Pokemon Has a New Plan to Crack Down on Scalpers (But Fans Are Skeptical)

If you’ve ever tried to snag a new Pokemon product right when it launches on the Pokemon Center, you likely know it’s no easy task. Whether you’re after a new line of Eeveelution plushies or the latest Pokemon TCG set, chances are, you’ve met the Pokemon Center’s online queue. This feature was introduced in early 2025 in response to the ongoing issue of instant online sellouts for highly sought-after Pokemon merch. It’s had mixed success, and now, the Pokemon Company has announced an additional measure geared at combating the franchise’s bot problem.

In theory, the online queue was an effort to crack down on bot activity. Scalpers notoriously use bots to monitor sites for new drops of potentially high-value Pokemon products, then buy it up in seconds. The queue system is unfortunately notoriously bad at telling the difference between bot activity and human fans. Now, the Pokemon Center is making another attempt to help ensure its new merch lands in the hands of actual fans, not bots. It’s called the Pokemon Center Early Access program, and it’s coming soon.

Pokemon Center Unveils New Early Access Program

On April 10th, the Pokemon Center posted a new FAQ about its upcoming Early Access program. This program will give “selected customers” who subscribe to the Pokemon Center website an early shot at buying popular new releases. Most likely, these will include new drops for Pokemon TCG as well as new plushies and other items that would trigger the online queue system. And the Pokemon Company is being pretty tight-lipped about the “specific criteria” that will make customers eligible for this Early Access program. That’s probably by design.

According to the Pokemon Center FAQ, you don’t need a Pokemon Center account to get invited. You simply need to be subscribed to the Pokemon Center newsletter and meet the undisclosed eligibility criteria. When you go to redeem your link, you’ll need to log in or register for an account with the same email that received the invite. As of now, Early Access will be launching for only the US, Canada, and UK.

Even if it’s not stated outright, it’s pretty clear that this is an anti-bot measure. Not listing eligibility criteria may be a way to help ensure scalpers can’t game the system, and I’m betting that not having strikes against your email for suspected bot activity is probably one of the criteria. Given how often people report being falsely banned during Pokemon Center queues, however, this may not work the way Pokemon hopes it will.

Read Next

Why This Promo Snorlax Pokemon Card is Suddenly Selling for $260 More Than an Identical Card

Given how the queue has gone, fans are understandably already skeptical about the news. “Just making it easier and cheaper for botters to take more products,” says one Reddit user. Indeed, many fans suspect that bots will just make a ton of email accounts and register for the newsletter multiple times to try and land these Early Access invites.

That said, the Pokemon Center does address this fear in the FAQ. One of the key eligibility notes states, “Creating multiple subscriptions or using different email addresses does not increase the likelihood of receiving an invitation to participate in the Early Access program. Such actions may result in the invitation being voided.” Whether the Pokemon Center will actually be able to track and correctly flag this activity, however, remains to be seen.

If you want a shot at an Early Access invite for future Pokemon TCG drops and other releases, make sure you’ve subscribed to the Pokemon Center newsletter. If you already have a Pokemon Center account, double-check that email matches the address you used to subscribe to the newsletter. You should get an email with a special invite link when and if you’re selected for an Early Access opportunity in the future.

What do you think about this latest effort to crack down on bots buying up Pokemon Center stock? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!