Month 14 Pokémon Business Report: How I Hit $9,000 in Revenue and Reinvested for Growth
After more than a year of selling Pokémon cards online, the business is seeing consistent high-level performance. Here's a transparent breakdown of the numbers for month 14, including a look at the single largest collection purchase made to date.
By NeoSatoshi
TL;DR
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August Sales Breakdown: $9,000 in Revenue
Month 14 closed out with a total revenue of $9,000. This month, the Swiss platform Ricardo was the strongest performer, partly due to running some auctions for higher-value single cards to generate cash flow for new inventory.
Cardmarket and Shopify sales were nearly identical to each other. Cardmarket had a particularly strong month, highlighted by a single order over $400. This was a surprise, as typical orders on that platform range from $5 to $50, with anything over $100 being rare.
The Bottom Line: Profit and Margins
The $9,000 in revenue translated to a profit of $2,780 for the month. This continues a trend of strong profitability over the last four months, with profits consistently landing between $2,000 and $2,800.
The profit margin has remained steady, hovering around 30-35%. For anyone running a Pokémon card business, a margin above 20% is a very healthy sign, so maintaining 30% is a great position to be in.
Sourcing Strategy: Reinvesting Profits into Collections
The primary source for new inventory is buying collections, almost exclusively through Ricardo, a Swiss marketplace similar to eBay. The strategy is to calculate the current market price of a collection's contents and make an offer at 70-75% of that value.
This approach leaves enough room for profit after accounting for platform fees, shipping, and the time it takes to sort and list the cards. The strong profits from recent months have enabled larger and more frequent buys.
The Biggest Buy Yet: A 2,000 CHF Collection
All that reinvested profit led to the largest single purchase in the business's history: a 1,000-card collection for 2,000 Swiss Francs (roughly $2,500 USD). The seller provided a video of all the cards, which is crucial for assessing value before committing to such a large purchase.
The collection is built around a 'living Pokédex' concept, containing one of every Pokémon from Bulbasaur to the most recent generation (1,025 total). It's a mix of Japanese, English, and German cards. The estimated market value is around 3,000 CHF, assuming the cards are in near-mint condition.
I think my whole inventory was like 3 or 4,000 in the beginning. And now I was able to buy just one collection which is worth like this. And so, I definitely see the progress now.
Key cards that add significant value include the Giratina VSTAR, an Umbreon V, and several special illustration rares from the 151 set. While some cards will be kept for a personal collection, most will be listed for sale.
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Managing Inventory and Listings
Before the recent large purchases, the total active listed value of inventory was around $17,000. Even with strong sales, the value only dropped by about $400, which is a good sign of a stable inventory base. The next goal is to push the total listed value past the $20,000 mark.
Bulk cards still contribute to sales, bringing in $260 this month. These are not new listings; they are cards from the original 50,000-card bulk purchase made over a year ago. They often get added to orders for higher-value singles, making them pure profit at this point.
A Look at Monthly Operating Costs
Maintaining a lean operation is key to maximizing profit. The fixed costs for the business are accounted for before calculating the final profit number.
- Postal Address: $160/month
- Shopify Fee: $32/month
- Bank Account: $13/month
- Software Tools: Tools are used to manage listings across Cardmarket, Shopify, and Ricardo.
Total fixed costs come out to around $300 per month, a manageable overhead that is easily covered by sales volume.
The 14-Month Journey: Patience is Key
This level of success didn't happen overnight. The first several months of the business had much smaller numbers. There was even a month with a negative profit (December of last year) after factoring in costs and purchases.
The business truly started to take off around month 10, and has maintained that momentum for the last four months. This demonstrates that it takes time to build up inventory, gain customer trust, and establish a presence on the platforms.
Takeaway: The Growth Flywheel
The progress in month 14 is a clear example of the growth flywheel for a card-selling business: strong sales generate profit, which is then reinvested into better inventory. That new inventory drives more sales, and the cycle repeats, getting larger each time.
Being able to purchase a 2,000 CHF collection is a direct result of the discipline and success of the preceding months. It's a long game, but the results show that consistent effort pays off.
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