Pokémon sells the same booster packs in several kinds of sealed box. The right one depends on whether you want the most packs for your money, the accessories, or something to keep sealed on a shelf.
| Product | Packs | What else is inside | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booster box | 36 in a standard English box | Nothing else: a display box of packs | Opening a lot of one set, lowest price per pack |
| Elite Trainer Box (ETB) | Usually 8 to 11, depending on the set and edition | Card sleeves, dice, condition markers, dividers and a storage box | New collectors, gifts, display |
| Booster bundle | 6 | Nothing else | A small, cheaper taste of a set |
Booster boxes
A booster box is the display carton a shop would open to sell single packs. A standard English main-set box holds 36 packs, which makes it the cheapest way to buy packs in volume. Special sets such as 151 or Prismatic Evolutions were not sold as English booster boxes at all, which is why their bundles and Elite Trainer Boxes are in such demand. Japanese boxes are smaller, commonly 30 packs with fewer cards per pack. See our Pokémon booster boxes.
Elite Trainer Boxes
An Elite Trainer Box trades pack count for extras: sleeves with the set’s artwork, dice, markers and a sturdy box that doubles as storage. Pokémon Center editions are sold only through the official store and carry extra packs and a different promo, so they are listed separately from the standard version. Browse Elite Trainer Boxes.
Booster bundles
A booster bundle is six packs in a small sealed box with nothing else. It is the entry point for special sets that have no booster box. Browse booster bundles.
Which should you buy?
- To open as many packs as possible: a booster box.
- For a gift or a first purchase: an Elite Trainer Box.
- For a special set with no booster box: bundles or Elite Trainer Boxes.
- To keep sealed: whichever you choose, check the listing states it is factory sealed.