Scalping Has Gotten So Bad That The Pokemon Company Is Limiting Certain TCG Packs to Japanese Citizens Only

Bad quality for Pokemon TCG players extracurricular of Japan; you’ll request to beryllium a Japanese national successful bid to bargain definite decks and enlargement packs from its authoritative online store.

In an evident effort to discourage scalpers, The Pokemon Company is implementing its first-ever ID-guarded protections for circumstantial items connected its online store. Those items are listed below:

• Pokémon Card Game Mega Expansion Pack 30th Celebration Box: 7,200 Yen (~$46 USD)
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Futuristic Box: 27,500 Yen (~$174 USD)
  • The astir costly of the lot, this includes 2 Pikachu EX promo cards, shields, a platform case, a show case, play mat, and different goodies.
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Espeon and Umbreon Premium Deck Set: 6,200 yen (~$39 USD)
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Card Set: 10,800 Yen (~$68 USD)

Image Credits: The Pokemon Company

To snag these packs, you’ll person to beryllium a Japanese national with an ID paper issued by the Japanese government. If you don’t person one, you’re simply outta luck.

First announced successful July, buyers volition request to usage the Digital Identification App to marque these purchases, which is simply a free, unafraid online instrumentality that allows citizens to motion documents and verify their identities online. It’s utilized alongside the My Number Card, a integrative IC-chip paper for residents that acts some arsenic an authoritative photograph ID and a integer instrumentality to much easy entree authorities services.

It’s a ace secure, citizens-only process that severely limits who’s capable to get these paper packs, but fixed the sheer magnitude of scalping that’s taken spot wrong the Pokemon abstraction specifically, it makes consciousness that these protections are being implemented.

This is the latest measurement the Pokemon Company has taken to discourage TCG scalpers aft enacting facial designation scans astatine prime paper stores wrong Japan, affecting adults and children supra simple schoolhouse property to “provide a harmless and unafraid buying situation for each customers, to forestall crime, and to guarantee compliance with due introduction and acquisition rules.”

These policies aren’t a full surprise; Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa announced that My Number IDs would beryllium indispensable for definite purchases successful bid to combat scalping successful the Pokemon TCG abstraction successful aboriginal July.

“Nintendo besides communicates with The Pokémon Company arsenic needed to sermon due ways to present products to consumers," Furukawa said. "We judge that The Pokémon Company volition proceed to instrumentality measures to respond to this issue."

It doesn’t look similar scalping arsenic a signifier wrong the trading paper assemblage has shown immoderate signs of stopping, though. Recently, Disney taxable parks and stores successful some the United States and Europe were overwhelmed aft customers lined up successful droves to acquisition caller Princess-themed Lorcana packs, forcing 1 determination to temporarily adjacent its doors to forestall chaos that had started unfolding extracurricular among overeager players and scalpers.

It’s not conscionable cards that are suffering from this treatment; merchandise for high-profile IPs successful wide are suffering from the scalping epidemic, with the One Piece x Popeye’s exclusive bento boxes getting resold connected eBay for hundreds, portion limited-edition Pokemon Pop-Tarts were besides listed online for arsenic precocious arsenic $50.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.