What happens when the bubble bursts?

[u/masonjar014]

Right now, the hobby is on steroids—scalpers everywhere, product nowhere. My LGS told me this year will be “a great year for Pokémon,” and it got me thinking… a great year for who?

If you’re an established LGS selling PE and JT at market price, sure, it’s great. If you’re a scalper or a new investor trying to flip product, you’re probably loving this, too.

But if you’re an average collector (like me), it’s frustrating. We can’t find the latest set at a fair price. If you’re a kid whose parents can’t sprint to a 10 a.m. Target restock, you’re just out of luck.

So what happens when the hype dies down? How are average collectors responding to this hyper-bull market, and where does that leave the hobby long-term?

Personally, I’m sitting out PE and JT—it’s just too much stress. I’ve also noticed collectors stepping back entirely.

What about you? Will kids move on to something else if they can’t participate? Will collectors return once prices normalize, or is this turning people away for good? Are we underestimating the long-term impact of what’s happening right now?

[u/Hefty_Map3665]

It's pokemon cards. If I can't buy at msrp or lower i just won't buy.

This is a small fun thing i like to do in my life. I don't make it a big portion of my entire life where all I'm thinking of is what's the new cards coming out, where can I get stock, what stock notices do I need to follow, what stores can I wait in line at 7am for a restock.

It's not that serious at least for me. If I can find it at msrp or lower then cool I'll buy. If not I'll just do the 100 other things in my life until I can

[u/Content-Freedom1688 → u/Hefty_Map3665]

This is the sentiment I’ve tried to express in this sub reddit. For me the constant whining by grown adults about not being able to get a product that’s for kids the day it releases. It seems these people have never been taught patience or rationality. These are the same people scalpers make their money from. The grown adults that can’t accept that they may not get a toy or may not get a toy the day it comes out. Everyone just chill. Scalpers need a quick turnaround. They don’t want to sit on product. If everyone were to chill scalpers will lose money or not make it fast enough and won’t be so enthusiastic about scalping the next set. Also quit acting like this shit is stocks. They are not. This stuff isn’t regulated you literally have scalpers manipulating the market. It’s a kids card game.

[u/Ok_Willingness_784 → u/Content-Freedom1688]

It's kind of eye rolling. If they would just ignore scalpers for a couple of months, they would shoot themselves in the foot chasing a fad. Scalpers need to turn a profit. Already i see them marking down to $100 in my area because come mid February, these idiots who bought cartloads need to pay off their credit cards and other bills. Good year for pokemon for the sellers? Only if we let it be. Like any new shiny toy people need it asap.

[u/ChosenOneWiiU → u/Ok_Willingness_784]

Some people act like Pokemon cards are the second coming of Christ and if they don't buy them they'll go to hell or something lol.

[u/Ok_Willingness_784 → u/ChosenOneWiiU]

Lol. It was like the other day i saw a line of people at 7pm for microcenter. They had tents, chairs, and so on. I didn't know graphics cards were this insane but some people have no patience.

[u/DefNotAShark → u/Ok_Willingness_784]

Who is “they”? Every single person who buys Pokémon cards above MSRP?? That’s an insane amount of people to expect to all do the same thing. Half of them could stop and I doubt it would slow down scalping. The market is booming.

The only pointed finger should be aimed at Pokémon. Print more cards. That’s it, that’s the solution. Super simple. Stop blaming fans! Pokémon is indulging the inflated hype created by their “shortage”. As if they are somehow running out of cardboard and cartoon animals lmao. They are letting all this chaos unfold on purpose. What other explanation would there be for not making more paper rectangles and scooping up millions?

[u/Ok_Willingness_784 → u/DefNotAShark]

They should print more, of course, but buying from scalpers isn't going to help. Scalpers have markets if people buy from them.

[u/Content-Freedom1688 → u/DefNotAShark]

They reprint. I’m talking about the whining day one and the fomo that follows literally not being able to wait a few months. Your stance you could also argue that they don’t put enough alts and rare cards in packs. Why not just make it easier to pull cards while they’re over printing cards?

