"While scalping is an ever-present scourge for collectible card game players, it has become a completely ruinous issue for the Pokémon TCG for almost a year now. Ever since the release of Prismatic Evolutions in January 2025, it has been close to impossible for even specialist stores to stock new sets of the wildly popular game, online stores are wiped clean in seconds, and larger retailers see anything put out on shelves gone in minutes."
"But what's happening at the moment is far more fundamental than this, with its now being normal to be unable to buy any packs of cards at all from any of the sets launched in the last year and a half. Even the official Pokémon Center websites, in every country, crash under the weight of bots and scalpers buying up everything the moment new sets are launched."
Since the release of Prismatic Evolutions in January 2025, new Pokémon TCG sets have been nearly impossible to purchase at retail. Specialist stores, online shops, and large retailers see stock vanish within seconds or minutes due to mass buying. Bots and scalpers repeatedly bypass purchase limits and queues on official Pokémon Center websites, causing crashes and preventing legitimate customers from buying packs. Promises by The Pokémon Company to increase production have not alleviated shortages or price inflation. Independent specialist store owners report insufficient stock to fulfill pre-orders.
Read at Kotaku
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