Millennials Have Created a Lucrative Stock Market for Pokémon Cards, Leaving Kids Scrambling
The world of Pokémon has been a beloved franchise since the late 90s. Millions of fans have fond memories of playing the original Red and Blue games or trading cards in school playgrounds for that elusive shiny Charizard. However, a recent phenomenon has turned the franchise's trading card hobby into an almost impossible-to-access stock market, where adults are snapping up new cards at exorbitant prices before they're even released.
Selling old cards to collectors is part of the hobby, but the resale market for Pokémon has skyrocketed, with even new cards valued in the hundreds of pounds before anyone has had a chance to buy them. The latest set, Phantasmal Flames, boasted a rare special illustration Charizard worth over £600, just hours after its release. This lucrative market has created a speculative bubble around the card game, where adults are accumulating all available cards in hopes of making a quick profit.
This has led to a crisis for kids who want to collect and play with Pokémon cards. Online retailers like Amazon have implemented a "request-to-buy" system, which puts everyone's name into an opaque lottery for the chance to purchase cards. In real life, resellers are queuing outside shops, buying up every available item before anyone else can get their hands on it – all at inflated prices.
The situation has become so dire that some business owners have reported customers threatening violence if they don't get their hands on certain cards. "My staff have had customers threatening to come back and rip our heads off," says Ben Thyer, owner of BathTCG, an independent shop specializing in trading card games. "It's become quite unpleasant at times."
Social media influencers are also fueling the frenzy by showcasing elaborate opening sessions on YouTube and TikTok, exaggerating their finds and making them seem like rare treasures. This has created a false narrative that anyone can easily make thousands of pounds by simply opening packs of cards.
The situation is not just affecting shop owners but also the hobby itself. Pete Sessions, a project manager from Bristol, worries about his son Alfie's perception of the game. "He's been into Pokémon for years, but just got into collecting cards over the past six months – I've had to ask shops when their stock drop days are just to try to find some." The emphasis on making money has overshadowed the joy of collecting and playing.
The hype around the card market has also led to devious practices like selling fake cards or opening and resealing packs to swap out rare cards. The card-grading industry is another layer of complexity, where independent organizations rate and seal cards to potentially increase their value.
Despite the Pokémon Company's claims that they're working to print more cards, demand remains high, and prices continue to skyrocket. However, there are signs that the market may be correcting itself as supply for older sets starts to trickle back onto shelves. "There are signs of the market cracking – prices of singles are coming down, sealed products are coming down," says Thyer.
The world of Pokémon has been a beloved franchise since the late 90s. Millions of fans have fond memories of playing the original Red and Blue games or trading cards in school playgrounds for that elusive shiny Charizard. However, a recent phenomenon has turned the franchise's trading card hobby into an almost impossible-to-access stock market, where adults are snapping up new cards at exorbitant prices before they're even released.
Selling old cards to collectors is part of the hobby, but the resale market for Pokémon has skyrocketed, with even new cards valued in the hundreds of pounds before anyone has had a chance to buy them. The latest set, Phantasmal Flames, boasted a rare special illustration Charizard worth over £600, just hours after its release. This lucrative market has created a speculative bubble around the card game, where adults are accumulating all available cards in hopes of making a quick profit.
This has led to a crisis for kids who want to collect and play with Pokémon cards. Online retailers like Amazon have implemented a "request-to-buy" system, which puts everyone's name into an opaque lottery for the chance to purchase cards. In real life, resellers are queuing outside shops, buying up every available item before anyone else can get their hands on it – all at inflated prices.
The situation has become so dire that some business owners have reported customers threatening violence if they don't get their hands on certain cards. "My staff have had customers threatening to come back and rip our heads off," says Ben Thyer, owner of BathTCG, an independent shop specializing in trading card games. "It's become quite unpleasant at times."
Social media influencers are also fueling the frenzy by showcasing elaborate opening sessions on YouTube and TikTok, exaggerating their finds and making them seem like rare treasures. This has created a false narrative that anyone can easily make thousands of pounds by simply opening packs of cards.
The situation is not just affecting shop owners but also the hobby itself. Pete Sessions, a project manager from Bristol, worries about his son Alfie's perception of the game. "He's been into Pokémon for years, but just got into collecting cards over the past six months – I've had to ask shops when their stock drop days are just to try to find some." The emphasis on making money has overshadowed the joy of collecting and playing.
The hype around the card market has also led to devious practices like selling fake cards or opening and resealing packs to swap out rare cards. The card-grading industry is another layer of complexity, where independent organizations rate and seal cards to potentially increase their value.
Despite the Pokémon Company's claims that they're working to print more cards, demand remains high, and prices continue to skyrocket. However, there are signs that the market may be correcting itself as supply for older sets starts to trickle back onto shelves. "There are signs of the market cracking – prices of singles are coming down, sealed products are coming down," says Thyer.
they're like literally priceless and ppl are scalping them left & right its so messed up that kids can't even get their hands on the new sets anymore and it's not just the shops either ppl are buying packs online from amazon and reselling them for thousands of pounds 
i feel bad for all the youngins who grew up loving pokemon but now they're being priced out by greedy adults who only care about making a quick buck 
It's just that the hype is getting out of control. Shops have become like treasure hunts, and it's created a whole new level of competition.
it's kinda wild how much ppl care about these pokemon cards lol they're literally driving ppl crazy trying to get their hands on 'em like what's next? a new market for rare sneakers or something 
. It's like adults have lost sight of why we started collecting cards in the first place 
- to have fun and share with friends! Now it's all about making a quick buck 
.
. That's just not cool 
. I love how social media influencers are making a fortune off opening sessions, but at what cost? It's all about creating drama and selling us on the idea that we need to be part of this hype 
.
. Until then, I'm just gonna enjoy my cards in peace 
. Anyone else with me? 
i mean i get that some ppl wanna make a quick profit but not at the expense of kids who just wanna collect and play with their fave characters 
has anyone else noticed how social media is contributing to this whole thing? those influencers are making it seem like opening packs is easy peasy, but in reality its hard enough for adults to get their hands on cards let alone kids 
. I feel bad for kids who can't even get their hands on the cards they want because of these adults buying everything up.
they're just fueling the fire by showing off their finds and making it seem like anyone can make thousands of pounds just for opening packs 
meanwhile shop owners are struggling to keep up and it's getting ugly outside their stores 
what happened to the joy of collecting 
. I mean, I get it, Pokémon cards can be valuable but this is just getting out of hand 
.
. And don't even get me started on social media influencers making a fortune off fake opening sessions 
. I mean, what's next? A Pokémon card collector's version of Fortnite?
the whole thing is so overhyped anyway
. The adults are making bank off these kids, and it's just not right 
. The social media influencers are also kinda crazy for exaggerating their finds and making everyone think they can make thousands of pounds by opening packs 
and people gettin crazy 
over a lil shiny charizard 
it's not healthy 
my friend just wanted to buy some cards for their kid but they gotta fight for them in line 
and its not even like the cards are super rare anymore 
i feel bad 4 kids who just wanna collect & play w/ their fave cards 