Pokémon Trading Card Game’s awful scalping problem finally caught Nintendo’s attention
The Pokémon Trading Card Game faces a significant scalping problem that has caught the attention of Nintendo’s leadership. In recent years, the secondary market for TCG products has experienced substantial price inflation, with collectors and speculators driving up costs for rare and popular cards. Major retailers like GameStop have capitalized on the demand by marking up prices on sought-after Pokémon TCG products.
The issue has become prominent enough to warrant discussion at Nintendo’s annual shareholder meeting. During the meeting, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was directly asked about the company’s response to problems caused by “bulk purchasing and high-priced reselling.” Furukawa acknowledged that both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are aware of the scalping and reselling issues affecting the market.
To combat the problem, The Pokémon Company is implementing new strategies, including made-to-order sales models. This approach aims to reduce artificial scarcity and discourage bulk purchasing by allowing consumers to directly order products, potentially preventing stockpiling and resale at inflated prices. The company hopes these measures will help stabilize prices and make products more accessible to legitimate collectors at reasonable costs.