Booster box, Elite Trainer Box (ETB) or bundle: what is the difference?
The same set quickly comes in five kinds of packaging, with prices that differ by a factor of twenty. The difference is in the number of packs and in what else is in the box. Below they are side by side, with the sum that really matters: the price per pack.
Updated By the GemHunt editors6 questions answered
Short answerA booster box contains the most packs and is the cheapest per pack: 36 in English Pokémon sets. An Elite Trainer Box (ETB) has about 8 to 10, plus sleeves, dice and Energy cards. A bundle sits in between with around 6 packs and a few extras. Tins and blisters hold 1 to 4 packs and a promo card. If you are buying to open, the booster box is the cheapest per pack.
What is the difference between a booster box, ETB, bundle, blister and tin?
| Form | Packs | What else is inside | You buy it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booster box | 36 (English) · 30 (Japanese) | Nothing, just packs | Opening or keeping sealed, lowest price per pack |
| Elite Trainer Box (ETB) | 8 to 10 | Sleeves, dice, Energy cards, storage box | Playing, or as nice collector's packaging |
| Bundle | around 6 | Promo card, sometimes a card holder | Getting started without buying a whole box |
| Tin | 3 to 5 | Promo card, metal tin | Giving as a gift, or for the promo card |
| Collection box | 3 to 6 | Guaranteed promo card, sometimes a figure | The one card, not the packs |
Why is the price per pack the only fair comparison?
A tin for fifteen euros looks cheaper than a booster box for a hundred. Work it out, though, and in that tin you are buying a pack for three to five euros, while the same pack from a booster box costs between two and three euros. That ratio comes back in almost every set.
Divide the price by the number of packs. If you end up above four euros per pack, you are paying for the packaging or the promo card, not for the cards in the packs.
That is not an argument against tins or collection boxes. If you want the promo card, it is simply the price of that card with a few packs thrown in. It only becomes a bad buy if you think you are buying packs and are really paying for packaging.
Japanese or English?
| English | Japanese | |
|---|---|---|
| Packs per box | 36 | usually 30 |
| Cards per pack | 10 | usually 5 |
| Release | later | first, often months earlier |
| Cut and print quality | varies | higher on average |
| Tournaments | allowed in EN tournaments | not in EN tournaments |
In short: you buy Japanese for the quality and to be early, English for playing and for the quantity. We list both together in the Pokémon category and separately under single booster packs; the product name always says which one it is.
And for the other games?
The split into booster boxes, ETB-style packaging and single packs comes back in almost every card game, only the names differ. Magic works with Play, Draft and Collector Boosters, where a Collector Booster box is the most expensive form but also the one most densely packed with rarity. One Piece and Dragon Ball keep it simpler, mainly with booster boxes and starter decks.
If you want to see the whole range side by side, have a look at all products in stock. And before you buy a booster box: how to tell a real one from a fake is in the guide to spotting fakes.
Frequently asked questions
How many packs are in a Pokémon booster box?
An English Pokémon booster box contains 36 packs. Japanese boxes differ and usually contain 30 packs, sometimes 20, depending on the set. The number of cards per pack differs too: English packs now have 10, Japanese ones usually 5. So a Japanese box contains fewer cards than an English one, even if it often costs less.
What is in an Elite Trainer Box?
Depending on the set, an ETB contains 8 to 10 booster packs, a set of card sleeves, dice or damage counters, Energy cards and a cardboard storage box. So you are not only paying for packs but also for play accessories. That is useful for anyone who really plays; if you only want to open packs, you pay more per pack.
Which is cheaper: a booster box or single packs?
A booster box is almost always cheaper per pack. Packs bought on their own usually cost 20 to 40 percent more each than the same pack from a booster box. That difference is why booster boxes of popular sets sell out first.
What is a collection box or premium collection?
A collector's box built around one card or figure: usually 3 to 6 packs, a guaranteed promo card and sometimes a figure or a large oversized card. You buy it for that particular promo card, not for the packs. As a source of packs, it is the most expensive form there is.
Is a Japanese booster box better than an English one?
Different, not better. Japanese sets come out earlier, usually have a higher chance of rare cards per pack, and print and cut quality is higher on average. On the other hand: fewer cards per pack, fewer packs per box, and the cards are not allowed in official English-language tournaments.
Which packaging should I buy to keep sealed?
To keep as a sealed product, most collectors choose the booster box or the ETB, because they are the best known and stay in the most demand. Single packs and blisters are less sought after as sealed products, because they are easier to tamper with and so harder to trust.
Read more
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- Understanding productsJapanese vs English Pokémon cards: what is the difference?Japanese Pokémon cards: usually 5 per pack and 30 packs per box (High Class sets 10 x 10), out months earlier and not tournament-legal outside Japan.
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