The Pokemon TCG 30th Anniversary set isn't even out yet, and scalpers have already been ruining it for everyone. Cards that leaked early are already being resold for ridiculously inflated prices, and we can expect to see this happen even more when the sets are out for everyone. Given all the attention on the event, it's likely that even the increased stock won't be enough to meet demand.
Now, one storefront is trying to get ahead of this. Mercari, a popular online store in Japan, is preemptively blocking listings for Pokemon TCG 30th Anniversary sets. The ban will be in place for as long as a "safe and secure trading environment cannot be ensured", to stop scalpers from making a quick buck so soon after launch.
As reported by Japanese outlet Game*Spark, Mercari announced this policy just a day before the anniversary sets go live. In a statement, they outlined that while individual cards can be listed, full sets cannot, and the storefront will be monitored to ensure compliance.
"Pokemon Trading Card Game products related to '30th CELEBRATION' sold by The Pokemon Company will be prohibited from listing during the period starting September 16, 2026, when a safe and secure trading environment cannot be ensured," reads a statement on Mercari's social media (machine translated from Japanese).
"Additionally, during the said period, we will implement customer awareness efforts, listing monitoring, and removal responses. For accounts that repeatedly engage in inappropriate listings, we will take strict measures, including usage restrictions."
If only we could get more online stores to do the same. Alas, we can expect eBay to be full of scalpers trying to resell full sets shortly after launch. It's sadly what we've come to expect from the TCG space, particularly with Pokemon.
With that said, hopefully measures put in place by the stores selling the cards themselves will be more successful. Many will be limiting sales per customer, so stock isn't instantly bought out by scalpers. We will see how effective this is tomorrow.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-30-anniversary-scalpers-banned-from-mercari-reseller-store/
