Walk into GameStop looking for the Pokémon 30th Anniversary Elite Trainer Box (ETB — the standard collector starter kit) and you’ll find it priced at $169.99, according to Polygon. The same box costs $49.99 at Pokémon Center. That’s a 340% markup on a product designed for kids and casual collectors.
This isn’t a pricing error or a rogue store manager. Across multiple product lines, GameStop reportedly prices Pokémon TCG products at two to four times MSRP, effectively doing what scalpers do — just with fluorescent lighting and a rewards program.
Beyond the sticker shock, the specific numbers are staggering:
- Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle: $26.94 at Pokémon Center → $90 at GameStop (roughly $4.50 per pack versus $15 per pack), per Engadget
- 30th Anniversary UPC (Ultra-Premium Collection — the top-shelf collector box): MSRP around $180 → $599.99 pre-order at GameStop, per Polygon and Reddit communities
- 30th Anniversary ETB: MSRP $49.99 → $129.99, later raised to $169.99, per Polygon
- Charizard Premium Collection: MSRP $119.99 → $249.99, per Polygon’s tracking
That $599.99 UPC price deserves a moment. At that figure, you’re paying an eye-watering amount per booster pack — far above even aftermarket prices for individual cards.
Scarcity as a Business Model
Beyond the sticker shock, the mechanics of how GameStop prices these products compound the damage.
Engadget’s reporting reveals GameStop doesn’t always publicly list upcoming product prices, changes them without notice, and requires a 50% deposit on pre-orders. Reserve that $170 ETB and you’re putting down $85 before the product ships — a tactic that locks customers in and discourages cancellations as prices climb.
The ETB started at roughly $130, then moved to $170 mid-cycle. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford called it “downright abusive pricing,” noting GameStop has “already pushed way past what should be allowed.” It’s the same energy as Ticketmaster recommending a $300 facility fee on events it also promotes — the gatekeeper capturing margins that were never supposed to be theirs.
The Backlash and What Comes Next
GameStop blinked on prices but didn’t back down, and Nintendo is paying close attention.
Community outrage forced partial rollbacks. According to TCG Daily Card Fever:
- The UPC dropped from $599.99 to $399.99
- The ETB fell to $99.99
- Booster Bundles landed at $59.99
Still roughly double MSRP across the board. This looks like a deliberate experiment in demand-based pricing, not a mistake.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged “high-priced reselling in the market” at a shareholder meeting, promising Nintendo would “take measures to respond to this issue” by “making agreements with market operators,” per Engadget. That language could directly implicate retailers pricing video games far above MSRP. Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company’s printing partner, Millennium Print Group, signed a lease on a 1.27-million-square-foot North Carolina facility, potentially increasing supply around 2027.
Whether relief arrives fast enough remains an open question for collectors already priced out by the very stores meant to serve them.
