Pokemon scalpers have now targeted an unusual piece of merchandise from the beloved monster-catching franchise, reselling a Magikarp-themed cat toy for a significant markup. Pokemon has been the subject of scalping multiple times throughout its 30th anniversary celebration.
Pokemon‘s anniversary festivities have been a time of excitement for many fans of the long-running series. The Pokemon Company debuted a wealth of special merchandise and collectibles to celebrate the 30th birthday of the franchise, ranging from apparel to limited-time food items. The anniversary has welcomed the launch of everything from Target-exclusive clothing lines and collectibles based on the video games to special Goldfish crackers and Pop-Tarts based on the Pokemon franchise. Now, an unusual Pokemon collectible has become the newest target of resellers looking to profit off the festivities.
Magikarp Cat Toy Being Resold for Steep Prices
A recently released Pokemon cat toy is being sold for significant markups as a result of scalpers buying out the product. The cat toy is modeled after a fishing rod with fan-favorite Gen 1 Pokemon Magikarp hanging from the end of the toy, being sold exclusively through the Pokemon Center website as part of the Playful Partners line of pet toys and accessories. The Magikarp fishing rod originally sold for $29.99 on the Pokemon Center website, though the product is now being resold for multiple times its value on eBay. Some sales of the Magikarp toy have fetched as much as $129.99, more than four times the original MSRP of the official Pokemon toy. The Magikarp Playful Partners fishing rod is currently out of stock on the Pokemon Center website, with no information about a future restock.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
The Magikarp toy is far from the first product to fall victim to scalpers since the Pokemon franchise’s anniversary. The first official Pokemon LEGO sets were a major target for resellers following the toys’ release earlier in the year, seeing significant markups even on the bonus badge set. The previously mentioned Pokemon apparel from Target was similarly scalped after its release, with even Pokemon-branded food items being sold for as much as $25 for a box of Pop-Tarts.
While the anniversary frenzy has spread to all parts of the Pokemon franchise, scalpers have become a known problem in the Pokemon TCG. The trading card game adaptation of the monster-catching games has seen a major boom in recent years, bolstered by some of the game’s most popular sets, such as the Kanto-focused Scarlet and Violet: 151 and the Eevee-themed Prismatic Evolutions. Reselling Pokemon TCG products has become such a rampant problem within the game’s community that some retailers have even begun to respond to the issue, frequently instituting purchase limits on new sets.
The Pokemon Company has introduced its own methods to curb scalping of Pokemon products as well. The official Japanese website for the Pokemon TCG implemented a method of user identification for customers purchasing sealed boxes, requiring shoppers to link their government ID to their account. The Pokemon Company International also implemented new policies for its major competitive events to prevent scalping, restricting vendors from selling graded Pokemon cards, Japanese Pokemon Center merchandise, and any individual item worth more than $1,000. Fans can only hope that new efforts from The Pokemon Company will help to combat scalping and make the hobby more accessible for everyone.