For many Pokemon fans, finding actual Pokemon cards on the shelves has become a distant memory. Thanks to high demand, aggressive reselling, and not enough product, Pokemon cards continue to sell out almost immediately after they arrive in stores. In particular, the Eevee-themed Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions set has been difficult to come by. Many fans were looking forward to an upcoming restock for this line, which is set to return to GameStop on December 12th. However, it looks like the returning items won’t be priced quite how fans hoped.
Videos by ComicBook.com
GameStop looks to be prepping to restock a few items in the Prismatic Evolutions Pokemon Card collection on December 12th. A handful of products from the line, including the Mini Tins and Super Premium Collection, are listed on the GameStop website with a December 12th release date. At this point, most fans are used to seeing Pokemon card products priced at around $10-20 above MSRP at the gaming retailer. But it looks like the Super Premium Collection just got a massive markup a week before it gets restocked.
GameStop Planning to Charge Over Double MSRP for Prismatic Evolutions Restock
The Eevee-centric Prismatic Evolutions restock on December 12th is nicely timed for anyone hoping for another shot at gifting the set for the holidays. Until recently, most items in this restock were listed at pretty typical GameStop prices. But as pointed out by Pokemon TCG restock account @PokeTCGAlerts, GameStop’s website is showing a new price for the Super Premium Collection. And if this is accurate, it’s a bold move.
To confirm this screenshot, I headed over to the GameStop website to see for myself. And sure enough, as of the time I’m writing this, GameStop’s listing for the Prismatic Evolutions Super Premium Collection is priced at $199.99 ($189.99 for GameStop Pro members). The product’s MSRP is $89.99, and GameStop has previously listed the item for $99.99. Now, however, it looks like GameStop will be charging more than double the suggested retail price for the Eevee Pokemon card set.
The Super Premium collection is an especially popular item in the line, in part because it includes an Eevee-shaped deck box. However, it’s unclear why GameStop has seemingly increased the price by so much. It could be that the restock will be smaller than expected, and the company hopes to extend its shelf life. There’s also a chance the online price is intentionally well above MSRP to deter online bot activity from resellers, who have a pattern of buying out online listings for stock pretty much instantly.
Until the December 12th GameStop restock of Prismatic Evolutions actually takes place or the retailer makes a statement, it’s hard to say what’s going on here. Once people show up in stores on the 12th, we’ll get a sense of whether that online list price is accurate, an error, or a deterrent tactic for bots.
As for the other Prismatic Evolutions items, I have better news. The Mini Tin collection, also expected to return on December 12th, is still listed at $15.99, roughly $5 above MSRP. Most other items, though currently out of stock, are still listed at their more typical prices, as well. That said, the ETB is a slightly ominous “add to cart to view price.” Given that it’s out of stock, it’s impossible to actually see what that price may be, and it’s unclear when or if this will restock along with other Prismatic Evolutions sets.
Fans who’ve noticed the price increase are understandably frustrated by what looks to be a big last-minute shift from GameStop. Many are comparing the tactic to that of scalpers, notorious for artificially raising the prices on a variety of Pokemon TCG items. Hopefully, the price will go back to a more normal range before the Prismatic Evolutions Super Premium Collection actually hits GameStop shelves on December 12th.
What do you think of the Pokemon TCG market situation right now? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in theย ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm -
Image Courtesy of Studio Pierrot -
Courtesy of Marvel
