Pokemon Scalpers Are Getting Pushback from The Pokemon Company

In the midst of Pokemon’s 25th Anniversary, the Pokemon Trading Card Game has seen a massive resurgence in popularity. Between promotions in Happy Meals at McDonald’s and popular YouTubers bringing pack openings back into the limelight, scalpers have seized the opportunity to capitalize on the brand’s popularity.

Minutes ago, the Pokemon Company issued a statement on their website regarding the situation. After acknowledging the shortages, they promised to, “Address it where it is within our control,” by, ” actively working to print more of the impacted Pokémon TCG products as quickly as possible.” They also published a shortened statement on Twitter regarding the situation.

The promotion with McDonald’s sees four-card packs featuring starters from throughout the game’s 25-year-history included in the fast-food chain’s kid’s meal, the Happy Meal packaged up in a Pikachu-themed box. Listings on sites like eBay are valuing sets of these packs for hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. Happy meals currently sell for less than $5 at most McDonald’s locations. Complete sets of the cards are selling for over $2,500.

While scalpers are having a field day marking up cards, the Pokemon fanbase is happy to see the Pokemon Company address the situation, even though a minority of collectors feel burned that their rare collections are being devalued. There are also reports of scalpers targeting Pokemon TCG booster packs and starter kits at retail stores. One person on Twitter mentioned how persistent the scalpers are.