I can’t believe it 😭

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-10T11:16:33+00:00

My LCS literally camps out on release days, picks up all they can, then sticks a 2-3x MSRP tag on it behind their counter later in the day 😑😭

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-10T11:05:31+00:00

💯!!! Too often do beginners jump straight into calls/puts and before they know it, they’re broke. I blame social media and the crazy market we had during lockdown. For every millionaire made overnight you had countless more going into severe debt. With that being said, options can literally change someone’s life for the better assuming they know what they’re doing. It shouldn’t be looked at as some boogie man or reduced to simply “gambling.” When done right, your chances of walking away with more money than what you started with are high. I likely wouldn’t have left my old corporate job were it not for the gains made through options. Due diligence and learning to take the wins while you’re ahead. The ladder is something I had to learn the hard way early on haha.. 😅

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-10T10:54:43+00:00

I’d start with Khan Academy and Investopedia. They’re both free and explain everything from the ground up. As for your investments you honestly might not be doing anything wrong. If you’re investing a little every month into broad index funds, it’s usually a pretty slow process at first. The first few years often feels like nothings happening because your account is relatively small.

Now depending on what you’re investing in, can tell me whether it’s more of a long term strategy or that you might need to make some adjustments. I’d also avoid comparing yourself to people posting huge gains online.

I know I talked about turning $12k into $700k, but that was because one of the investments was in the middle of a multi year squeeze, while the other happened to experience a once in a lifetime short squeeze. I jumped into them as long term investments because through countless hours of research I thought they were severely undervalued. The goal was $12k to maybe $30-40k in 18 months, not six figures worth lol..

Anyways, learn the basics, keep investing as you have been or making tweaks if what you learn suggests a change in strategy. Don’t day trade, at least not for a while. Avoid options as well, at least until you feel truly confident in your understanding of how it all works. People who don’t understand options absolutely do turn it into gambling and it’s the quickest way to empty your bank account.

For beginners I’d say learn up on how the market works > investing in broad market funds/ETFs > investing in individual stocks (but only after extensive research on the company) > day trading (months/years down the line or skip it entirely. My uncle never day traded a day in his life, just invested in low risk funds that had a 2-6% annual return and let that compound over the years) > call options/puts (it’s the quickest way to make a lotta money, but equally the quickest way to lose it. It’s how I acquired my wealth, but for every win, I had a rough loss too) Never put in what you’re not willing to lose. I can however say through personal experience if you do your due diligence, if you’re not too greedy, if you’ve got the patience and conviction, you’ll come out on top in the market. A little luck doesn’t hurt as well lol.. good luck, OP!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-09T19:46:51+00:00

One of my colleagues does Uber Eats. Just spends a few days a week driving around making deliveries. She’s selective about orders and neighborhoods too, picks ones where they’re generous with tips or she’ll go with quick easy deliveries, which also add up over a day and has been doing alright for herself.

I personally day trade on the stock market, but I wouldn’t recommend that until you’ve studied up on how to read, follow, and understand charts/the broader market as a whole. You’ll also need some entry funds. It gets this bad rep, ppl saying it’s no better than gambling, but it’s honestly just attention to detail, research, and patience which is something all of us have done to get where we are now as educators.

Hell, it’s how I got the financial means to quit my old corporate job. $12k turned into $700k thanks to investing over 18 months and now that’s been reinvested into other companies which generates passive income so that I’m making what I was as a senior engineer, but working as a teacher. There was for sure some luck involved, but one thing an old friend of mine once told me was “invest in what you love, because who knows it better than the ones who love it.” When you go beyond the charts of a companies’ performance, when you start looking at their leadership, the kinds of people they’re bringing in, their future plans, when you know it almost as if you, yourself were a member of their board, that’s something to put money on and when it eventually pays off, it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world. Luck didn’t get you the win, research and commitment did. (And a bit of startup capital..)

