Pokémon Collecting Has Become More Trouble Than It’s Worth

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This weekend is a big one for fans and players of competitive Pokémon. Thousands of fans are gathering in the Anaheim Convention Center to watch the best of the best battle each other in Scarlet and Violet. However, not everyone is there to have a good time. For some people, the cost of attendance is merely a business expense. Like every other Pokémon event or collaboration in recent memory, scalpers have descended upon Anaheim to buy up exclusive Pokémon merch and then sell it for a profit. I really wanted to go to Worlds this year, as I’ve been a Pokémon fan most of my life and still haven’t been to one of the championship competitions, but while the tournament is just beginning, the vibes seem so rancid I’m not sure it would make for a great first impression.

It seems like every other week we here at Kotaku are writing about some absolute nonsense in the Pokémon community, as scalpers have made full-time jobs out of buying up cards and collectibles for a quick buck. The controversial practice has become so lucrative for these grown-ass adults that sales devolve into actual acts of violence or crowds end up jockeying to rummage through shelves like it’s Black Friday. Part of me feels some sympathy for people who have to resort to this because times are tough and it’s easier than hard labor, but especially considering this franchise has probably brought me more joy than any other for most of my life, it really sucks to see that every new event or merch drop now makes me feel so deeply cynical.

The Anaheim event has only been going on for a day, and there are already reports of resellers setting up shop in neighboring hotels near the convention center, with others responding by putting up signage prohibiting such wheeling and dealing. Competitive players are posting on social media about selling merchandise for more than they paid for it. What is supposed to be a giant community gathering has become something else entirely, and it’s made it harder to be a fan when you can’t even engage with it without having to push through people with bad intentions.

 

 

 

Attendees are reporting a better experience at the Worlds shop today, but it’s hard to wash off the stench scalpers leave when every event has some horror story attached to it in which people who aren’t even fans show up to take advantage of those who are. So it begs the question: Is Pokémon just cooked as a hobby now? After nearly 30 years, has the franchise’s reputation become so sullied by people who buy its merchandise just to sell it to other people that longtime devotees are leaving it behind? The Pokémon franchise is too far-reaching to really be affected by this phenomenon, which a lot of collectors believe is why The Pokémon Company doesn’t do much to really stop it. Purchase limits on new merchandise are helpful, but they don’t stop scalpers from showing up before stores put cards on the shelf, making multiple accounts to purchase items online, or causing a ruckus at events like Worlds.

You would think constantly being in the headlines for robberies, chaotic sales, and even actual violence associated with your product would be damaging enough to the brand that TPC would be motivated to take real action. But again, Pokémon is so prolific that TPC doesn’t actually receive any chip damage from this. A sale to a scalper puts the same amount of money in Pikachu’s pockets as one to a devoted fan. The assembly line will keep going, and unless people stop buying from them, scalpers will keep showing up. As I said earlier, Pokémon has brought me more joy than probably any other series. These days, however, that joy is getting drowned out by cynicism every time some event takes place that should be reminding me why I fell in love with Pokémon in the first place.

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