The Pokemon Trading Card Game is really hot right now, and that’s making it increasingly difficult for fans to get a hold of products. Whether it’s from retailers, or even The Pokemon Company itself, it simply hasn’t been easy to get cards lately. These problems are all the more frustrating for fans when technical problems exacerbate the situation. This week, the official Pokemon Center website put up pre-orders for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals, an expansion coming in May. Visitors waited hours in a queue to pre-order items like the new Elite Trainer Box and Booster Bundles, but there are now reports of completed orders that have been cancelled.
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At this time, it’s unclear how widespread these cancellations might be, but fans are understandably upset. The queue system was implemented earlier this year, specifically for days where high traffic is anticipated. The idea being that resellers can’t use bots to scoop up all of the product right away. It’s a good idea, and it shows that The Pokemon Company is trying to implement changes, but it didn’t seem to work out as planned. In a statement to Video Games Chronicle, The Pokemon Company addressed the issues that took place on Monday.
“We are committed to providing a smooth purchasing experience at Pokemon Center and employ technology that helps get products into the hands of fans first and foremost. Currently, Pokemon Center implements a virtual queue for certain products to help provide a more seamless purchasing process during periods of increased site traffic. We will continue to explore measures that help create the best possible experience for Pokemon Center customers,” The Pokemon Company told VGC.
The Pokemon Company is clearly testing out various methods to make sure these TCG products end up in the hands of fans, as opposed to those that are just planning to sell them on sites like eBay. This is not the only measure we’ve seen lately, as there have also been adjustments to how Pokemon vending machines operate, and how products are being sold in physical Pokemon Center store locations. These methods don’t seem to be going far enough though; Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Boxes are all over eBay at prices in the hundreds of dollars. The set is supposed to cost $59.99.
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There’s a lot of understandable excitement around Destined Rivals, given the set’s major focus on Team Rocket. The villainous group has been a beloved staple of the Pokemon franchise since 1996. However, fans should not commit to spending absurd money on these products. On top of the fact that it will only encourage this behavior in the future, Destined Rivals is not set to be released until May 30th, and Pokemon Center’s website states that “more inventory of this product will become available later this year.”
Did you try to preorder any of the Destined Rivals options earlier this week? Have you been frustrated over all these issues with Pokemon TCG products? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
