Pokémon card prices are constantly fluctuating because of the hobby’s scalper infestation, but lately, retailers are starting to experiment with marking up the price of cards to see if people will shell out even more cash in their quest for the next big pull. Target was spotted doing it earlier this week, and now it looks like GameStop, always ready to jump onto a new scam, is also marking up the price of Pokémon cards.
GameStop is taking pre-orders for Pokémon’s upcoming 30th anniversary set at inflated prices (thanks, Polygon), and though The Pokémon Company hasn’t announced prices yet, GameStop is apparently setting its own, which are much higher than the suggested retail price TPC is likely to provide. =
The problem is best illustrated with the anniversary set’s Elite Trainer Box. With past sets, the ETB has typically run $50 at retail, but GameStop is selling the anniversary set’s ETB for $130, which is nearly three times the usual price.
“These prices are not good for the customers,” a Redditor writes. “Gamestop is being trashed online for their prices. Not sure why Gamestop hasn’t tried to be the destination for collectors. As an anti-scalping move it just hurts normal customers.”
The tragic part of this is that scalper prices have gotten so exorbitantly high that some aren’t convinced that this is going to be the most expensive price we’ll see for this set.
“You better believe scalpers will be charging more than $129 for the ETB,” a Reddit user writes. “The hype is insane around this set. The cards are cool. Sucks to pay $129 but this is likely the lowest the price will be unless you wait in line overnight at Target.”
It sure is a shame how much rot has infected the Pokémon scene, with even young kids viewing these pieces of cardboard as an investment opportunity instead of a pastime with cool art of their favorite ‘mons. Some stores are trying to fight scalpers by requiring IDs for purchase or even quizzing people on Pokémon knowledge to ensure they’re actual fans. In GameStop’s case, it sounds like it’s just going to rip off scalpers first so they can go on to rip off fans for more money. Scummy.