The last few weeks have been a mixed bag for Pokemon TCG fans. On the one hand, the market seems to be getting a tiny bit better. Maybe. With the new Prismatic Evolutions bundles at Costco and more frequent restocks at stores like Walmart and Best Buy, gamers are getting their hands on more product. And yet, even if some sets are getting easier to find, prices for many Pokemon TCG products remain high. From the looks of a recent GameStop release schedule, that’s not going to change any time soon.
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While some places, including the Pokemon Center and Best Buy, still sell Pokemon TCG at MSRP, it’s getting rare. Scalpers aren’t the only ones with markups these days. Local card stores are sometimes charging almost as much as the reseller market, and GameStop routinely sells items for at least slightly above MSRP. And it looks like the retailer might be working on inching up those prices even more, according to new intel. The details come from a Redditor who shared what looks to be an upcoming GameStop Pokemon TCG release schedule to the r/PokemonTCG subreddit. Along with restock dates, the list includes the plan for prices and purchase limits.
Checking against current restock listings on the GameStop website suggests this price sheet is pretty accurate. And, it’s got some pretty unfortunate news. As the Redditor notes, the highlight here is that Blooming Waters is getting even pricier. Initially, the Premium Collection was $69.99 at GameStop, putting it at $10 above MSRP. However, this price sheet shows another uptick, putting the restock at $79.99. GameStop’s current listing for Blooming Waters Premium Collections corroborates this price increase. While that’s bad news for Scarlet & Violet 151 collectors, the price sheet overall isn’t the worst news we’ve had.
GameStop Pokemon TCG Prices Remain Above MSRP
Although the Blooming Waters price increase is bad news, most other upcoming restocks look to be staying the course. GameStop has hit a trend of charging about $10 over MSRP for most products, and it looks like upcoming releases will mostly stick to that pattern. Most of the upcoming Pokemon TCG restocks on this list, Blooming Waters aside, are marked at just about $10 over MSRP.
For instance, the Black Bolt and White Flare ETBs are both listed at $59.99, which is $10 over the MSRP. Notably, this does match the Pokemon Center price, but that’s because the Pokemon Center released its own exclusive ETB. So, the $59.99 product from the Pokemon Center is slightly different from what’s being sold at other retailers for $49.99. A few items, like the Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundle, are a bit more of an upcharge. But, it looks like GameStop isn’t adding another $10 above MSRP to Pokemon TCG products across the board.
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Seeing retailers like GameStop charge over MSRP for product leaves many fans frustrated. However, not all Pokemon TCG collectors think it’s a bad thing. Some believe the slightly higher prices, along with GameStop’s “1 per customer” limit, actually help reduce scalping. Resellers won’t want to pay $10 more for a product if it cuts into potential profit.
Clearly, this latest update on GameStop’s Pokemon card plans is a mixed bag. For many, seeing Blooming Waters priced up again means they’ll be skipping this latest Pokemon TCG restock. But on the bright side, at least prices for most other products don’t look to be going up any further at the retailer, at least for now.
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