Long queues have been forming at toy shops across the UK and North America for Pokémon cards, with some individuals waiting for hours before stores open. In October, over a hundred people queued outside a Kent toy shop at 5am, with nearly twice that number joining by opening time four hours later.
This demand has led to some individuals, referred to as scalpers, purchasing cards and reselling them online for significantly higher prices, reportedly up to three times the original cost. Social media has also shown instances of physical altercations among those queuing for cards.
Store owners are implementing various strategies to ensure fair distribution and discourage scalping. These measures include loyalty schemes, lotteries, ripped seals, and 'shadow drops' of products. Some official Pokémon stores in Japan are even using facial recognition to enforce purchasing limits.
The renewed interest in Pokémon cards is partly attributed to millennials, now adults with disposable income, revisiting the hobby during COVID-19, coinciding with the franchise's 25th anniversary. The release of a new set of cards celebrating the original 151 Pokémon in 2023 and the mobile game Pokémon TCG Pocket in 2024 have also contributed to the surge in demand.