Pages just went live. Good luck.

Update: Prices are still MSRP but stock limits are lower and UPC's and EX boxes are one of a single variant only

Update: Checkout is still broken.

Update 10:18am: UPC is sold out despite no one being able to check out.

Update: i've been kicked out of the website for "too many checkout attempts" RIP

Update: It seems JB made queue times for checkout longer and now IT WORKS.

Did anyone actually get one?

Ordered correctly, using details and a CC I've used on the JB website countless times before including for previous TCG releases. Got my order confirmation screen.

20 minutes later, got an email saying my order is cancelled as my details didn't end up passing verification processes.

I've emailed them back but the cards are long gone anyway. So frustrating, has anyone else had this happen? I really thought I finally had my booster box :(

I kept refreshing and remembering details and eventually the shipping options appeared. I got a booster bundle to open :)

Keep trying and beat out the bots and resellers!

Talking about the buldge caused by not having enough spine buffer causing inner column to point up instead of stay flat.

I missed the eb games preorder but looking at the prices I’m glad I did.

Does anyone know who else will have the cards or is it just the big retailers on release day?
Will other card shops have them like good games?

can we start a petition or do literally *anything* to make tcg scalping illegal, the same way ticket scalping is?
i’m so tired of these sweaty, jobless, bitchless scalpers ruining the hobby for kids and genuine collectors.
bots clear out stock within minutes, then it’s all relisted for 200% above retail.

people always say, “just don’t buy from scalpers.” but when retailers like eb games, games world and good games start listing highly sought-after products well above rrp because they know demand is there, what are people supposed to do?
as long as there’s money to be made and no legal consequences, scalping will always have a market.

for the average collector who can’t spend hours camping outside a store on release day, the reality is simple: miss out, or pay above retail.

why should something that’s meant to bring people joy become a competition of “first in, best dressed”? why should a hobby be reduced to who can camp outside a store the longest, who has the fastest bot, or who can afford to pay a scalper’s markup?

i remember being a kid and being able to walk into a store and grab a few packs, a tin or a box straight off the shelf. now pokémon cards are locked behind security counters because people can’t act like functioning members of society. what’s supposed to be a fun hobby has become something ugly and increasingly unobtainable.

i’ve seen so many people, just since yesterday’s 30th anniversary presale, lose hope, quit the hobby entirely and start selling their collections. that’s genuinely heartbreaking.

it’s sad seeing people who genuinely love the game being forced out by bottom feeders who are only in it for the profit because they’d rather scalp trading cards than get a real job.

look at the recent big w stampedes. people were jumping security gates, workers were pinned against walls and left bruised, people were pushing, shoving and sprinting through stores and there wasn’t a single kid in sight. it’s gross and embarrassing.
a hobby that should be bringing people together shouldn’t be putting retail workers at risk or turning shopping centres into a free for all.

everyone keeps saying, “it’s only going to get worse.”
why are we standing back and accepting that?

people say, “stop buying from scalpers.”
how about we stop the scalpers from buying in the first place?

ticket scalping is regulated because governments recognised that automated buying, artificial shortages and massive markups hurt consumers. why should trading cards be any different?
why should bots be allowed to wipe out every new release in seconds just so a handful of sweaty scalpers can flip sealed product for profit?

if there’s one thing everyone seems to agree on, it’s that the scalpers are the common denominator here.
so instead of telling collectors to adapt, why don’t we start addressing the problem at its source?

is there any realistic way to push for legislation on this?
a petition? consumer law reform? anything?

enough is enough. we have to start somewhere. whether it’s a petition, lobbying for legislative change, restrictions on bots, or something none of us have thought of yet, i’d rather try and fail than just sit back and watch this hobby become even more inaccessible.

EDIT!!! after reading through a lot of the comments, i’ll admit i overlooked how much limited supply and genuine demand contribute to the pressure on the hobby. that’s on me. i came back into collecting after years away and, seeing marketplace flips, scalping, camping, bots and security cabinets everywhere, i assumed scalping alone was to blame

i still think scalping is a huge issue, but i can see now it’s not THE issue. i’d still love to hear people’s ideas on what could realistically reduce the pressure on the hobby so collecting can become more accessible and enjoyable again, without costing an arm and a leg