Nintendo acknowledges the problem of high-priced reselling of Pokémon cards. The article specifically criticizes GameStop for marking up products significantly, with examples showing markups of over 200% and 400% on popular sets, making them unaffordable for many collectors.
Sales of tokenized Pokémon cards have surged over 600% in a year, driven by speculative demand and "gacha" machines mimicking pack-ripping. Collector Crypt in Montana uses a secure facility to combat "rug pull" concerns, with the market for trading cards projected to reach $23.5 billion by 2030.
Melbourne hobby shops are experiencing a significant rise in thefts targeting valuable Pokémon cards. Burglaries have increased dramatically, forcing owners to enhance security and rely on community support.
Small shops across the UK are being targeted by thieves stealing collectibles worth thousands of pounds.
