matter more to him than a hand-drawn card would.
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