Nintendo’s President Addresses the Pokémon Trading Card Game Scalping Issue

Even Nintendo is aware of the significant scalping issues plaguing the Pokémon Trading Card Game. In recent years, the prices for secondhand cards have skyrocketed, with retailers like GameStop significantly inflating prices on Pokémon TCG products that are in high demand. The situation has escalated to the point where Nintendo has had discussions about it with shareholders.

During a recent annual meeting, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about the company’s strategies to tackle the challenges posed by “bulk purchasing and high-priced reselling.” He acknowledged that both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company recognize the issue and are implementing measures like made-to-order sales to combat it.

“Regarding the Pokémon Trading Card Game provided by The Pokémon Company, which operates as an equity-method subsidiary of Nintendo, we are aware of cases where limited-quantity cards are bought in bulk, resulting in inflated resale prices,” Furukawa stated. “In response, The Pokémon Company is taking various steps, including made-to-order sales and partnerships with marketplace operators. For online priority drawings for specific products, I understand that The Pokémon Company plans to implement an account verification method using My Number Cards [Japan’s official government-issued ID cards].”

While we’ve heard about some of these initiatives, such as the ID requirement in Japan, it’s reassuring to see Nintendo acknowledging the need to address this problem. However, it is somewhat disappointing that Furukawa ultimately placed the responsibility for solutions on The Pokémon Company.

“Nintendo also communicates with The Pokémon Company as necessary to discuss effective ways to deliver products to consumers,” Furukawa added. “We believe that The Pokémon Company will continue to take measures to respond to this issue.”

It would be great to see Nintendo take a more proactive approach in finding innovative solutions to these scalping challenges, as they make collecting and enjoying the Pokémon Trading Card Game far more expensive and stressful than it should be. At least now, Nintendo understands that scalping is a concern for investors, which might motivate them to take stronger action against it.