Pokémon TCG Officially Bans Reselling Cards In Latest Move To Combat Scalping

It’s no secret the Pokémon Trading Card Game has a scalping problem. As recently as last month, the 30th Celebration set for the Pokémon TCG was being scalped and resold, and the demand for these cards has strained retailers, especially smaller shops. Because of the increasing problem with scalping, retailers and the Pokémon TCG itself have taken steps to ensure Pokémon cards end up in the hands of players and fans, rather than people trying to make a quick buck.

The Pokémon TCG has started implementing different methods to keep scalping at a minimum. The 30th Celebration set, for example, has led to many scalpers losing money or barely breaking even, because of how much product was made. The official Pokémon Center and many other online retailers have started using a lottery system to further fight scalping. Now, it looks like measures are being taken a step further as at least two auction sites are banning the resale of certain Pokémon TCG products.

According to a statement by LINE Yahoo!, the Japanese corporation is partnering with The Pokémon Trading Card Game to ban the resale of several products on the Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions sites. The announcement lists the following items from the Pokémon TCG that will be prohibited from here on out:

Listing Pokémon cards in carton quantities
Listing empty Pokémon card boxes and packs
Mass listing the same Pokémon card for a certain period after its release

Basically, unopened Booster Boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes would fall under these categories, as well as specific chase cards around launch. A time frame isn’t provided for how long “a certain period after release” is. In addition, The Pokémon Company will “share information on products and distribution that may lead to trouble or inappropriate transactions in the secondary market” with Yahoo! so the company can prepare ahead of time.

For now, this ban is only tied to Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions, and it’s only for Japan. However, it’s not totally unrealistic to think a similar ban could take effect outside Japan, especially considering all the new measures Nintendo is taking to help The Pokémon Company fight scalping. For now, there are no bans on sites commonly used in the United States, like eBay and TCGPlayer.

Pokémon’s 30th anniversary is in full swing, which means there’s been no end of special releases for the TCG, as well as tons of other exclusive merch. What should have been an exciting time has become a bit of nightmare for some thanks to the practice of scalping.

While scalping Pokémon cards is still a problem, it has ostensibly gotten better thanks to more cards and boxes being produced, as well as retailers utilizing lottery systems and other methods like limiting purchases. In the meantime, if you’re in Japan and looking to resell specific cards and products in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, you’ll have to find sites outside the Yahoo! network to do it.