A single listing restriction sent the stock price of Japan’s trading platform Mercari on a roller coaster ride over two days. On Tuesday, it restricted the listing of the Pokémon 30th anniversary series, triggering a round of sell-offs; on Friday, it then surged by more than 4% again.
This situation is no different from old Chinese postage stamps or American baseball cards from the 1970s. The items themselves aren’t worth much; what’s valuable is how much later buyers are willing to pay. When the platform turns on the faucet, prices first shoot up, and crowds come rushing in to join the excitement. By the time everyone slowly realizes that the supply isn’t scarce, the “water” goes back down—while the fastest ones have already made it to shore. What the platform profits from is the transaction fees: it wants as many deals as possible, and at the highest prices possible. Although limiting listings clamps down on supply, it also conveniently enlarges attention by a whole notch. The only people truly left in the arena are always the last batch to take over.
When you look at platforms like this, there’s no need to judge by the card art—watch instead for what rule they write for the next round.
The real turning point isn’t how much it rose over these two days, but the day the 30th-anniversary restock actually landed—how many people were still willing to buy at the original price.
#收藏品 #交易平台 #投机
This situation is no different from old Chinese postage stamps or American baseball cards from the 1970s. The items themselves aren’t worth much; what’s valuable is how much later buyers are willing to pay. When the platform turns on the faucet, prices first shoot up, and crowds come rushing in to join the excitement. By the time everyone slowly realizes that the supply isn’t scarce, the “water” goes back down—while the fastest ones have already made it to shore. What the platform profits from is the transaction fees: it wants as many deals as possible, and at the highest prices possible. Although limiting listings clamps down on supply, it also conveniently enlarges attention by a whole notch. The only people truly left in the arena are always the last batch to take over.
When you look at platforms like this, there’s no need to judge by the card art—watch instead for what rule they write for the next round.
The real turning point isn’t how much it rose over these two days, but the day the 30th-anniversary restock actually landed—how many people were still willing to buy at the original price.
#收藏品 #交易平台 #投机