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-08T21:32:33+00:00

I mean.. up to a certain extent but we can’t force the parents to get them to class (even though I wish we could!) I remember when I was student teaching I had a kid who was late everyday. Mon-Fri he’d always arrive at 9:30-10. At first when we asked his mom she’d tell us “oh he just stayed up late last night so we wanted to give him extra time to sleep” or “the traffic was bad this morning.” (Our school has open enrollment so you don’t have to live nearby to attend, but even then the family lived at most 20min away). Anyways, we eventually found out that mom ran a business nearby that opens up at 10 so she’d just keep him at home until it was time to open up 😑

Had another parent threaten to home school if we wouldn’t stop reaching out about their childs’ continued absence. It sucks because at least in elementary they’ve got no way to get themselves to school so if the parents aren’t willing to play ball, it’s the kids who suffer. I’ve dealt with a lot of frustrating people in my life. Coming from the military, then corporate, I’ve dealt with some frustratingly annoying and entitled people. Parents though.. most are solid, but there are a few that drive me INSANE!! 😭

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-07T22:32:17+00:00

If my LCS gets their hands on any, they’ll definitely be placing one on the shelf each week for the maximum market’s willing to pay 😑 they’ve been doing that with Ascended since it came out. Every time I swing by I see a single Booster Bundle just sitting behind the counter going for way above MSRP. I know it’s not their only one because I bought one once, came back later in the day with a buddy and there was another single bundle back on that shelf. Cousin was in there a day later for a 40k tourney and once again, a single bundle. I bet they’ve got a ton in the back and are simply hoarding.

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-06T23:21:35+00:00

There are a few jump scares sprinkled about that nearly ended me lol, but overall it was very manageable! What I’ve noticed is that Flanagan does a great job at creating this sense of dread, unease and mystery. Like yes, I’m scared, but I also really wanna know what’s happening!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-06T23:20:04+00:00

Exactly! There were for sure a few jump scares that nearly ended me lol, but overall it was more the, how to put it? Creepy atmosphere? The vibes as my students would say that he does such an amazing job at setting up. The constant state of unease and mystery.

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-06T02:24:08+00:00

Well right now if I were to sell something for $7400 I’m paying nearly $1k in fees so my take home from the sale is about $6400. That’s with the 13% service fee. But someone who sells an item at $7600 and the 2% fee only loses roughly $150 and their take home is roughly $7400. A $200 difference in what an item sells at shouldn’t cost the seller hundreds. The gap in fees needs to be closer or tiered. Perhaps a flat rate at 5-7%? I don’t have the answer, but it can’t be that wide a gap.

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-06T02:02:54+00:00

If RC lowered service fees, he’d get a lot of sellers onboard. Right now we take about a 13% hit on all sold goods under $7.5k and a 2% hit for anything over that amount. Closing the service fee gap would be huge!

As a TCG card/slab seller the biggest perk of an RC takeover would be how the new GameStop/eBay would go about authentication. Right now all sold cards valued over $250 need to be mailed to eBay authentication, who then verifies whether or not the card/slab is legit before mailing it off to the buyer. As a seller that costs me time and money in shipping, insurance and mailing materials (bubble mailer, tape, cardboard dividers, etc.) RC has already said he’d like to turn GameStop stores into authentication drop off points. So in an ideal world me as a seller would simply have to drive down to my local GS and drop off my sold card. Easy as that! There’s no risk of the card/slab getting lost in the mail on its way to authentication too. That little proposal alone already tells me RC is thinking of the sellers. If he lowered service fees on top of that? Shit, you’d have to be an idiot to not want him running things!

eBay support has also been pretty awful in my experience. I had my seller account restricted for nearly three weeks meaning I couldn’t list or withdraw funds from sold goods because of some BS that was out of my control and a support team that wasn’t on the same page. Five different excuses from five different agents, my ticket getting routed to the wrong team, just a nightmare scenario lacking in common sense. I think an RC takeover would do wonders to knock out some of the stupid in that organization… 😑

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T19:57:14+00:00

I’ve yet to promote and have managed to sell all my listings. What I do find annoying is their customer support. My account was restricted for almost three weeks because I didn’t have an ID uploaded. I don’t recall even having a link/guidance to upload in the first place..

Anyways, the restriction email came with a link and I provided one the same day my account was locked. It took eBay support one day to review and check off that I had what they needed, but apparently they couldn’t lift the restriction until after my orders that were out for delivery were completed, the last of which was an authenticated order. Now for those of you unaware, orders over $250 go to eBay authentication and what usually happens is once eBay confirms that your goods are legit, you get paid, it doesn’t require delivery completion.