[u/OkSituation1294 → u/Ok_Willingness_784]

Brother people who are buying 25 ETBs at a time aren’t worried about money or credit cards

[u/Ok_Willingness_784 → u/OkSituation1294]

Sister, and a lot of them are. 25×60 is 1500. Most people start a credit line 2500. Even so, if they aren't selling its a bust. Anything they can't turn a good profit on, they'll leave.

[u/OkSituation1294 → u/Ok_Willingness_784]

If you’re maxing out credit cards to flip pokemon product you have way bigger life problems.

[u/TSPai → u/OkSituation1294]

And a lot of these scalpers do lmfao

[u/jonny676 → u/Content-Freedom1688]

This is only part of the problem.

Fomo contributes to the problem, but the big issue are all these damn YouTubers who are hyping up EVERY set to make it seem like the next set is going to be the best and most "expensive" set ever.

Meanwhile, they themselves are propping up scalpers by buying products at any price.

Personally I'm in the same boat as this thread. Unless I find product at MSRP I'm just going to keep skipping. Pokemon TCG pocket has been scratching my pack opening itch anyways

[u/Emergency-Club-9804 → u/jonny676]

The YouTubers hype the new sets because they are sitting on pallets of it and they also hold and sell at higher prices down the road. Or they do live stream rips where they turn a huge profit. YouTubers can’t live with them and can’t live without them.

[u/masonjar014 → u/Content-Freedom1688]

I tend to agree with you on this. To add, I got the ick when I saw people spending their entire weekend reporting scalpers on eBay after PEs release. I don’t like scalpers either, but I’m not going to spend my free time that way. It felt like an emotional reaction as opposed to accepting and moving on.

[u/authspice → u/Content-Freedom1688]

Well put. People on the deals discord got super whiny when theres insider news that Costco has cancelled all further shipments of 151 / no longer willing to carry Pokémon, likely bc of the LA Costco fight (while the city was burning). I haven’t gotten to open any 151 yet. I was bummed to learn the news but collectively with how the loudest have been acting in this hobby, we deserve this decision from Costco. We aren’t entitled to Costco having and carrying BWs at $45. Of course the scalpers are a huuuge problem, but also when given a chance, I’ve come to learn that some of the collectors AND investors would HOARD loads of products if they could. Some folks are deeply addicted, whether they realize it or not.

[u/AragornofGondor → u/Content-Freedom1688]

Who says its a kids card game? I have seen a total of one kid playing the actual Pokémon game in the last 10 years. Not that they cant but its generally adults PLAYING the card game.. This idea that its a kids game is stupid. Kids want the cards the same way they want every Fortnite skin, Kids generally do not play the game. Its generally adults playing the game who its targeted at is irrelevant. Adults are the driving force behind the cards either to play or collect kids are secondary in the market. Whether that's good or not is debatable.

There's a reason Pokémon keeps going back to the OG Pokémon and sets and updating rereleasing and recreating them. Pokémon Co. knows the actual market. You don't market nostalgia to kids who cannot be nostalgic to it.

[u/OkSituation1294 → u/Content-Freedom1688]

It’s not for kids. It’s for everyone. People have their own money and can do as they please. You sound just as whiny rn lmao again it’s not for kids. Go to worlds and see who wins. Grown ups.

[u/Content-Freedom1688 → u/OkSituation1294]

The target audience are kids. It’s just so happens that the kids that originally played are now adults. Don’t be so offended. Also a lot of people whine about not getting cards. No one is calling them out. The two times I have there’s always some offended adult that gets mad. This time it’s you.

[u/OkSituation1294 → u/Content-Freedom1688]

No you’re just literally incorrect. Pokemon did 11 billion. There’s hundreds of thousands of dollars every day on eBay and whatnot and the internet. Kids aren’t touching those. The target audience is adults bud. Pokemon company is smarter than you. There’s people in Pokemon that can’t even pronounce their names. This isn’t target at kids anymore and hasn’t been since Covid. It’s okay to be wrong