GameStop Takes on Pokemon Scalpers, Message is Clear
I have never in my life met anyone who has much time for scalpers of any time, particularly in Pokémon where the problem has become genuinely quite significant as the average price of rare cards continue to rise.
Anytime a new Pokémon release hits the shelves, normal buyers are much more likely to find them online for double the recommended retail price than they are in legitimate stores or online portals.
The problem is particularly bad in the United States, where videos regularly emerge showing actual fully grown adults fighting over boxes, or emptying entire displays before a single kid has enjoyed a chance at grabbing the new product.
Now, one of the biggest retailers in the country for that kind of thing is hitting back, and it should come as some pretty good news to the average Joe who's just trying to get their hands on a few new cards.
GameStop Hands Out Lifetime Bans to Scale Scalpers
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Though much of scalping is simply a case of showing up before opening time on launch day and fighting everyone else to get as many boxes as possible, there are absolutely layers to the nefarious game.
Individual packs are obviously sold in stores, and there's a particularly egregious method of picking up the most valuable ones that really is taking things to a whole new level.
Essentially, valuable Pokémon cards often weigh tiny amounts more than common cards, thanks to the additional holofoil on the front. As such, you can weigh the individual packs and get a good idea of whether a holo will be in there.
Over on Twitter/X, GameStop responded to a video featuring a scalper who had brought a personal scale to the store in order to identify the most valuable packs, leaving the less valuable ones on the shelves.
"If you bring a scale to GameStop to weigh Pokémon packs we will ban you for life for your own good," the post read.
Now whilst it is obviously a little tongue-in-cheek, it's also totally fair enough and we really hope the company follows through with calling out and punishing that kind of behaviour.
After all, it essentially means that no honest kid who turns up to buy a few packs will ever get one of the big pulls, and that literally gets rid of the magic for most, and perhaps loses a few fledgling Pokémon fans in the process.