UK retailer GAME accused of ‘scalping’ its own Pokémon cards by its own staff

Following the launch of a new set of Pokémon trading cards, GAME has been spotted selling small card tins on its website for over £30. Whenever a fancy new product that’s expected to be popular comes out, you can always count on scalpers to hoard them up and sell them second-hand at an inflated price. Scalping became such an issue for the PlayStation 5 that Sony had to implement an anti-scalper policy in Japan. Nintendo is also aware its new Nintendo Switch 2 console will become a target for scalpers and is simply planning to increase production as a countermeasure.

However, while scalpers are typically independent individuals, you don’t often hear scalping accusations against a professional retailer. But that’s precisely what’s happened with GAME and the newest set of Pokémon trading cards. Last month, The Pokémon Company released a new Prismatic Evolutions expansion for the Pokémon trading card game, which added over 175 cards. Unsurprisingly, the cards are reportedly hard to come by and have been quickly selling out.

GAME is currently selling Prismatic Evolutions mini tins that only launched recently. A single tin costs £10.99 and contains two booster packs, a coin, and a card featuring special art, with fans encouraged to collect all eight tins to form a larger picture. Despite the tins’ small size, though (GAME’s website even describes them as ‘Pokémon favourites in the palm of your hand’), GAME classifies them as an ‘oversized delivery,’ meaning you’ll be charged an extra £19.99 in delivery costs.

Ergo, a single tin will set you back nearly £31. What’s more, this is the only delivery option available, so you can’t opt to save money by picking up your order from your local GAME store. According to a Eurogamer report, anonymous staff members have claimed this isn’t a mistake on GAME’s part and that the business is ‘scalping’ its own supplies. What’s more, staff also alleged that too much of GAME’s stock is only available online, with what little Pokémon cards the actual stores do have turning up late, resulting in a lot of disgruntled and angry customers who were told they’d arrive at launch.

‘We’re constantly taking the brunt of abuse from customers and the company itself,’ said one staff member. The thought of charging such ludicrous prices for Pokémon cards will seem ridiculous to non-fans, but this has been a common issue for years. In 2021, for example, people were buying multiple McDonald’s Happy Meals to collect limited Pokémon cards and then sell them for hundreds of pounds.

The Prismatic Evolutions situation is just as bad in the US as well. There’s already video footage of people getting into physical altercations over the new card sets with one another at a Costco. Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

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