The Pokémon card game has become a speculative stock market for millennials, with adults snatching up all the cards they can get their hands on, making it impossible for kids to collect or play. This has led to a volatile market, with resellers queuing for hours outside shops, hovering around shelves, and buying up every item before anyone else can see it. The rise in reselling and scalping has made it nearly impossible to get your hands on newly released cards, with some rare cards being valued at hundreds of pounds before they've even been released. This has created a speculative stock market, with adults buying up all the cards they can get their hands on, making it impossible for kids to collect or play. Online retailers like Amazon only allow customers to request to buy Pokémon cards, entering everyone into an opaque raffle for the chance to buy them. The popularity of YouTubers and TikTok influencers recording themselves opening packs and listing card values has exacerbated the issue, with common cards discarded and only high-value cards mattering. This has led to a volatile market, with people using apps to track their card portfolio for price rises and falls, and devious practices such as selling fake cards and opening and resealing packs after swapping out any rare cards. The card-grading industry has also come into play, with cards being sent to independent organisations for rating and sealing to potentially increase their value. Despite the Pokémon Company's efforts to print more cards, the demand still outpaces supply, and the market remains volatile. While some shops have adjusted booster pack pricing to reflect their perceived value, others like BathTCG refuse to give into the temptation of scalping, prioritizing the protection of their community and local customers.
