AND YOU GOT NONE OF MY MONEY!!! I found 3 ETB packs in a dollar store out in the middle of nowhere, and paid $40 for them, because the store had a discount going on, so instead of paying your rent for these cards, I got them BELOW MSRP, I WILL NEVER PAY ANY OF YOU, I WIN!!! MY YOUNGER BROTHERS WILL GET TO PLAY THE GAME THAT WAS MADE FOR THEIR AGE AND YOU GET NOTHING!!!
N O T H I N G !!!
So I’m a 17-year-old high schooler and I really wanna skip school to get the 30th anniversary UPC on November 6 at my local target but I was curious about the pricing because I’ve heard that it could be $120. I’ve heard that it could be 150 or 180 so how much is it actually gonna be at target locations?
Delete if this isn’t the right sub for this. My kids recently got into collecting Pokemon cards and have been taking their cards to school to trade, nothing of high value but a couple of ex’s that are worth a few bucks. I’m not worried about the trades they do with other kids on the playground, if they like the card and feel like trading, go for it! But today my kid comes home with a fake “1st edition dark gengar” that he traded the youth pastor, for his darkrai ex. I get that the darkrai is only worth 75 cents, but I feel like it’s pretty scummy for an adult to knowingly trade fakes to kids without mentioning that they’re fake… am I trippin? Or…
Good sign maybe tomorrow will be the day 150,000 units of each available
So I was the 14/15th person in line for a restock of the 30th at Target. But I had to leave the line after waiting in it for an hour and a half because I had to go to work in 15 minutes and the lady stocking up was taking her sweet time (can’t really complain about her doing her job, she is probably as annoyed as the rest of us with how this hobby has been recently) so I’m a little sad about it.
I will say, from what I could hear from being nosey, sone of the people were collectors and a couple of people in front if me had kids with them so that was cool (i hope the kids got product). But I also heard a bunch of people saying they didn’t know what the line was for and when told what it was for they just stayed there so…
Insane i checked under recently cleared seasonal shelfs even has water stains in it but still sealed.
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?
I’ve heard endless stories about the sweaty, jobless scalpers ruining things for others. It finally happened to me today. My job starts at 8, which is when my target opens, so I am not typically able to attempt to get any random early morning restocks that occur. This morning, I didn’t have to be in until 8:30 so stopped by target as it was about to open and there was a solid 10-15 dudes with chairs out there. Turns out every single day they put their chairs there at store close, and come back the next day 15 minutes before store open. I watched as the first 5 in the line took ALL the ETB’s, poster collections, EX boxes, and knockout boxes. the only product limits were on the mini-tins, so that was all I was able to nab. Employees expressed distaste in their ability to do these things, but that ultimately corporate makes their policies they have to abide by. Really sucked thinking i got lucky finally, only to see all the products leave the shelf in front of me, only to be sold online for 4 times the price. So that being said, I think it’s time Target gets a lot emails and I think it’s time for me to stop by Target at 3AM for some free chairs. What an awful experience
Edit: I understand the standard with Target is to have a product limit, which is why I was disappointed in my local target. I understand that some differ by location. But I gain nothing by making this up lol. The limits were only 2 per unit of ETB’s and mini-tins. all the posters, ex boxes and knockouts were a free for all. It sucked watching it all fly right in front of me
Kept hitting my local small target and finally got lucky
An overachiever at Amazon packed these in a bag and not a box. Excellent customer service as always!
Pre-ordered some 30th items and was called last night around 7:30 pm that it was available and I needed to pick it up by end of day.
Get there and they tell me that because the price went up after I pre ordered it, I owe $10 more. What is the point of the pre order if it's not locking in the price!?
Just a heads up for those later items coming out in November.
Ultimately the guy behind me flipped out, which caused the clerk to call the manager who honored the price "this time only." Whatever that means...
I knew it was cooked but seeing this at almost $70 had me lose all hope. These sat on shelves at $15. The trick or trades? Really? People truly scalp anything.
Of course im lying just like all these other post claiming to find clean looking packs under shelves n shit, stop the cap just flexing for no reason
I was talking to my local dollar general store manager today about the cards, he had little knowledge about them and wondered why they sold so fast. All he knew is that it is supposed to be for the kids and he always felt bad when the kids would be sad when told he didn’t have any cards left. So he did something about it, and after our conversation today he said he is going to figure out a way to take it further to make sure that the kids and collectors/players actually get them.
Before the conversation today he had issues from scalpers from other stores buying his store out, then they tried bragging to him that they were going to all the stores every delivery day. He called corporate as soon as they left, they got in a bunch of trouble and are now banned from shopping at the other stores. He has also banned 2 other scalpers as well when he found out what they were doing.
After our conversation today he said that he probably isn’t going to put the new sets out anymore and keep them in the back and when he has kids or people who actually collect/play the game come in he will bring out some of what he has at a time for them. He has no idea what pokemon is but he realizes there is a serious problem with distribution and is trying his best to do the right thing.
So I'm ordering my 30th cards for my binder for a master set (lol) and I cannot figure out the numbering on this card. There's a basic card that is already 57 out of 128 for the base set. The numbering of this has me completely thrown off. Is there a 111 card set separate in 30th as well? TIA.
EDIT: Thanks everybody. I haven't found an ETB yet so I hadn't gotten to see the booklet directly. This has been super helpful.
I’m tired of watching my boys walk into the Pokémon aisle excited, only to find this shit. Empty shelves. Every. Single. Time.
These are fucking trading cards. They’re supposed to be something kids can open, collect, trade with their friends, and get excited about.
Instead, grown-ass adults camp restocks, clean out entire displays, and throw everything online for three times the price because apparently squeezing a few dollars out of children’s cardboard is a business model now.
And yes, I know Pokémon is for adults too. I grew up with it. That’s exactly why this pisses me off. Somewhere along the way, collecting turned into hoarding inventory and treating every pack like a scratch-off ticket.
I’ve gotten to the point where I tell my boys to quit looking. Don’t get excited when a new set comes out. Don’t ask to stop and check the card aisle. Forget about it.
Let the fucking brand die before I pay some scalper a premium for something that should have been sitting on this shelf for a kid to buy.
Look at the picture. A kid standing in front of an entire Pokémon section with virtually nothing to buy.
Congratulations, scalpers.
You didn’t beat another collector to the cards.
You beat a kid to them.
Hope the $17 you make on Facebook Marketplace was worth it.