Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh Cards Are Getting Even Harder to Buy in Store

If you have been paying attention to Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh lately, then you know things are wonky right now. These series are living their best lives on-screen whether it be through video games or anime series. But when it comes to their trading card games, all bets are off. Scalpers have all but taken over the market from collectors, and it seems it is becoming harder to get some cards.

The whole ordeal began online when various vendors uploaded letters they received from box chains like Walmart. It was here users like superfreakinmario on Reddit shared that some stores are starting to phase out in-store sales because of all the scalping issues.

"The trading card categories have been removed from the sales floor and sales of these items have been suspended due to inappropriate customer behavior and increased demand," one of the Walmart notices reads. "Please do not stock these items until further direction from management has been given."

You might think this move is an overreaction, but it really isn't. Pokemon cards and Yu-Gi-Oh cards are skyrocketing in value. The pandemic has restricted the production of new decks, and fans are shelling out big cash for secondhand cards. Over on social media, collectors are still bemoaning the state of collectible cards, and some of them admit this move is needed. After all, reports of vendors being harassed are becoming more frequent, and one netizen said their store had to take extreme measures after one vendor interaction.

"I asked my Walmart why they had moved all their cards behind the Customer Service desk a few weeks ago. The woman at the desk told me that people were harassing the delivery lady when she was restocking the TCG shelves (I assume that Walmart uses a unique vendor for cards), and they finally pulled all the cards to the back when someone tried to steal her truck," user Addo76 posted on Reddit.

Clearly, things are wild in the world of trading cards, and stores can only do so much to stop scalpers. Desperate sellers have resorted to stealing cereal boxes as of late for Pokemon re-sales, so this sort of decision was bound to happen eventually. The only question that remains is when the hobby will return to some sense of normalcy.

What do you make of the craze surrounding trading cards right now? Has the phenomenon changed your collecting habits? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.