Do we really have to ‘respect the hustle’ when it comes to Pokémon scalpers?
I keep seeing the same responses whenever people complain about scalping:
“Respect the hustle.”
“Then you should’ve lined up too.”
“They put in the effort. You should’ve done the same.”
“If you don’t want to line up, then pay the premium.”
“It’s just supply and demand.”
“If people are willing to pay that price, what’s the problem?”
“Nobody’s forcing you to buy it.”
And sure—respect entrepreneurship. Respect collecting. Respect market prices.
But do we really have to “respect the hustle” when that hustle only works because other collectors—especially younger ones—were prevented from buying something at retail?
Not everyone has the luxury of lining up for hours on a weekday. People have jobs. People have school. People have families.
And kids? They shouldn’t have to compete with adults buying cases just to immediately flip them for profit.
There’s a difference between profiting from genuine demand and helping create the scarcity that you’re going to profit from.
And with Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary, I think it hits even harder.
This should be a celebration of Pokémon—something longtime collectors can enjoy, but more importantly, something that can bring a new generation of kids into the hobby.
Imagine being a kid who saved up their allowance to buy Pokémon cards, only to find empty shelves because adults bought multiple boxes or cases at retail and immediately listed them online for two or three times the price.
Then when people complain, the response is basically:
“Should’ve lined up.”
“Should’ve tried harder.”
“Pay the market price.”
Years from now, I hope kids remember Pokémon’s 30th because of the cards they pulled, the binders they filled, and the excitement of opening packs with their family and friends.
Not because everything was sold out before they even had a chance to buy it.
Making money in the hobby isn’t the problem. There’s nothing wrong with making a profit.
And reselling isn’t automatically scalping. There are legitimate stores, sellers, and collectors who provide a service, take on risk, or simply sell products at their current market value.
But if your “hustle” depends on making the hobby less accessible to the next generation of collectors, maybe that’s not a hustle we need to celebrate.
Because the future of this hobby depends on today’s kids getting the chance to fall in love with it too.
I’m genuinely curious what other collectors think:
Where do you draw the line between reselling and scalping?