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r/PokemonAUcollectors

▲ 27 r/PokemonAUcollectors

This Friday's Chaos Rising release in Australia - here's EVERYTHING you need to know! *Except stock levels

Disclaimer: I don't have time to grab stock numbers, please seek help elsewhere! I have a plan to publish stock levels automatically, I'll get to it one day...

1) Chaos Rising Products Releasing This Friday

The product lineup this week includes the following items:

  • Booster Boxes (36 Packs): Standard display boxes containing 36 booster packs ($270.80 - $330.00 AUD approximately).
  • Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs): Includes 9 booster packs, player accessories, and an exclusive promo card ($100.00 - $130.00 AUD approximately).
  • Booster Bundles: Contains 6 booster packs ($49.99 - $65.00 AUD approximately).
  • Booster Packs: Individual loose packs ($9.25 - $9.95 AUD).
  • Build & Battle Deck: A ready-to-play 60-card deck releasing concurrently ($35.00 AUD approximately).
  • Checklane blisters: The usual single-pack blister with a coin and promo (Toxel).

2) Pre-orders completed to-date

All major and specialty retailers have concluded their initial window for pre-orders due to high demand outstripping distributor allocations. It's not Ascended Heroes, but it's still popular (much more so than Perfect Order) due to the many Greninja fans out there!

  • EB Games / Zing Pop Culture: ETBs were available for a few weeks in March/April but all sold out now.
  • JB Hi-Fi, Kmart, BigW: Pre-orders for premium items like Booster Boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes are done and dusted.
  • Toymate: All gone!
  • Specialty TCG Stores (e.g., Collectible Madness, Gameology and so on): Main pre-order waves are generally completed. Any residual or late-wave stock listings are subject to current market premium pricing.

3) Pre-orders Yet to Come

You can pre-order booster boxes right now with EB. Otherwise, particularly for ETBs, there are no further pre-orders as far as we know. Target usually sells online on the morning of the release, but they have unusually already completed pre-orders for this set! That's not to say they won't release more, but it seems unlikely.

4) Where to head in-store on Friday

For those purchasing in-store on release day, stock availability will vary across the major retailers:

  • Kmart: Items are usually located behind the checkout area or the central service desk.
  • Target: Allocations are historically smaller than Big W, but check their service desk.
  • Toyworld: Stock levels and exact release day pricing vary by location, but they are a reliable source for physical stock (behind the registers).
  • Toymate: Will have physical shelf stock available at opening for non-pre-order customers, though quantities are limited.
  • Big W: Expect inventory to be placed behind the service/tech desk. Strict purchase limits per customer will apply and can vary by store. Recommend chatting with local staff, some stores might not get stock.
  • EB Games: Stores will open at standard center hours (typically 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM). Pre-order collections will be processed first, followed by any unallocated loose booster pack stock at $9.95 AUD per pack. Booster boxes will be available on-demand on release day. Individual pack limits are capped at 72 per customer / 2 booster boxes.
  • Good Games: They will prioritize fulfillment of pre-orders if they've done them (not sure whether they did or not), but they're usually pretty good on release day.

Have a look at the list of smaller local game stores I've included below, if you want to support local and give them a go.

5) Strategy & Logistics

  • Arrival Times: Don't queue at 4am, completely unnecessary. 30 minutes before open should be fine - but don't quote me on that, I'm not an early bird.
  • Purchase Limits: Expect strict caps across all retailers to combat immediate reselling. Big chains like Big W and EB Games will enforce limits ranging from 1–2 units per premium item or specific pack thresholds.

6) Staying up to date

We have several communities to discuss various TCG, restocks and in-store sightings - for collectors only.

Whatsapp Aussie TCG community - free

Telegram Aussie TCG community - free

Discord Aussie TCG community - with Premium features

If you want to know why these Aussie communities are different to others, refer to this post.

That's the overview for now - see local card stores below if you want to try your luck. Above all else, please be kind to staff. Good luck out there!

Please note: the following section was written with the assistance of AI, and is provided for your convenience only. I did my best to validate what I could, but please do your own independent research on your local area/store.

Regional/Independent Highlights

The following independent local game stores (LGS) and specialty networks are verified Pokémon TCG stockists. Please contact your local store directly to confirm exact opening hours, walk-in availability, and remaining day-one shelf allocations.

