The hype around the Pokémon trading card game just won’t die down. This is proven by a current case surrounding a viral TikTok video that is forcing the U.S. supermarket Walmart to take a tough measure.
Why is the TikTok going viral? In a TikTok by user mromano2003, you can see the checkout area of the U.S. supermarket Walmart. At one of the checkout lanes, two men are being served who want to buy huge bags full of booster packs from the new expansion “Fatal Flames” of the Pokémon trading card game.
The card packs are being scanned; Walmart is thus ready to sell the cards to the men in such large quantities.
The creator of the video is visibly upset about this and criticizes the manager who comes over for allowing this. Allegedly, according to the filmer, the manager would only allow this because he knows the two men.
The TikTok clip went viral, currently has over 1.3 million likes, and caused the supermarket to take action. Because this excessive selling promotes a problem with Pokémon trading cards: the so-called scalping.
Pokémon cards can also be collected digitally:
Walmart wants to limit the problem of Pokémon trading cards
What is the problem? The excessive sale of booster packs to just two individuals leads to scalping. This describes the resale of rare Pokémon cards at a high price. The rarer the cards, the higher the price these private sellers can demand.
“Real” collectors are thus forced to pay exorbitant prices. The high sale to individuals promotes exactly this problem.
What are the consequences? Those who think they can emulate these men are mistaken. Because Walmart has shortly thereafter imposed a purchase limit for Pokémon trading cards, as Kotaku and Polygon report. From November 5, 2025, customers may only purchase a maximum of five packs or boxes of Pokémon cards during their Walmart visit.
Whether this change is actually related to the TikTok remains unclear. However, some comments under a Reddit post strongly suspect this.
That the Pokémon trading card game is trending is seen again and again in how it is handled on the Internet. Huge openings are held on Twitch, there are challenges for attention, and much more. This development makes MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen sad: Influencers on Twitch and TikTok ruin the card game of Pokémon – And that makes me sad
