Booster box, Elite Trainer Box, bundle or tin: what is in each
Every sealed product is a different way to buy booster packs. A booster box holds 36 and costs the least for each pack. An Elite Trainer Box holds nine, with sleeves and dice. The table below prices a pack in each today.
What are you buying it for?
Opening for fun
An Elite Trainer Box or a booster bundle.
- Nine or six packs is an evening's opening.
- The box and the sleeves get used afterwards.
The lowest price a pack
A booster box.
- 36 packs at the lowest price for each.
- The table below has today's figure.
A present
An Elite Trainer Box or a tin.
- Both look like a gift and include something to keep.
- A tin suits a smaller budget.
To keep sealed
A booster box or a Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box.
- Collectors pay most for these once a set is out of print.
- Keep the wrap whole and store the box cool and dry.
To play the game
Not packs. Buy a ready built deck.
- A League Battle Deck plays well out of the box.
- Buy the single cards you need after that.
- A booster box is 36 packs of one set, with nothing else in the box.
- An Elite Trainer Box is nine packs plus sleeves, dice and a storage box.
- A booster bundle is six packs in a small box.
- Tins and collection boxes add a promo card and hold a mix of packs.
- Special sets have no booster box. Their packs come only inside other products.
What is in each product
Booster packfrom $4.95
Booster bundlefrom $29.95
Elite Trainer Boxfrom $65.00
Booster boxfrom $184.95
Tinfrom $9.99| Product | Packs | What else |
|---|---|---|
| Booster pack | 1 | About ten cards from one set. |
| Booster bundle | 6 | Nothing else. A small sealed box of packs. |
| Elite Trainer Box | 9 | 65 sleeves, dice, markers, energy cards and a storage box. Some include a promo card. |
| Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box | 11 | The same with two more packs. Sold by Pokémon Center. |
| Booster box | 36 | Nothing else. A sealed display of one set. |
| Tin | 3 to 5 | A promo card. The tin itself is the storage. |
| Mini tin | 2 | A sticker sheet and an art card. |
| Collection box | 4 to 8 | One or more promo cards, often with a large card or a pin. |
| Ultra Premium Collection | 16 or more | Metal or gold promo cards, a playmat and other extras. |
Pack counts change from set to set. The box always lists its contents, so read it before you pay.
What a pack costs in each today
Worked out from the products we track today: what most of each type sell for, divided by the packs inside.
| Product | Packs | Most sell for | Each pack costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booster packs | 1 | $10.78 to $18.81 | $10.78 to $18.81 |
| Booster bundles | 6 | $64.09 to $91.14 | $10.68 to $15.19 |
| Elite Trainer Boxes | 9 | $139.78 to $215.00 | $15.53 to $23.89 |
| Booster boxes | 36 | $315.60 to $558.88 | $8.77 to $15.52 |
Older sets pull the top of each band up. For one set, compare its products on the set's own page.
Special sets work differently
A few sets each year have no booster box and no single packs on the shelf.
- Their packs come inside Elite Trainer Boxes, bundles, tins and collection boxes.
- 151, Prismatic Evolutions and 30th Celebration are all sets of this kind.
- That is why a booster bundle is the cheapest way into them.
Pack GameTry a set before you buy itOpen packs of a set for free in the Pack Game and see what the cards are worth.Play the Pack Game →Japanese boxes are not the same
A Japanese booster box holds 30 packs of five cards.
Do not compare its price with an English box of 36 packs of ten.
Our guide to Japanese and English cards has the rest.
In stock today below its usual price
Sealed products on sale right now, ranked by how far each sits under its usual price. Tap one for its price history.
Common questions
How many packs are in a Pokémon booster box?
An English booster box holds 36 packs of one set. A Japanese box holds 30 smaller packs. Special sets have no booster box at all.
How many packs are in an Elite Trainer Box?
Nine in a standard Elite Trainer Box and eleven in the Pokémon Center version. Check the box, because a few sets differ.
Is a booster box better value than an Elite Trainer Box?
For packs alone, yes. A booster box has the lowest price for each pack. An Elite Trainer Box costs more a pack and adds sleeves, dice and a box.
What is a booster bundle?
Six booster packs of one set in a small sealed box, with nothing else. It costs less than an Elite Trainer Box and is the cheapest way into a special set.
Does a booster box guarantee good cards?
No. English boxes have no fixed number of rare cards. A box gives you more chances, and collectors report wide swings from one box to the next.
More guides
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