>>53592018You pay for trading cards with either time or money.
You can get cards for 10% of their market price if you bid on auctions, buy lots, clip coupons, wait for sales, and haggle.
This takes a lot of time, but it can be kind of fun, and it's a great way to give each card in your collection its own story.
The other big factor is card rarity.
Shiny full art cards and old rares are expensive but commons are as cheap as the paper they're printed on, and many of them are wonderful.
Developing an appreciation for commons will slash your collecting expenses.
Between those two factors I probably spend about $100 a year on cards on average, and I adore my collection.