Sydney & NSW

  • The Card Spot (Langley/Online)
  • One Stop Poke Shop (Chatswood)
  • Northern Beaches Trading Cards (Dee Why)
  • Double Kill TCG (Haymarket)
  • Cardhub (Greenacre)
  • Rice Collects (Chatswood)
  • First Games
  • The Games Cube (Parramatta)
  • Good Games (Central & Chatswood)
  • From The Deep Games (Penrith)
  • Games Corner (Parramatta)
  • The Hall of Heroes (Campbelltown)
  • Games Empire (Castle Hill)
  • Mega Games (Penrith)
  • Good Games Regional Network (Newcastle, Wollongong, Gosford)

Brisbane & QLD

  • Brokenvase Games (Sumner)
  • Mint Collectables
  • Sovereign Cards (North Lakes)
  • Relove Oxley
  • Misty's Collectables (Albany Creek)
  • Local Card Shop (The Gabba)
  • PACS Collectables (Rothwell)
  • Dark Wolf Collectibles (Deception Bay)
  • MTG MATE (Banyo)
  • 105th Armoury (Brighton)
  • Vault Games (Brisbane CBD & Clayfield)
  • Fastbreak Sports (Fortitude Valley)
  • Good Games Regional Network (Gold Coast/Southport, Townsville, Rockhampton)

Melbourne & VIC

  • Cherry Collectables (West Melbourne)
  • Luna Cards
  • Collector's Space
  • Purplish TCG
  • Tabarnacle Games (Fitzroy)
  • Cardtastic Collectables (Clayton)
  • Dream Collectables (Knox)
  • Gameology (Clayton & Epping)
  • TCGroup AU (Epping)
  • Good Games (Melbourne CBD & Box Hill)
  • General Games (Malvern & Frankston)
  • Guf Network (Werribee, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton)
  • Next Level Games (Dandenong & Ormond)

Adelaide & SA

  • Sports Card World (Rundle Mall)
  • Mayhem Collectables (Norwood)
  • Good Games Adelaide (CBD / King William St)
  • Hero Stash (Campbelltown)
  • Shuffled (Salisbury)
  • Shin Tokyo (Adelaide CBD)
  • Dragon's Lair (St Marys & Salisbury)
  • The Hobby Matrix (Adelaide)
  • Table Top Warfare (Gawler, Prospect & Crystal Brook)

Perth & WA

  • Al's Card Shop (Perth CBD)
  • Kollecter
  • Just Cards (Wangara)
  • Tactics (Perth CBD)
  • Quick Draw Cards (Joondalup)
  • Good Games Network (Cannington, Morley, Joondalup, Rockingham)
  • Beyond Games and Hobby (Bunbury)

Canberra, Hobart & Darwin (ACT, TAS & NT)

  • Collectors Colosseum (Canberra)
  • Dragon Loot (Canberra)
  • Gametraders SouthPoint (Tuggeranong)
  • The Games Capital (Canberra CBD)
  • Jolt Games (Mitchell, ACT)
  • Good Games Hobart
  • Area52 (Hobart)
  • DICE Collectables (Hobart)
  • The Game Forge (Launceston, TAS)
  • The Wicked Goblin (Cairns / Regional Hub)
u/FellowshipOfThePings — 2 days ago
▲ 1 r/PokemonAUcollectors+1 crossposts

Building Valuna: a safer way to buy and sell TCG cards in Australia

Hey everyone,

We’re building Valuna, a verified TCG marketplace designed for Australian collectors.

The idea came from a problem a lot of collectors know too well: buying cards online can feel risky. Wrong condition, questionable listings, missing cards, long dispute processes, and the general feeling that you’re relying on blind trust.

Valuna is being built to make buying, selling, collecting and grading TCG cards safer and more transparent in Australia.

The core difference is that marketplace sales are designed to pass through our physical verification hub in Newcastle, NSW before they reach the buyer.

That means:

If the card does not match the listing, the buyer is refunded.

If the card never reaches our verification hub, the buyer is refunded.

Private buyer details stay protected.

Transactions are built around verification rather than trust alone.