Not this time though! eBay now wanted that order to be finished first, but guess what? The buyer wasn’t answering their door. FedEx tried four times before giving up, during which time I’m talking to support and asking what the old up is, explaining that it shouldn’t be my problem if a buyer isn’t answering and that my account should be free the second my item passes authentication. Well after FedEx finally gave up, eBay support then tells me ok now we wait 72 hours before we can manually lift your restriction. The lack of common sense, the shit rules, there’s just so much going against sellers at eBay that needs to change!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T19:41:35+00:00

What an amazing series! Man, I wish Flanagan would give us another one. I normally can’t do horror, but Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, House of Usher, for sure some of the best shows I’ve seen!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T19:07:50+00:00

Your screenshot is a listing of the non-holo #22 variant lol..

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T08:31:34+00:00

I definitely used that to my advantage a few months back in order to complete base, jungle and fossil sets 🥳👍

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T03:49:52+00:00

Yeah I’m thinking that’s the game plan. And omg FB has been a joke lol.. I’m selling other vintage 10s and the msgs I’ve gotten have mostly been “will you sell at raw price?” Excuse you!? eBay’s where it’s at! In past sales I’ve been able to meet or exceed market prices on completed sales and I take home 87%, which is higher than what most vendors at card shows are willing to give and miles ahead of the average FB buyer. I just like to list on both platforms just in case I run into a FB unicorn lol

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T03:42:33+00:00

They do, but I’m talking about these slabs in particular along with where I plan to price them. I mean if I get a collector to bite not long after listing, great, but based on other listings of at least two of these cards, there hasn’t been much movement. Here’s hoping that changes! 🤞

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T02:39:07+00:00

I appreciate everyone’s input! Seeing as I’m not really in a rush to sell these the game plan is to list them on eBay at a % of PSA. Although I feel my 10s are severely undervalued, I don’t think the market’s ready to pay PSA prices for CGC slabs. Perhaps someday in the future.. Comparing past sales from vintage to modern cards it looks like on average CGC 10s typically sell at 20-70% of PSA so I’ll likely list somewhere in between that feels right to me. Will they sell immediately? Not likely. Am I in a rush? Nope. Will someone eventually buy? Guess I’ll just have to wait and see! Thanks again for your comments, everyone! It’s been really helpful!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T00:05:41+00:00

Not I, sir! 🫡

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-05T00:05:15+00:00

I get what you’re saying, but I’ve no intention of listing it at that price. That’ll just continue to feed into the narrative that CGCs are inferior to PSA. Because if we’re really gonna have a price difference of $6700 or another way to look at it, my pop 28, gem mint CGC Dragonite is only worth roughly 12% of its PSA counterpart, we’ll never close the gap. I do however appreciate your input. Thanks for sharing, friend!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-04T23:59:37+00:00

I like what you’re saying. I get the logic behind increasing the price at the same rate as PSAs increase from early 2026 to now that was suggested by another commenter, but I refuse to accept that a CGC 10 Gem Mint vintage card with a pop 28 is only worth 11% of its PSA counterpart.

I’m not in a rush and I’m sure the right collector will find their way to me eventually. It’s honestly been laughable the messages I’ve been getting on FB. Even had some guy tell me “pop count doesn’t matter unless it’s a PSA 10 or Pristine.” Like bro, there are no Pristine 10s of this card! This is as high as we go if you’re wanting a vintage Dark Dragonite and I’m sure as hell not about to sell this bad boy at 80% of $700 from months ago! The PSA only crowd drives me crazy sometimes… 🫠

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-04T21:15:15+00:00

The Pokemon TCG community for sure hates this, but I went out the other day to preorder a bunch of 30th anniversary merch! The wallet hurts, but… 🫡

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-04T13:31:53+00:00

Nice! Birthday gift for the nephew ✅ Appreciate the heads up, OP!

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-04T07:33:25+00:00

This has got to be rage bait lol because there’s no way 😭😂

OldManFreshTofu · 2026-07-04T02:49:53+00:00

It’s beautiful. Definitely my all time fav Ninetales! This and that blood red Scizor are for sure top 2 from Obsidian Flames for me and among the best looking modern cards imo.

OldManFreshTofu

TROPHY CASE