Pokémon Fans Applaud Target’s Strategy to Combat Card Scalpers

The Pokémon community is buzzing with surprise as news breaks that a major retailer is taking drastic steps to combat resale price gouging in the trading card market.

The chaos kicked off with a video showing a Target manager tearing open fresh boxes of Pokémon trading cards before they hit the shelves. “I’ll be honest with you,” the manager tells off-camera customers. “We have been having an issue with scalpers. This is the right I’ve been given to mitigate that issue,” he explains, adding that this directive comes from corporate. He notes that this approach is being implemented on a store-by-store basis.

While there hasn’t been an official comment from the retailer, anecdotal evidence seems to back up the manager’s statements. One fan shared a photo on a different platform of a Pokémon box that had been opened. “Went to Target and got a bundle and they cut the seal at the counter,” a user posted. “I don’t care because I was going to rip anyway.”

The video has gone viral for a couple of reasons. One is the humor in the back-and-forth between customers and the manager, who keeps asking if they want a box or not. “You’re messing with The Pokémon Company’s sales,” one customer argues, only to buy a box regardless.

However, the main reason for the video’s popularity is that, if accurate, this represents one of the most aggressive actions taken by a major retailer to address the issues surrounding Pokémon cards. Customers, especially scalpers, often camp outside stores overnight to snag new boxes for resale at inflated prices. Even with purchasing limits in place, confrontations seem to occur almost daily. The high demand has led to a surge in Pokémon-related thefts, and in some areas, stores have stopped selling cards altogether due to the hassle.

Target has been at the center of several high-profile incidents. In 2021, after a man brandished a gun in a Target parking lot, the chain temporarily halted collectible sales. Since then, some locations have implemented new safety measures, such as keeping products behind the Guest Services desk or setting up queue systems.

While the practice of unsealing Pokémon boxes isn’t widespread, many fans are excited about the change. “Needed to happen a long time ago,” one user commented. “Best video of 2026,” another chimed in.

Not everyone is on board with this approach. Some fans prefer to buy sealed Pokémon products for their collections rather than for resale. Others believe that while the tactic is a step in the right direction, it won’t fully resolve the issue, as scalpers can still sell individual packs at a premium. Ironically, fewer sealed products could drive up prices for any remaining pristine boxes, and stores that don’t break seals might find themselves overwhelmed by demand.

“I showed this to my scalpers discord and they nearly lost it,” one user shared.

Meanwhile, efforts to manage the Pokémon craze are ongoing. Some local card shops have already started breaking seals upon purchase or have implemented tests to ensure customers are genuine fans. In Japan, The Pokémon Company plans to require customers to show ID before buying products. A recent report indicated that the company will also ban the sale of expensive graded cards during official events.

For every retailer or shop that enforces limits, there are just as many that are indifferent to a few individuals clearing the shelves — after all, a sale is a sale.

There will be 30 Pikachu to collect, each illustrated by a different artist.