These days, you don’t even need to subscribe to alerts to know when there’s a new Pokemon card restock at the Pokemon Center website. If you try to access the site and get placed in a queue, there’s almost certainly something related to the Pokemon TCG back in stock. The queue system is a way to slow down bots and scalpers, but it also makes it hard to access the website to check whether restocks like the recent Scarlet & Violet – 151 are still available. Even if you get to the store page, fans are realizing that the website doesn’t always accurately display Pokemon TCG availability, leading to additional confusion.
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Today, the Pokemon Center restocked the coveted Scarlet & Violet – 151 booster bundles. This set features new cards for the original Kanto Pokemon, which has made it incredibly popular. However, fans jumping onto the Pokemon Center website to see if they can get a set are often stuck waiting in a queue. That’s a familiar frustration when trying to check in on Pokemon TCG restocks at this point, but those who get in are noticing something else that makes the Pokemon card-collecting hobby tricky.
As many comments on this post asking what’s causing the Pokemon Center delay reveal, checking on the latest card restock isn’t as simple as you might think. When getting through the queue, many fans are seeing that the cards are greyed out and listed as Unavailable. Less determined fans might take this at face value, but it’s not the whole story. Many collectors report being able to add the Scarlet & Violet – 151 booster bundle to their cart and even check out despite this Unavailable listing.
The “Cart Trick” For Pokemon Center TCG Purchases, Explained
This latest Pokemon card restock isn’t the first time fans have noticed this discrepancy. Last week’s return of Surging Sparks sets faced a similar issue. Even if the item is listed as Unavailable, many are able to add it to their cart and, apparently, even buy the items. This happens so regularly that some have dubbed it the “cart trick,” and it may be worth trying before you assume you’ve missed out on another restock.
Because things move so quickly with these Pokemon TCG restocks, it’s possible the website has trouble keeping up with stock. Whatever the reason, sometimes sets show as Unavailable before they’re actually gone. If this happens to you after you’ve waited in the Pokemon Center queue, some customers have success with trying to add it to their cart following a specific method.
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First, go to the link for the product that’s showing as Unavailable. Then, click on your cart in the Pokemon Center. From there, click “Back” to return to the product page. Then, if the item is actually in stock despite showing up as Unavailable before, you should see the option to add it to your cart. These steps seem to help reset the site issue to better display the true availability of Pokemon TCG restocks on the Pokemon Center website. Although it looks like this latest Scarlet & Violet – 151 booster set has now truly sold out, it’s worth keeping this in mind next time you’re trying to check for a Pokemon card restock.
Hopefully, these more frequent restocks at the Pokemon Center and other retailers will help ease the heavy traffic and fix issues like the Unavailable button showing up incorrectly. Until then, it’s worth double-checking before you give up hope on that latest restock.
