🍰The joy and sadness of photo cards (6) | Photo cards have a market price

Being a fan is an experience. Diving into that experience. So I decided to tell the story of the people who actually went through that experience. Today is "The Joy and Sadness of Photo Card(=Poca)". It's Pink Blood's 'Duckzil' essay, who has been insisting on being a fanatic of SM Entertainment for xx years. It is serialized once every four weeks. 

Since entering the world of photo cards by starting a new fan girl, I have heard an explanation of the "approximate photo card market price" from my friend. Until now, the word "market price" was unfamiliar because I bought everything such as concerts, fan meetings, albums, and goods at a fixed price. But, Market price? Is it similar to the price of seasonal ‘raw fish’ that is not properly listed and is listed as a market price?

Of course, the "market price" is applied here when it is a transaction between individuals. If you buy an album and pick a member's photo card through the extreme probability of randomness, and if you put it on the market to sell it rather than own it, it will be traded at this "market price."

The key to determining the market price is demand. Looking at this, I think the market is definitely the place where Poca is traded. The more people want, the higher the price. Constructing the demand, the first thing I experienced was the popularity of the members.

These days, idols account for most of the music industry, so they are called "Dol-Pan" (means ‘idol+scene’). Each has a large number of small to medium to multi-person groups, and the higher the number of group members, the lower the probability of randomly selecting my favorite. Even if all member versions come in the same quantity, it is inevitable that the prices are different.

Popularity can already be measured by many indicators, including record sales, and I was not comfortable when I found out that it was reflected in the photo card transaction. Given the difference in the prices of so-called "popular members" and "unpopular members" poca, I thought it was a little cruel even though I was not a party.

So, once the popularity is determined, it doesn't continue to change? It may or may not be, but the initial frame seems to be stronger than expected. This is what I felt when I checked the market price of Poca and participated in the direct transaction.

I was surprised that the price of the photo card, which I thought reflected the member's charm because it came out pretty and cool enough, was cheap, but on the other hand, there were times when there were many people who wanted it based on the member's popularity. Of course, it reveals that this is a judgment based on a subjective and personal appreciation.

The "completed type" from the debut album, which makes the heart of a fan beat with a formidable skill, is formed high from the beginning. And the "growth type," which gradually improves the photo card's skills, gradually increases the photo card price. Such good photographers are called "poca masters," and there is at least one person in each group.

The “point that stimulates the heart of a fan”, which makes you want to have a photo card, is so diverse that it is difficult to specify "what". However, it was sold at a higher price when it had "something that had not been seen well" or "diversity" rather than always showing similar costumes, hair, expressions, and poses.

People who belong to the axis of taking bad selfies sometimes hit the jackpot. If the result comes out well so that no one can deny or refute, the price of the member's photo card jumps regardless of the usual market price. Photo cards, which are considered “rare items”, are priced at hundreds of thousands of won.

Of course, there are cases where the price range is always similar or the performance of the new "Poca Master" shows a relative decline. This is usually the case when it is always similar enough to predict what it will look like, or when the selfie skills are not as good as the artist's beauty.

Trying doesn't always guarantee good results, but since Poca has emerged as the core of the album and there are many fans who are enthusiastic about it, they tend to welcome members who show more "sincerity" in Poca. This is the same reason why there are complaints about "why can't you use only that much of a great appearance?"

In the next article, we will deal with the "rare" that exerts more power than the popularity of the members, and the expensive photo card story (Korean fans call it "Banpo Xi" in comparison to the very expensive apartment-real estate-name) that the price goes up without knowing that it is sky high because too many people want it. | Pink Blood