Alongside the marketplace, we’re also working on:

Marketplace buying and selling

Auction house features

Collection tracking

In-depth card reports

Pre-grading reports

Sealed products and accessories

A physical verification hub in Newcastle, NSW

The goal is to create a safer collecting space for the Australian TCG community, especially for people who are tired of scams, uncertainty and long resolution processes when buying cards online.

Closed beta access opens on 31 May 2026 for early members, and we’re planning a giveaway once the first** **500 founding member spots are filled.

You can join the closed beta here: www.valuna.app

We’d genuinely love feedback from Australian collectors:

Would you use a verification-first marketplace?

What would make you trust a platform like this?

What features would matter most to you as a buyer or seller?

What are the biggest issues you’ve had buying cards online in Australia?

Appreciate any thoughts, criticism or suggestions.

Valuna is independent and not affiliated with Pokémon, Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.

valuna.app
u/ValunaKyle — 9 days ago
▲ 129 r/PokemonAUcollectors+1 crossposts

Open letter to Kmart Australia: why don’t you have sufficient bot protections?

To the Management of Kmart Australia,

We are writing to you as a group of several Australian Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) communities, representing thousands of dedicated players, collectors, and parents of disappointed children. Our goal is simple: to ensure that Pokémon TCG products remain accessible to the genuine fans and customers who support Kmart and its stores.

The Current Challenge

Currently, the kmart.com.au online shopping experience for high-demand Pokemon releases is compromised and unusable. When Kmart lists new Pokemon TCG products, they frequently appear "in stock" on your website, yet human users are consistently unable to complete a purchase. These products are often completely sold out within seconds, all purchased by software robots, leaving genuine customers frustrated and unable to participate in the hobby.

The latest examples: 

  • Today, 12th of May: Pokemon TCG Pokemon Trading Card Game: First Partner Illustration Collection Series 2
  • In previous weeks: Ascended Heroes Booster Bundles, Elite Trainer Boxes - highly popular products and systematically purchased by bots, not humans

Technical Exploitation

This issue is driven by the use of automated "bot" software. This software does not navigate your website like a standard customer; instead, they utilize techniques to bypass the standard Kmart website or app. These methods include:

  • API-Direct Checkout: Bots send data requests directly to your backend checkout and payment servers, skipping the "Add to Cart", shipping information and payment pages entirely, even if the product is not meant to be orderable yet. This means bots buy the products, owned/run by scalping opportunists, not real buyers.
  • Fake order details: Bots cycle through names, credit cards, email and physical addresses, to maximize the amount of stock they can order automatically.
  • Inventory Monitoring: Automated scripts scrape your servers at millisecond intervals to detect stock changes before they are even visible to the public.
  • Automated browsing: Multiple automated instances act simultaneously to overwhelm the system and secure all available inventory before a human can click a single button.

Proposed Solutions

To level the playing field and ensure a fair distribution of products, we urge Kmart Australia to implement robust bot-mitigation strategies. Specifically, we recommend:

  1. Advanced Captcha Systems: Implementing a challenge-response test (such as hCaptcha, reCAPTCHA v3, or Cloudflare Turnstile) at the point of adding items to the cart or at the final checkout stage.
  2. Queueing Systems: Utilizing a "waiting room" or queue for high-demand releases to process transactions in an orderly, human-verifiable manner. Cloudflare can offer you this capability.
  3. Account limits: Ensure that TCG purchases require a one-pass subscription and enforce an account limit for each product.
  4. Lottery: If you can’t invest in better technical systems like other stores have, stop selling online and ensure all stock is sold in-store, with a fair numbering or lottery system.

For the best successful examples of solutions, please refer to: JB-Hi-Fi and EBGames.

Call to Action

Facebook marketplace Australia is full of products that were purchased from Kmart, via bots run by scalpers, thereby taking advantage of collectors. We call on Kmart to implement a solution as soon as possible, with potential options outlined above. We call on Kmart to please stop helping scalpers profit.

We are calling on the wider Australian TCG community to share this letter across social media platforms and community forums. By raising awareness, we hope to demonstrate to Kmart Australia that there is a significant demand for a secure, fair, and bot-free shopping environment.

We look forward to seeing Kmart take proactive steps to support the local Aussie TCG community.

Sincerely,

The Australian Pokémon TCG Collector Community

reddit.com
u/FellowshipOfThePings — 10 days ago