GameStop Marks Up Pokémon 30th Anniversary Cards by Over 300% in Pre-orders
Updated
Updated · Engadget · Jul 11
GameStop Marks Up Pokémon 30th Anniversary Cards by Over 300% in Pre-orders
1 articles · Updated · Engadget · Jul 11
Summary
$170 Elite Trainer Boxes and $600 Ultra-Premium Collections were quoted at GameStop for Pokémon's 30th Anniversary set, implying markups above 300% and potentially 400% versus comparable retail pricing.
Those prices extend a broader pattern: GameStop lists some current Pokémon products far above Pokémon Center levels, including a $90 booster bundle that sells for about $27 direct.
Pre-order pricing also appears to be rising before release, with Reddit users and a store clerk indicating ETBs were initially $130 before climbing to $170; GameStop also requires customers to pay half upfront.
The pricing lands amid a wider Pokémon card supply crunch that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently acknowledged, citing high-priced reselling and promising countermeasures with The Pokémon Company.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are already using tools such as account verification and made-to-order sales, while a 1.27 million-square-foot North Carolina printing facility is expected to boost supply in 2027.