The Pokémon trading card game is still very popular. However, retailers are forced to take drastic measures to combat scalpers.
For almost 30 years, the Pokémon trading card game has been around and it is still loved by both big and small trainers. New expansions are regularly released. The next one will be released at the end of March 2025, for which we can already show you 2 exclusive cards.
However, due to the great popularity of the cards, there are also people who buy the cards not for collecting and playing, but to make a profit. And this is exactly what some Pokémon retailers are now taking action against.
You can watch the trailer for the latest digital expansion of Pokémon TCG Pocket here:
Spitting in the scalpers’ soup
What is the problem with scalpers? Scalpers buy collectible card products to resell them for profit. This leads, for instance, to the collectible card expansion Prismatic Developments being sold out at many official retailers, as colleagues from GamePro reported.
Players who still want to acquire products from the expansion either have to pay horrendous prices, wait for reprints, or simply forgo the expansion. This causes frustration among players who want to collect the cards and use them for playing.
What trick are retailers now using? So-called Pokémon Centers, stores operated by the Pokémon Company where many Pokémon products can be purchased, are now employing a simple trick in Japan and Singapore to make it difficult for scalpers to do business.
The plastic seals on collectible card products, such as the Elite Trainer Box, are being removed. Products from which this seal has been removed are significantly more difficult to sell to scalpers, as such products no longer count as unopened.
This is meant to ensure that scalpers no longer buy the products, allowing private collectors and users of the cards to regain the opportunity to purchase affordable products.
At the release of the latest collectible card expansion, there was not just excitement. A retailer in the USA even decided not to sell the set at all – due to safety concerns: A store does not want to sell the new Pokémon set out of fear of the buyers
