Beyond Scarcity: A Theory of Sustainable Collectible Ecosystem
Abstract
The resurgence of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) as both a collectible and an alternative asset presents a significant theoretical puzzle: How can a physical product with minimal intrinsic value generate sustainable economic and cultural value? Despite growing academic and practitioner interest in collectible markets, existing theoretical frameworks remain fragmented, often examining resource, stakeholder, and experiential dimensions in isolation rather than as components of an interconnected ecosystem. This study addresses this gap by developing a conceptual framework to explain sustainable value creation within TCG ecosystems. By synthesizing the Resource-Based View, Resource Orchestration Theory, Intellectual Capital Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Experiential Marketing, this article develops an integrated model using the Pokémon TCG as an illustrative case, contextualized within Indonesia’s emerging digital consumer landscape, where collector communities and secondary markets have grown rapidly. The proposed integrative framework identifies five interconnected mechanisms that jointly sustain collectible value: (1) the orchestration of intangible resources, encompassing human, structural, and relational capital embedded within collector communities; (2) the governance of stakeholder trade-offs among players, collectors, and investors with divergent motivations; (3) the creation of experiential rituals, including brewek, a culturally situated pack-opening practice; (4) the cultivation of community trust and social capital; and (5) the amplification of value through digital visibility. The study contributes to the strategic management literature by extending ecosystem and intellectual capital theories to the context of collectible-based creative industries. It offers a robust framework to guide future empirical investigations into the dynamics of sustainable collectible value creation while also providing practical insights for stakeholders navigating this emerging economic phenomenon.