Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: battle styles, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, shining fates

Overcoming Scalpers: How To Find Pokémon Cards In A Wild World

Scalpers have infested the Pokémon TCG hobby. They have made a career, an unstable career but still a career, off of spending the day driving to Targets, Walmarts, and other retail locations waiting for trading card restocks. As soon as restocks happen, the scalpers clear the shelves, buying product at MSRP and then selling it online for triple the price or more. This has led to hobby shops having to increase their prices, promises from the Pokémon TCG to increase printing, and collectors to yearn for a time when they could easily buy sealed Pokémon product to do what it's actually made for: open it. All isn't lost, though. Here is how you combat scalpers and save the Pokémon TCG hobby.

• Patience: This is hard, because sets are coming out fast and they look terrific. Shining Fates and Battle Styles are tempting, even at these highly marked-up prices. Keep in mind, though, the Pokémon Company has already confirmed that they're going to be printing sets at a higher volume to solve this current problem. Scalpers are creating demand by clearing out the supply, but Pokémon is the biggest franchise in the world. These flippers who know next to nothing about the hobby except how much money it make will simply not be able to compete in the longrun. If you don't give into the highly marked-up prices now, scalpers will move on.
• Local shop: Search out local card and comic shops. I've been able to find Shining Fates at fair prices at multiple hobby shops, where I was also able to pre-order upcoming product. These stores put a limit on what people can buy so that everyone can get cards. If you are unable to find a hobby shop, stores like GameStop have been taking pre-orders that are inevitably delayed but will eventually be fulfilled.
• Reputable online retailers: I've had luck searching through YouTube and TikTok to find reputable online businesses which actually work with distributors instead of scalping products from retail locations. Some of these stores even let you trade in your bulk for store credit.
• Social media: Now… how to find those locations? There are Twitter accounts including @PokemonTCGDrops and subreddits including TCGDeals that help real collectors find sealed product at fair prices.

Good luck. The Pokémon TCG as a hobby and the collectors that have made it a cornerstone of the world's biggest franchise for 25 years now will prevail.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!