u/Generazn

Curious what everyone's strategy is for this Friday's big box release now that LGS rush has passed, hopefully people were able to get some product!

Also, pre-release is good EV if you're able to attend them. $30–40 for a prerelease kit gets you 6 booster packs plus a promo card. If you stay, you'll usually receive a participation pack and have a chance to win additional packs. One LGS event I attended let you drop after getting your prerelease box, but I've heard some require that you open it if you accept it. One LGS gave participants the option to buy a Trove and booster box at MSRP.

I've been calling around this week trying to avoid wasting time driving all over town, and every retailer seems to have a completely different approach.

So far I've found:

• Barnes & Noble: Some stores have been very transparent, telling me their typical shipment days, MSRP pricing, and purchase limits. Other locations said it's all third-party, they don't know what they're getting until they open the boxes, and sometimes product doesn't even arrive until release day or the day after. Even purchase limits varied by store.

• Best Buy: This was the most frustrating. Calls get routed to a centralized call center instead of the local store. I was trying to ask about my local store's release plans, but they couldn't answer and told me to go to the store on release day and ask. That kind of defeats the purpose of calling in the first place.

Edit Dropped by local BB, told they can't share any information, not even if they will have it or not. Told to just check the website.

• GameStop: Hard Pass (Well above MSRP)

• Walmart / Target: Not sure when they will get stocked, I'm going to drop by a Traget that opens earlier than other, but lady that helped me said sometimes they don't get them till later in the day.

It definitely feels like Lorcana demand is picking back up. Multiple Barnes & Noble employees independently mentioned they've noticed more interest lately.

I'm going to prioritize Trove boxes since those are less printed compared to booster boxes I've heard and higher ROI since its cheaper.

What's everyone else's strategy?

Curious what everyone's strategy is for this Friday's big box release now that LGS rush has passed, hopefully people were able to get some product if you're investing. Got a few boosters and a Trove at MSRP myself, but opened one booster and the Trove.

Also, pre-release is good EV if you're able to attend them. $30–40 for a prerelease kit gets you 6 booster packs plus a promo card. If you stay, you'll usually receive a participation pack and have a chance to win additional packs. One LGS event I attended let you drop after getting your prerelease box, but I've heard some require that you open it if you accept it. One LGS gave participants the option to buy a Trove and booster box at MSRP.

I've been calling around this week trying to avoid wasting time driving all over town, and every retailer seems to have a completely different approach.

So far I've found:

• Barnes & Noble: Some stores have been very transparent, telling me their typical shipment days, MSRP pricing, and purchase limits. Other locations said it's all third-party, they don't know what they're getting until they open the boxes, and sometimes product doesn't even arrive until release day or the day after. Even purchase limits varied by store.

• Best Buy: This was the most frustrating. Calls get routed to a centralized call center instead of the local store. I was trying to ask about my local store's release plans, but they couldn't answer and told me to go to the store on release day and ask. That kind of defeats the purpose of calling in the first place.

Edit Dropped by local BB, told they can't share any information, not even if they will have it or not. Told to just check the website.

• GameStop: Hard Pass (Well above MSRP)

• Walmart / Target: Not sure when they will get stocked, I'm going to drop by a Traget that opens earlier than other, but lady that helped me said sometimes they don't get them till later in the day.

It definitely feels like Lorcana demand is picking back up. Multiple Barnes & Noble employees independently mentioned they've noticed more interest lately.

I'm going to prioritize Trove boxes since those are less printed compared to booster boxes I've heard and higher ROI since its cheaper.

What's everyone else's strategy?

$120 Troves at Gamestop?!

I just called my local GameStop about Attack of the Vines. They quoted me $120 for a Trove, keep in mind these are $50 MSRP, that's roughly a 140% markup!

I knew this kind of pricing had become common with Pokémon, but it's disappointing to see it happening with Lorcana now too. I understand supply and demand, but it feels strange seeing a national big-box retailer pricing products in release day as though it's trying to capture secondary-market prices instead of selling at retail.

Thankfully, there are still LGSs that aren't doing this, or at least give their local community a chance to buy at MSRP through preorders or organized play before moving to market pricing.

Years ago, GameStop was where you went for MSRP, while some LGSs charged market price. It's wild seeing those roles start to reverse.

https://xcancel.com/i/status/2072342088872513746