Gotta buy ’em all: how Pokémon card collecting became race against scalpers
Fans trying to access latest releases are being priced out in a cut-throat market driven by crypto-like hype The runaway demand for Pokemon cards is because they are being hyped “like crypto”, according to one young fan who had spent the night queueing outside a London store to make sure he did not miss out on the latest card release. Before its 10am opening on Friday, the line outside the pop culture store…
Key points
- Fans queued overnight outside Forbidden Planet in London for the £49.99 Delta Reign elite trainer box.
- Kai, 25, said crypto investors have entered Pokémon and cards have ballooned in price.
- Strategist Calvin Innes said demand has outrun the machines despite about 10bn cards made a year.
Demand for newly released Pokémon trading cards has turned collecting into a race against scalpers, with fans queueing overnight outside Forbidden Planet in central London before its 10am opening on Friday. The store limited its £49.99 Delta Reign elite trainer box to one per customer and applied a supplier-requested unsealing policy to deter resellers.
Kai, 25, who had been in line since 3am, said the queue of more than 120 people was probably about half fans and half resellers. He said cards that used to be cheap have ballooned in price, pricing fans out.
Crypto-style hype blamed
Kai attributed the rabid interest to people from the crypto space getting into Pokémon, buying cards for profit and even gambling, with fans targeted by livestreams to bid on cards. He said resellers were identifiable by their multiple shopping bags, adding that as a collector there is no reason to have that many.
Anthony, 26, came straight from a waiting shift at 1am to take third place in the queue. Luke, 30, said nostalgia around Pokémon's 30th anniversary this year was the straw that broke him, and that scalpers were why people like him turn up so early.
It’s not impossible for kids to get cards but the buying experience has gotten really ugly
— Calvin Innes
What experts advise parents
Calvin Innes, a fandom and pop culture strategist, said Pokémon produces about 10bn cards a year but demand had outrun the machines, leaving a hard supply limit behind bots, scalpers and queues. He said the buying experience has gotten really ugly and that as a father of three Pokémon fans, it sucks.
Innes said single packs and blisters were more accessible than elite trainer and booster boxes, though smaller high street retailers sold out quickly. He advised buying singles from UK card shops, marketplaces such as Cardmarket or top-rated eBay UK sellers, or attending prerelease and league events, typically £25-£30 with guaranteed cards.
Store keeps stock for players
Daniel Garnett, who owns the Hull Pops Gaming Centre in Hessle, East Yorkshire, runs a free kids club and tries to keep product back for regular players. He said the centre teaches children about the game and cards and has a qualified Pokémon judge helping out.
Garnett said that about a month ago many parents brought their children in purely to buy product, with no intention of playing or staying for the session.
