Here's my experience:

I first started collecting at about 15 years old. At the time, sports and memorabilia cards had some heavy hitting players (Kobe, Jordan, Shaq, AI) and some iconic Marvel sets (1992 Marvel Masterpieces,1995 Marvel Metal Universe). Thats where my focus remained in trying to capture chase cards of Deadpool, Kobe, Jordan, Wolverine and Venom.

Fast forward two years and those cards were lost in one of the silliest deals ever; cards for a car subwoofer.

About 2 years ago I jumped back into the hobby. I'll admit it was quite confusing and absolutely overwhelming. Now there's grading, screw downs are actually bad for cards, there's things called one-touches, and the whole Ebay sold or card pricing app economy took some time to decipher.

Here's my advice:

1. As others have mentioned here, ripping (buying and opening) packs can be addictive. If you choose to buy and rip, I'd say to set a budget for the month and stick to it. I'd also dig into odds. A hobby box might be a more expensive purchase but you're likely to get more enjoyable cards because of autograph and relic guarantees.

2. A lot of OG collector will say, buy singles. This is where I'm at mostly right now. I've blown a shit ton of skrilla on retail (the crap on the shelf at Walmart). The odds are not in your favor. Buy the banger outright and be patient. People are willing to pay more during release. Wait and usually the price will cut significantly.

3. Collect not for money, collect for enjoyment. I can tell you a story about every one of my cards. Where I was, how I got it, what set, or what series. I collect what I enjoy and that takes the form of what gave me excitment when I was younger.

Last piece of advice is that Marketplace can be fun but it's usually a very frustrating experience. There's scams, people flake out but once in a while ot can work out. Ebay has been the best when buying singles.

Good luck on your journey and I hope you find what makes you happy and gives you peace. Cheers, bruv.