Pokemon retailers have taken drastic measures to combat scalpers and anti-social behavior ahead of the TCG’s first expansion of 2025 hitting shelves.
Prismatic Evolutions, a Special Set focused on Eevee and all eight of its equally absurdly popular evolutions, has been hyped to the moon and back since it was revealed in November 2024.
With warnings of stock shortages and subsequent reports of pre-order cancellations doing the rounds, concerns that scalpers will absorb stock to resell products at massively inflated prices have run rife.
To combat resellers as well as ensure the safety of its staff, MissingNo. Games, an independent Pokemon vendor based in Wisconsin, has outlined a series of measures it intends to enforce when Prismatic Evolutions releases on January 17.
Pokemon retailer sets strict ground rules
In an email from the retailer shared by a user on the PokemonTCG subreddit, the store stated that to “ensure the safety of our employees and customers, we will be allowing only two parties into the store at a time.”
In addition to limiting each party to one Prismatic Evolutions product each, the email added, “If you want your product at MSRP, we will remove the shrink wrap off your products and cut the corner of your booster packs.”
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“If you want your product sealed, we will charge you market prices for it,” the notice continued; a direct attempt to prevent customers from relisting their purchases at a later date with marked up prices.
For comparison, the recommended retail price for Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes is $49.99 USD. As of writing, listings for the same bundle on eBay range anywhere from $90 to almost $200 USD. Filtering by Sold Items paints a similar picture, with multiple confirmed transactions above $120 USD listed.
This isn’t the first time Pokemon TCG products have been targeted by scalpers, even in 2025. On January 10, players banded together to mass report scalpers after Journey Together products sold out almost instantly.
Likewise, other independent retailers, not wanting to risk the safety of their stores or staff, have refused to stock Prismatic Evolutions entirely.
