Hello everyone,
apologies if this post is in the wrong place or if there is already a thread for this… I have heard they will be reprinting cosmic eclipse in april 2021 and would like to pre-order. I am not sure if this true, or how to substantiate it or not, but if it is true I would like to preorder a booster box at retail and was hoping peeps could provide recommendations of the best websites/businesses or strategies to do this.
thanks yall 
-tbot
My preferred method has always been my local card shop. Building a relationship with them is really helpful as mine always tries to save some preorders for me. GameStop is nice if you can get it in time as they will be retail price.
If by retail you mean slightly lower than current prices, it should be readily available online. Similar to the HF ETB reprint or the unified minds reprints you won’t find that the price will move much from current as demand is high for popular sets like Cosmic Eclipse.
I recently moved to a new area, so not sure what the local card shop situation is over here. I was however able to preorder some shining fates at my local GameStop, although just the tins and pikachu box, not the ETB.
Even from wholesalers? It’s currently available for around $500 I think, I was hoping to preorder a case for $100-130 per boosterbox but I guess that was a bit optimistic/naive.
Unfortunately, all my local game shops boost the price up to double MSRP for Shiny Fates. They typically leave the booster boxes at MSRP for a few days, but once the word is out that the prices shot up, they increase their price. It is unfortunate, but I don’t want to support my LGS that scalp prices like that.
I have a few Shiny Fates ETBs on preorder at Gamestop right now, but I’m afraid they will get delayed like the Champion’s Path debacle.
Please explain to me how your LGS pricing items at market price is scalping.
This. I’ve been seeing too many people call market prices “scalper prices.” Just seems like a bitter way for people to admit that they’re priced out.
I wouldn’t call it scalping per se, but there is no way in hell I would buy from them if there are cheaper options available online, just for the sake of “supporting local”
Scalping=individuals cleaning out shelves at msrp to sell for maximum market value online
Why should a store not take these scalpers completely out of the equation and just ask fair market themselves? It´s not like stores are charities.
So far for all releases this insane past year I’ve stuck with my LGS (I live abroad) and once you develop a good relationship you can get a heads up on preorders \ reserves.
If there are cheaper options available, then it’s not the “market price” and you absolutely should take your biz elsewhere, unless you see some other benefit to shopping with your LCS. Personally, I pay prob 5%-10% above market for most items because they give me a heads up on preorders and ensure that I get stock when it’s available.
Maybe using the term “scalping” was too harsh to describe it. However, I am free to go elsewhere if I can find a better price. I still believe charging $50 - $100 above MSRP before a set even releases is absurd.
I see a lot of people in here defending flippers and secondary markets which is scary… Market price =/= retail store price.
Hopefully Pokemon doesn’t go down the same slippery path that Rolex has found themselves in. Can’t find one at retail in an authorized dealer because of grey dealers scalping tens of thousands over MSRP. Rolex admits the problem and continually releases statements on increased manufacturing, crackdowns on dealers working with greys, etc. and it never makes a dent in the problem. Been this way for years.
The only difference is Rolex revokes status from AD’s if they’re caught selling watches over retail OR to known flippers. The fact that one of the most successful brands in history is not allowing their dealers to participate in these predatory tactics should tell you anything you need to know about a LGS selling NEW product for over MSRP because market price allows them to.
I think it would be nice if card shops put their new product (that “should” be at MSRP) at a price just high enough that scalpers couldn’t actually make any money off it by attempting to buy and flip, but below “market” price. If the going market price is $100 for an ETB, price them at $85 and ensure that scalpers can’t win.
Since msrp is a suggested price, I don’t see any problem in changing it - no one suggested lgs’ to bring up their price to msrp when they were underpricing their items all the years.
We have a baseline problem of too much demand and not enough product.
Product rises as much in price as market determines, should the store take the extra profit or an individual? I’m for the store. This is the exact same problem with Rolex but unless they “reprint” a ton more Rolexes it doesn’t matter one bit as long as demand stays high. I think that their strategy is a long term mistake as the market can’t do anything about it when demand can not be fulfilled.
If we were living in any other time, I would probably still go to a LGS over a reseller. Right now, I’m not totally opposed to buying a resold ETB by some person trying to pay their bills because of COVID. Why should I bother making the drive to a store that is selling boxes at the same price as resellers online when I can just get it delivered to my home?
It´s perfectly fine to buy from a reseller as well, I was just mainly talking about the fact that the store has the same rights to ask market value as the reseller does. Now you can just choose whether you want to support the LGS or the reseller.