Pokemon TCG Celebrations: Ultra-Premium Collection Releases, Valuable Lessons Learned

Pokemon finally released the highly anticipated ultra-premium collection, and fans are not happy.

The allocation stores got for the ultra-premium collection was low and the adult hobbyists are ruining Pokemon’s intended purpose.

The ultra-premium box is the most expensive retail product of this latest set retailing at £149.99.

The box contains two metal cards (Base Set Charizard) and (Base Set Pikachu), a gold card Pikachu V, one gold poke ball, Charizard and Pikachu enamel pin, a metal Pokemon coin, a player’s guide, a few storage boxes, a code card for TCG online and finally, seventeen Celebrations booster packs and a further assortment of eight booster packs from recent sets.

Weeks before the release date, consumers paid £100 over retail to secure a box. According to eBay data, on the 21st of September, consumers were paying around £220 for a second-hand, sealed, pre-order. As of the 26th of October, consumers are paying a whopping £370 minimum for an in-hand box.

Those who got a small number of products took advantage of casual consumers.

Those in the know queued up at retailers such as Smyths Toys Superstore to make sure they were the first people in the shops to purchase any ultra-premiums stores had.

Smyths and other large retailers like Magic Madhouse impose order limits of one per person to fight the horde of scalpers, but retailers such as Game utilized a first-come, first-serve basis.

Still, order limits do not stop big teams of individuals from scoring massive allotments, it’s simple – people get friends to go in for them secretly, or they may make many fake online accounts.

The intended purpose of Pokemon products is to give fans the thrill of hunting for their favourite cards, building out decks, completing whole sets and admiring the art. The state of this once fun, easily accessible tabletop game is in disarray - a capitalist market where people buy up all related products, pushing the price up, forcing the average consumer to overpay on second-hand websites, as no stock remains for the young kids trying to enjoy their childhood.

Many of the people reselling Pokemon products at markup prices were the same young Pokemon fans, yet they feel no shame in making thousands off of kids and their parents’ eagerness to not let their wishes down at Christmas.

So, why do they all still flip Pokemon? It’s simple. If they get five ultra-premium collections - through any means - for retail, and sold them at the current 26th of October price - £370, you would make - after eBay fees and assuming shipment is £5 per individual listing - £937.55.

The Pokemon flipping game is lucrative with people all around the world living off or supplementing income but at the cost of manipulating the end consumer, playing on emotions of desperate parents trying to keep Santa’s existence alive, people, not just kids, trying to play the tabletop game or admire and collect the artwork.

Respect can be given to the smart flippers, resellers making ends meet through loopholes and extensive knowledge, but can you get past the destruction of the hobby, the controlled price outcome and forced sadness imposed on everyday Pokemon fans held at financial ransom for their passion?