GameStop has come under fire on social media for reportedly pricing the upcoming Pokemon card expansion, 30th Celebration, at triple the original MSRP. However, some of the Pokemon card products in question will not be available until months after the 30th Celebration expansion’s initial release in September.
It’s no secret that the Pokemon Trading Card Game is both a popular and lucrative hobby that is showing no signs of slowing down. However, the ongoing popularity of the Pokemon TCG has made it the target of scalpers and thieves across the globe. Although authorities have cracked down on Pokemon card thieves in the US and other nations, Pokemon TCG products continue to be sold at higher-than-usual rates through third-party resellers.
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GameStop Called Out for Excessively High Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration Prices
While GameStop is known for hosting used game sales, that has not stopped the retailer from dabbling with Pokemon TCG products. However, as pointed out on Twitter by PokeTCGAlerts and Joe Merrick of Serebii.net, GameStop will reportedly sell the Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection: Day & Night box sets for $600, over triple the $180 MSRP. PokeTCGAlerts posted images of some GameStop price tags as they were being printed out. Given the early price reveals, GameStop’s price data was uncovered a full four months before the UPC box is stated to launch on November 6.
Additional prices that were uncovered by PokeTCGAlerts included a $30 price tag for the Knockout Collection booster box, the Mew and Mewtwo Figure Collection at $80 each, and promo bundles featuring Sylveon ex and Greninja ex at $70 per box. To make matters worse, the Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box was being listed for an eye-watering $130, over double the amount that other Elite Trainer Bundles are going for at the Pokemon Center. GameStop has not publicly commented on the Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration prices.
The Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration set will contain marked reprints of popular Pokemon cards released across the franchise’s history, including the Base Set’s Charizard card and other popular critters like Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Mew. As of this writing, the first wave of Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration products is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 16, via the Pokemon Center and various retailers, including GameStop. Subsequent waves of Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration cards and boxes will be held throughout the fall. However, GameStop’s potential prices for the 30th Celebration expansion may turn away potential buyers. Merrick said that, even though new printing facilities are being constructed, Pokemon TCG product stock is not going to change overnight.
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In response to Merrick’s post, some users called on The Pokemon Company to reconsider or revoke its retail contract with GameStop over the Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration prices. Shortly after GameStop’s Pokemon card prices were uncovered on social media, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated in a shareholders’ meeting that the company was aware of The Pokemon Company’s efforts to curb scalping. Although The Pokemon Company plans to use official government ID checks in Japan to combat scalping, Furukawa expressed confidence that Pokemon will continue to take measures to address the issue.