Scalpers sting shoppers with massive mark-up on popular collection
Updated . First published at
Scalpers are stinging shoppers up to a 230 per cent mark-up on Pokémon’s 30th anniversary collection items less than 24 hours after the much-anticipated collection dropped across the country.
The hottest ticket item from the range is the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box (ETB) which retailed for around $160, but has since been posted on eBay at a sale price of $526.90. Facebook Marketplace has also been flooded with marked up products from the exclusive range including single trading cards priced at $1,000.
Scalpers are stinging shoppers with a 60 per cent mark-up on the Pokémon’s 30th anniversary collection. eBay
Mass queues formed across the country on Wednesday night as Pokémon’s 30th anniversary collection dropped, with many fans left heartbroken after multiple items in the range sold out in minutes.
Kmart and Target stores that opened at midnight saw hundreds of eager shoppers lining up, hoping to snap up items in the range including a 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box (ETB), a poster collection, a Pokémon X-Box, a Tech Sticker Collections, and a Knock Out Collection.
While fans flocked to Kmart for the collection, elsewhere the items were popping up at marked-up prices. TikTok/@kavescards
Many were hitting up multiple locations to buy as much as they could find, including at major retailers and smaller outlets such as Good Games at Castle Hill in Sydney.
“We were at Kmart but we just came here because we saw the line,” one shopper told nine.com.au.
“We lined up at Kmart at 5.20am. There were about 100 people in line. And then we saw the line and came here.”
Another had tried their luck at Target.
“They sold out instantly, and some 24-hour Kmarts sold out instantly,” he said.
Some items were available for pre-order and sold out in minutes, including a Binder Collection, Mini Tins and Booster Bundles, figure collections, clothing, and accessories.
Another Pokémon fan told nine.com.au they were “tapped out” having bought everything they could find.
One shopper told nine.com.au they were hoping to purchase “as much as we can”.
While many had lined up as fans to complete their collections, others were planning to resell them for profit online, although one shopper warned: “A lot of these are reprints so I’m not sure how much they are going to sell for.”
A Good Games staffer told nine.com.au the poster collection and booster boxes had sold out in minutes, and that they had placed limits on remaining items of one per customer.
Prices range from $30 for the Poster Collection Box all the way to $160 for the ETB.
Just hours after the range went on sale in stores, multiple eBay listings have appeared.
Just hours after the range went on sale in stores, multiple eBay listings have appeared. eBay
Items are selling for double and triple the retail price. eBay
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) and its surrounding merchandise are part of a multibillion-dollar global entertainment franchise.
Originally launched in the late 1990s as a tabletop game where players use decks of Pokémon to battle one another, the hobby has evolved far beyond basic gameplay into a massive culture of collecting and alternative investing.
Pokémon cards are now one of the most popular collectibles in the world with over 64 billion printed worldwide.
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