Pokemon TCG Community Unites to Report Scalpers as Journey Together Set Sells Out Quickly

The recent pre-order launch of the Journey Together set for the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) has ignited a vigorous response from fans, who are actively reporting scalpers attempting to profit from the collectible cards. Following the pre-order release, many sought-after items were quickly snapped up, leading to rampant scalping on platforms like eBay.

Understanding the Journey Together Set

Inspired by the Japanese Battle Partners expansion, Journey Together is generating considerable excitement among collectors and speculators alike. The set is set to introduce Trainer’s Pokémon cards, featuring prominent human characters, further driving interest in its potential market value.

Scalpers Strike as Pre-orders Go Live

While the official launch date is scheduled for March 28, pre-orders for the Elite Trainer Boxes opened on January 9. Due to overwhelming demand, the Pokémon Center website faced severe issues as scalpers overwhelmed the platform to secure their purchases. Shortly thereafter, these boxes appeared on eBay at significantly inflated prices.

Addressing eBay’s Terms of Service Violations

One critical factor complicating these scalpers’ attempts is eBay’s Terms of Service (TOS), which prohibits the sale of items unless they can be shipped within 40 days. Since the launch date of Journey Together exceeds this timeframe, fans on the PokemonTCG Reddit have taken action by reporting these listings, leading to many sales being removed.

Mass report the scalpers for breaking ebay policy… by u/TallArchitect92 in PokemonTCG

Impact of Community Reporting

The collaborative efforts of the Pokémon TCG community have proven effective, with users sharing success stories of various scalper listings being taken down, as noted in a follow-up report on Reddit.

UPDATE…The reports are working people…keep it up! by u/TallArchitect92 in PokemonTCG

Long-term Solutions to Counter Scalping

While the current reporting strategy may not provide a long-lasting solution, it can effectively hinder immediate profit-making attempts by scalpers until the buying window closes. Additionally, this issue is not isolated; the recent Prismatic Evolutions set has also seen similar scalping activities, highlighting a pressing issue within the Pokémon TCG market.

To effectively mitigate scalping, the best practice is to refrain from purchasing card packs from secondary resale websites. Though Elite Trainer Boxes may vanish online in mere seconds, they will still be accessible in stores, and alternative avenues exist for acquiring individual cards and packs.

In the meantime, the Pokémon community can continue to combat scalpers and strengthen their collective resolve by reporting unethical practices, ensuring that genuine fans can enjoy the thrill of new card releases, like Hop’s Wooloo.

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