The Pokemon TCG hobby is in a difficult spot this year thanks to card shortages on not just popular sets like Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions, but almost anything you might expect to see on your local store’s shelves. Indeed, fully stocked shelves of Pokemon cards have become a rare sight. Because cards are harder to come by, reseller prices for many sets and individual cards have skyrocketed as scalpers try to capitalize on the market. However, the difficulty of keeping Pokemon cards in stock is impacting prices outside of reseller markets like eBay, as well.
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Many retailers have been selling Pokemon TCG items for slightly above the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail price, commonly known as MSRP. For instance, the upcoming Prismatic Evolutions restocks at GameStop are priced at roughly $10 more than MSRP. That’s a bit of a jump, but it’s nothing compared to what many resellers are trying to get for unopened items from the Prismatic Evolutions set. The Elite Trainer Box, for instance, has an MSRP of $49.99, is listed at GameStop for $59.99, and can be found on TCG Player with asking prices around $136.99. Clearly, buying from resellers is not going to be your best value.
But one place many gamers do expect to see a fair price is at their local game store. Whereas many Pokemon TCG fans don’t have a particularly personal connection with big box stores that carry Pokemon cards, such as Target or Costco, many collectors do have a more friendly relationship with their local card shop. These independent sellers are often community gathering places as well as stores, hosting events for a variety of TCGs, including Pokemon, but also Magic: The Gathering and beyond. This means many TCG fans have come to expect fair pricing and even good deals from their local card shops. But the pressure in the market is being felt by smaller stores perhaps more than anywhere else, and it’s starting to show.
Local Card Shops Marking Up Pokemon TCG Well Above MSRP
Running a small business like a local card shop means working with narrow profit margins, especially when the overall economy is looking uncertain. That sometimes means making difficult choices, including marking up stock for hard-to-come-by items like Pokemon TCG cards. Lately, some Pokemon card collectors have noticed surprisingly high prices at their local stores, leading to even more frustration around the current state of the hobby.
One fan reports that their local card store’s pre-order prices for the upcoming Destined Rivals set were marked up 50% over MSRP. This is a larger markup than most Pokemon TCG fans are used to seeing, especially at their local shops. While it could certainly be an attempt to increase profit on a popular item, these price increases are often a result of the increased cost local stores pay to get the items in stock. With shortages continuing, distributors often charge more for these hot-ticket items, which in turn means local stores need to either charge more or take a smaller profit themselves.
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And it’s not just new sets like Destined Rivals that are falling victim to price increases, either. One Reddit user reports seeing the Scarlet & Violet – 151 booster bundle at their store for nearly $200! For context, that same box is set at $26.94 at the Pokemon Center, though of course, it’s currently sold out. So, it’s quite an impressive markup, but one that may feel necessary given the current challenges of keeping Pokemon TCG cards in stock. At this price, it’s hardly going to fly off the shelves, but with the scarcity mindset, someone may well pay the price.
Although it looks like a good number of local stores are marking up their Pokemon TCG items more than they used to, this increasing trend doesn’t mean every store is charging well above MSRP. Many fans report their local shops are still keeping prices in reasonable ranges despite the scarcity. So, it’s certainly still worth stopping by your local store when looking for Pokemon cards.
Hopefully, as The Pokemon Company reprints some of the most popular sets, more fans, and the local stores they buy from, will be able to get Pokemon cards at reasonable prices again. Until then, we’ll keep relying on luck and good timing to find that pack opening feeling.
Have you seen outrageously high prices on Pokemon cards recently? Let us know in the comments below!
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