We’ve been banging on about the current Pokémon TCG price bubble for well over a year, documenting the ridiculous scalping and re-sale markets, the adults fighting over cardboard, and the terrifying spate of armed robberies, and it’s so far showing little signs of calming down. Of course, many are taking advantage of the situation, and among them is everyone’s favorite meme-based gaming chain, GameStop. According to reporting by Polygon, the stores already infamous for hugely over-charging for new Pokémon TCG product are pumping prices even higher.
Like most other products, Pokémon TCG packs and collection boxes are delivered to retail stores with an MSRP, the “manufacturer’s suggested retail price.” They’re by no means obligatory, but are generally adhered to in competitive markets where customers can instead visit a rival retailer if one tries to up the costs. And, rather importantly, they represent a profit for the stores over the price paid for the product from wholesale. The MSRP on a new pack of Pokémon TCG cards is currently $4.49, up from the long-standing $3.99 since a couple of years ago. That’s what you should expect to pay if you’re able to find a pack of the latest set—an act that’s been incredibly tricky to achieve since around November 2024.
However, given the difficulty of finding any store that hasn’t been stripped down by scalpers, GameStop has combined both the lack of alternatives and its larger buying power to feel confident to sell the packs to its customers at prices far higher than expected. Alongside making idiotic gambles on Bitcoin, GameStop has recently pivoted its business model to focus on the likes of the Pokémon TCG. And part of this, says Polygon, has involved experimenting with the price of new Pokémon product, with hikes as high as adding an extra $10 to collection boxes at the start of last year. But that was as nothing compared to current pricing.
By November 2025, GameStop was charging $7 for a sleeved single pack, which would usually cost you $5, while a booster box of 36 packs, MSRP’d at $143.64, was going for a ludicrous $239.99. And according to one GameStop staffer on Reddit, those prices are about to soar once more. “Wait til you see the price changes printout,” they write. “What are we doing?”
With the latest set, Perfect Order, due out March 29, we’ll soon find out what GameStop thinks its customers’ upper limit might be at the moment. Rumors are flying around that Elite Trainer Boxes, usually priced between $50 and $60 (it tends to change per set), may be set closer to $100.
This is, without question, gouging. GameStop is aware of the hype, and taking advantage of its customers with what amounts to dynamic pricing. It’s materially no different from the acts of scalpers, except that GameStop hasn’t even had to pay any higher prices to source the products from The Pokémon Company International in the first place. The only solution, to both GameStop’s malfeasance and the whole ridiculous situation in its entirety, is to just stop buying Pokémon cards altogether, although there’s little sign people are willing to try that. However, if you want to, here’s our guide for still enjoying the splendid hobby of Pokémon card collecting without having to buy any new products at all.