Could 1st Edition Printing solve the Scalper Problem?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu3BO9KOrfw

Scalpers still exist?

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No no no. Just no.

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Why not?

Scalping is just a symptom of demand. Its also mostly nerds gatekeeping other nerds. Stores have plenty of product now.

As already experienced with shining fates, more supply is the answer. Plus being patient as a buyer.

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Please also make sure that cold foil is only available in first edition boxes.

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Purposely destroying the collectability of your product beyond repair to build a secluded, hyperinflated speculator haven is not something that either would, should or possibly could happen.

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If there’s not enough supply to go around as-is, how does adding an extra step to production and further fragmenting the supply solve anything? Why wouldn’t the dastardly curly mustache scalper man just keep buying the unlimited stock after enjoying an extra markup on the 1st edition run?

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Agree with those saying it wouldn’t be an answer, and that it would be worse. It would provide an added incentive for scalpers, and reward them with a ‘value’ distinction over patient buyers/‘true collectors’. The latter would still have to wait for the unlimited print runs and so there’s no real difference to the current landscape of waiting for supply to meet their demand (and usurp the level of demand from scalpers, which is essentially the critical level of supply whereby a premium can still be commanded in the secondary market).

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I genuinely doubt it
 anyways, you want a GTX 3080? I have like 40.

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I agree with the points you guys make. But would you think that bringing back 1st Edition printing add an overal value to the hobby or not at all? I don’t know maybe I’m just too nostalgic thinking about the 90s and early 2000s chasing those 1st Edition cards.

It would only serve to devalue the Pokemon brand, and the brand is ultimately the driving force behind the hobby.

1st Edition is kind of contrived, IMO. There are other TCGs (namely MTG) that don’t have anything like “1st Edition” prints, yet cards hold significant value. I don’t see any reason for the Pokemon TCG to return to it.

As @smpratte mentioned, scalping is a natural reaction to too much demand and too little supply. Without even getting into the existence of a “scalper problem,” (there isn’t anymore, people just keep them in business by refusing to wait until a set even comes out to buy it) I find it hilarious that this guy thinks Pokemon needs to pull some bait-and-switch on scalpers when they could literally just keep everything the same and print more cards. You don’t need a gimmick, just print to demand. Easiest way to fix the so-called “scalper problem.”

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Don’t need scalpers to scoop up First Edition prints. Individual collectors that able to order $10,000+ from distributors just to sit on the product (or crack and ship it express to PSA) will the ones buying First Edition.

No. First Edition is thing of the past. if you want First Edition go collect M3taZ00 or Flesh And Blood.

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1st edition printing would be a disaster. Players don’t care what the cards look like, just the playability. Collectors are saying completing sets is hard and expensive already, so now you want to add 2x variants by having a 1st edition that will actually be scalped? Scalping is over, been over for 6 months now. This belongs in the VERY unpopular opinions thread. This thread was brought up before as well and also saw no support for 1st edition.

@genosha brings up a good point; look at the start up tcg’s that have “1st Edition prints”. They are all extremely speculative. Its harder to find people in those new tcg’s that actually care about the art. Collectibles are more of an asset class today than ever before. 1st Ed Pokemon today would be scalping/stonking on steroids.

Fuckin’ ay!

Not to mention how all these mini so-called distributors and uncle-distributors are a plague as is, no need to fuel that fire with more exclusive product.

1st ed is something you use to entice customers, and the last thing we need are more people being more enticed.

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It’d be cool to have 1st editions again, but I don’t think its the best way to make scalping not as prevalent. People are cuckoo for PokĂ©mon cards still so I think the issue isn’t really that lack of a 1st ed stamp or some other thing to separate them from a “regular” or unlimited print. Its just that supply doesn’t meet demand 100% of the time. PokĂ©mon is printing more which is really the only thing that can help remedy scalping. Remember when battle styles elite trainer boxes were going for twice msrp


Sure they can add a 1st edition stamp, just print all the waves with it like the Japanese did in the early 2010s :joy:

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