Scalping Pokémon World Championships merch doesn’t make you cool, actually
As the first trainers are touching down in Anaheim for this year’s Pokémon World Championships, tensions are boiling in the community over certain unsavory practices. Despite The Pokémon Company International’s (TPCI) efforts to prevent overpriced merch resales, the scalpers are at it again.
The Pokémon World Championships is more than just a hub for competition across the series’ various games – it’s essentially a massive fan convention, and a huge part of the attraction is the pop-up Pokémon Center and its exclusive merch offerings. This year, these awesome products range from a brand-new shiny Pokémon figure to the ever-popular Bear Walker collaboration skateboard. As these products usually sell out instantly, this year, TPCI implemented a lottery system for visitors to ensure that everyone has a fair shot of getting their dream item, regardless of when they can make it to the Pokémon Center.
Despite the leveled playing field, some trainers are still using their lottery luck to make a quick buck from less fortunate fans, before even getting their hands on the product or knowing its price. One trainer, Jose Marrero, has advertised the Bear Walker skateboard and shiny Gyarados figure for sale on X already, for $1k and $600, respectively, based purely on his lottery success emails.
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As the first trainers are touching down in Anaheim for this year’s Pokémon World Championships, tensions are boiling in the community over certain unsavory practices. Despite The Pokémon Company International’s (TPCI) efforts to prevent overpriced merch resales, the scalpers are at it again. The Pokémon World Championships is more than just a hub for competition…