If the market continues the way it’s been going, what’s it going to be like in a year from now once we’re well past the 30th? I can’t imagine cards will still be treated like standard consumer goods by big box chains, right? People are beating each other up over cards like every restock is Black Friday. We’ve never had a boom period THIS long. I feel like there’s gonna have to be a point where TPC either increases MSRP or gets rid of MSRP entirely and starts explicitly marketing cards as luxury goods, right? Because right now, TPC’s marketing and distribution/pricing model does not align at all with the reality of the market.
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Bash has had just about enough
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Why? I’m genuinely wondering because I keep seeing brawls breaking out and people getting robbed. And I think maybe TPC needs to rethink their marketing at this point.
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Yes to the first, no to the second. Them increasing msrp wouldnt be to deter scalpers. Itd be costs related to manufacturing mixed with a little bit of greed.
Msrp is more or less a made up thing already. Gamestop has long sold for over that. Target does to some extent. I dont think tpci has much say over this, albeit maybe they can influence distro access to some degree? I dont think they care frankly.
They are gonna print more eventually, but they quite literally cannot print more than they have been. Theres a reason why theyve printed around 10 billion cards for the last 5 years…
They are hard capped.
Tldr: still cooked, still boomin, still scalpin
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I mean there will be a new print facility in 2028. Guessing the first set where all intended print facilities are live, you will see massive supply available and everyone can order whatever quantity they want.
Fair. I think TPC would need to increase MSRP significantly - increasing to to $5.49 or even $5.99 would do absolutely nothing. Would have to be at least $9.99 per pack to align with the reality of the market. And to be honest, I don’t even know if that would actually deter scalpers - scalpers may just sell for $20 per pack instead of $10. I think people would still buy.
TPC would also have to alter their marketing - if they’re priced like luxury goods, they gotta be marketed that way too. Maybe hire Jolina Gisele for their ads. Imagine if Gucci or Rolex marketed to the everyman. They wouldn’t be taken seriously.
I say go against the grain, print less!
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In my opinion, the new printing plants will increase product availability at launch and right after it. Prices might be a bit lower, but I wouldn’t expect them to print enough to fully satisfy demand (which is what some people are hoping for).
Pokemon Company might also lower the pull rates for top cards so they don’t end up costing pennies after release (although the pull rates in PRE are already nightmarish, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some sets end up even worse).
Ultimately, by 2028 we’ll probably have more product on the market, fewer investors and scalpers, but I don’t think Pokemon TCG’s popularity will drop all that much. Although anyone who’s been in this hobby longer than since Prismatic Evolutions knows that anything can happen — including a massive crash as well as further increases over the coming years.
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Market’s gonna market
Roll with the punches
Trend friend around bend til the end
Carrot ground touching grass
Rational…solvent…blermenerhhh
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Re-allocate card printing resource to Pokémon-branded NeeDohs and Labubus
The Pokemon company goal is still to profit in perpetuity. Cutting their market does not help them. Theyve found a great formula that is:
-Get kids into their product continuously.
-As kids grow, their interest slows but some stay as a hardcore fanbase.
-As adults with adult money, nostalgia hits and they are into the product again at higher prices.
-They also have kids and start the cycle again.
If they price out kids, they break the infinite money cycle.
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When the price to finish a set is unrealistic, the price will drop
Do modern kids really care about Pokémon, though? Or is it mostly nostalgic adults? I have several friends who are teachers, they all tell me that kids mostly care about Marvel, Fortnite, and Roblox.
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From what Ive observed, ages 5-7 definitely enjoy pokemon even without parental influence.
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Personally, I don’t see collectors paying these prices. To me it’s just money laundering to avoid taxes, but whatever.
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I work with kids and have friends with kids and they all like (or have gone through the phase) pokemon to varying degrees, and I see kids in public in pokemon clothing Every. Single. Day.
Every day I see multiple kids with pikachu on a back pack, or hat, or shirt. Granted, I live in London so I see hundreds of people every day using public transit.
Just yesterday I saw a girl with a huge charmander plush on the train from the airport. One of my students plays pokemon roms. Another has a pikachu watch and it’s his favourite thing ever. It’s definitely not going anywhere
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Chaos Rising currently has a $6.02 market price per pack on TCGplayer. I think maybe you’re the one who isn’t aligned with reality here.
This is why i dont buy sealed
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What kids want changes with the wind. But as long as enough kids keep wanting something, it’s a hit. Pokemon has done a great job at the infinity circle …child adult parent to child adult and then parent…and on and on. Many pillars to the brand.
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