Target Has Provisionally Halted Sales Of Pokémon TCG Products

Remember a while back we ran that editorial about scalpers ruining things for everyone? Well, they’re continuing to make life miserable for people just trying to do fun things like, in this instance, buy Pokémon cards. Unfortunately, due to the now-regular blitzkrieg of camped out resellers outside of Target stores in the early morning hours, who then in turn storm inside and cause chaos for workers and shoppers alike, the company is cutting everyone off at the knees. As of May 14, Target locations will no longer be selling Pokémon TCG cards in-store.

As reported by Bleeding Cool, Target had the following to say:

The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14. Guests can continue to shop these cards online at Target.com.

Note that this policy shift appears to be limited to US Target stores. Although there has been no specific incident cited by Target as the reason the retailer has chosen now to halt sales of these cards, the writing has been on the wall for some time that change was needed. For one thing, Walmart has made a similar policy move, banning Pokémon TCG and a number of other collectible cards from being stocked on its shelves owing to “inappropriate customer behavior and increased demand.” For another, there have been various issues revolving around theft, violence, and other unacceptable actions stemming from resellers and fans clashing over cards.

Target notes that it will be possible to continue purchasing Pokémon TCG products on its website, but therein lies the rub—the web is arguably an even harder place for regular consumers to get ahold of cards and collectibles. With scalpers utilizing bots to clean out inventory in an instant, the likelihood now is that it will be even more difficult for regular Joes and Janes to lay claim to the latest boosters, trainer boxes, and so on. It’s a total mess, but one that has only been exacerbated by the seeming refusal of everyone from Nintendo to retailers in combatting predatory resellers.

There is no end date for this sales ban, but if we learn of one you’ll be the first to know. In the meanwhile, we’ll repeat what we’ve said already: stop giving money to scalpers and this problem might end sooner rather than later.

Source: Bleeding Cool