Modern chases are getting dumped on tables at every card show; is this the normal summer slowdown, or the start of a real correction? Seth (Doodtacular) and Blaine (PokeTidalZone) break down what they saw on the floor at NonaNerds, why the Gold Stars keep skyrocketing and whether it's worth sending anything in to grade right now.

In this episode:

- Modern chase cards showing up dumped at shows... and what's actually driving it.
- Summer slowdown vs. serious market correction.
- Gold Stars: real demand, or hype and manipulation on a recycling loop?
- Private sales vs. comps, and why the public number isn't the number.
- Why low pop matters more than raw price when you're buying to hold.
- What grading delays are doing to the hobby and to the grading companies themselves.
- Is it worth grading your cards right now?
- Offloading bricks, vendor-to-vendor deals, and the 80–85% case buyers.
- How content creation actually changes what you can do as a vendor.
- Why relationships beat comps at the table.

"Go to eBay for vintage cards, not TCGplayer." Blaine and Seth aren't budging on that one and it's just the start of how deep they get into buying strategy this episode.

On this episode of Goldenrod Radio, Seth and Blaine break down exactly how they decide what to buy; vintage vs. modern, conditioning, grading, and reading percentages before committing... plus where AI actually earns a spot in a vendor's toolkit, how to build a brand that stands out at shows, and the toxicity that's been creeping into the Pokémon content creator space.

We get into:

- How they actually buy vintage vs. modern cards, and why eBay beats TCGplayer for vintage. - Which cards sell fastest at shows right now, and what that says about demand.
- Condition, grading, and pricing strategies that protect your margins.
- Where AI genuinely helps with sales tracking and organization and where it doesn't.
- Building a vendor brand and marketing yourself without burning out on social media.
- The toxicity surfacing in Pokemon content creators.
- How to choose the right shows to attend, and real networking tips for new vendors

Whether you're figuring out where to buy your next vintage pickup, building your own table presence, or just trying to stay sane in a hobby that moves fast, this one's essential listening. Real stories, real numbers, and genuinely useful advice from two people who love this hobby as much as you do.

1,000+ vendor tables. Roughly 10,000 fans through the door across the whole weekend. Do the math, and Card Party 4 doesn't look great for anyone trying to sell cards. Seth (Doodtacular) and Blaine (PokeTidalZone) break down exactly what went wrong, and what saved the weekend, at Card Party 4 in Fort Lauderdale.

On this episode of Goldenrod Radio, Seth and Blaine get real about the economics of vending in 2026 — what a slow show actually costs you, why trade night can outsell two full vendor days combined, and how to build a Pokémon collection (or a table) with an actual game plan instead of just vibes.

We get into:

• Card Party 4 postmortem — 1,200 tables, $75 tickets, and why Sunday's low-percentage bulk deals outperformed Friday and Saturday put together
• Starting From Zero in 2026 — a real $1,000 breakdown for a new collector, and the case for buying vintage over modern right now
• Vendor rules that actually matter — comping every card before you buy it, catching condition issues before they cost you hundreds, and why a table with no stickers is a red flag
• New set leaks — first reactions to the leaked SIRs, a Hoenn wishlist nobody's talking about, and whether the Gen 10 starters are the best lineup in years

Whether you're weighing your next show, building your collection on a real budget, or just want to know if the new set lives up to the hype, this one's essential listening. Real stories, real numbers, and genuinely useful advice from two people who love this hobby as much as you do.

Two shows, same weekend, ten minutes apart — is the card show scene
oversaturated? Seth (Doodtacular) and Blaine (PokeTidalZone) break down whether there are officially too many Pokémon card shows in 2026, plus the 30th Celebration preorder meltdown, wholesaler lowball offers, and a 2AM line outside Sam's Club.

On this episode of Goldenrod Radio, we pull back the curtain on what it
actually takes to survive as a Pokémon vendor and content creator in 2026. From vendor POV content saturation to the shifting economics of card shows and wholesaling, Seth and Blaine share raw, unfiltered takes on how to navigate and stay sane in a hobby that's changing fast.

We get into:
- The 30th Celebration preorder disaster — hours-long queues, error screens, and collectors getting BANNED for retrying too many times
- The 2AM Sam's Club line for the Ascended Heroes drop — rational, or has the hobby lost it?
- Are there too many card shows? Two events, one weekend, ten minutes apart

Whether you're a seasoned vendor, a collector weighing your next move, or new to Pokémon and trying to avoid the pitfalls, this one's essential listening. Real stories, real numbers, and genuinely useful advice from two people who love this hobby as much as you do.

On the first-ever episode of Goldenrod Radio, we get into whether vendor content is actually cooked, what vending really looks like in 2026, and the wholesalers walking the floor with lowball offers... including the 70% Blaine just got on $22k of sealed.

Tune in, trade up.