The cat so fast he's a streak 
As part of its latest attempt to combat scalpers, a popular Japanese retail store is now requiring ID from customers to prove that they're NOT of legal age.
Usually, when a retail store or any kind of establishment asks you for a form of identification, it's to help prove that you're a consenting adult. But, in this particular and rare case, a Japanese Pokemon card seller is doing the same exact opposite - asking customers to prove that they're not adults to get a chance to buy one of the latest and hottest-selling sets.
As pointed out by Kotaku, the self-proclaimed biggest Pokemon TCG specialty store in the world, is selling the Clay Burst and Snow Hazard sets to children who are still attending junior high school or younger.
The Loot Drop
A Japanese Pokemon card seller is requiring customers to prove they're not adults to prevent scalping and hoarding.
The reverse age check procedure means a customer has to be young enough to buy the packs displayed in its dedication section. The store has also barred parents and guardians from buying the said packs on behalf of the kids. Finally, to further prevent scalping and hoarding, the store is limiting the boosters to 10 packs a day. It's only after these packs have sold out that they'll sell any pack that remains to other customers.
Hareruya 2's new scheme is part of a larger TCG industry problem of scalping and hoarding. Most recently, thousands of people around the world queued outside retailers to get a chance to grab Clay Burst and Snow Hazard ahead of everyone else. Some do it genuinely because they want to be one of the first to own the cards. But, most have more capitalistic and less ethical reasons, namely selling the booster boxes for a quick profit.
Case in point, The Pokemon Company in Japan announced just days after its launch that the fervent demand meant that they'd run out of packs already. A quick search online will tell you that most of the packs had fallen in the hands of scalpers who sold the booster boxes for thousands of dollars.
As more and more rare cards sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions, these instances will continue to happen.
Having said that, Hareruya 2's policy actually makes a ton of sense. It guarantees that the younger generation, who are into Pokemon because they enjoy it, have a shot at buying booster packs without worrying about making money off of it or not. Of course, this isn't 100% effective. Adults can always work their way around it by asking younger kids to buy the packs for them. It's kind of like how some kids ask adults to buy beer and cigarettes for them, except, it's the adults asking kids to buy Pokemon cards.
On a more positive note, scalpers and resellers are a sign that an industry is profitable enough to attract such individuals.
It remains to be seen if this will work to help combat the issue with resellers and scalpers in the Pokemon TCG scene.
Scalpers and resellers are a nuisance in any industry. In video games, for example, Sony struggled with getting enough PS5 consoles on store shelves as scalpers almost always got their hands on them first. It wasn't until recently Sony said it had solved the stock shortage. In the TCG scene's case, manufacturers just can't simply flood the market with cards, lest they risk devaluing them. In a sense, the TCG and sneaker industry can learn from each other.
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Can any economics-cels explain to me why they don't literally just PRINT MORE?
Like, these aren't dedicated concert seats. Why do they not have an on-off button at the card factory that can print more cards, to be sold a week or two later. It's more sales AND better pr for the card company. It's not like they're printing PS5s, it's dye on cardboard.
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Pokemon unironically has/had issues keeping up with demand even when the printers are at max. It's part of the reason they bought their primary printer.
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I assume because it would tank the market, and they know a good chunk of their business comes from flippers and speculators. I know people like the thrill of the hunt as well, and if they could get any card they wanted at any time for pennies there's be no appeal for them. It's neurodivergent.
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Tank the market for even first party sales or third party scalping?
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Tech lover, IT Admin, heckin pupper lover and occasionally troll. I hold back feelings or opinions, right or wrong because I dislike conflict.
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Yeah, half the fun of it for people is the goomble.
Only r-slurred gay BIPOCs would say trans lives matter
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Because they need stupid whales to over pay. Its the stores enforcing this not the pokemon card manufactures they don't care who is buying their shitty overprice cardboard.
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Cards are worth more when there is less of them. The Jap Jews want the nerds spending money on those rare cards so they limit production.
They dont care about PR. As for the sales most of the money goes to the scalper not the company and they don't like that.
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like what
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For one, most Japanese companies still lack an actual executive management structure. Sony only just recently switched to stock-based compensation and a central headquarters.
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The ridiculous powercreep, paragraphs of inconsistent texts, no card rotation, abd being much easier to get into cost wise makes yugioh so darn fun.
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just play unsanctioned old formats for cash
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Why don't cardgamecels just counterfeit their own cards? I mean in a real card game you expect everyone to be on the same footing, right? It's not like you have to bring your own deck to the poker table.
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This is why I prefer Duel Links/Master Duel to the real thing nowadays. Yeah the rl cards are nice and shiny, but when I want to play the game, I want to PLAY THE GAME and not be bogged down every chain with "wait, you can't do that." "Yes I can." "JAAAAAADGE!!!!!"
Edit: On a smiliar note, what the frick was Cross Duel supposed to be? It's dying tho so who cares, I guess. #RIPBozo
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now it's the adults asking the teens to buy stuff for them because they get carded!
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It's the perfect system and it doesn't involve peepees
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you just solved the economy
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Surely someone out there has sucked peepee for pokemon cards before
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Hopefully, that person was an adult.
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An adult who sucks peepee for Pokémon cards is still a child -
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Tech lover, IT Admin, heckin pupper lover and occasionally troll. I hold back feelings or opinions, right or wrong because I dislike conflict.
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I remember my dad taking me to a card shop to buy me a pack of pokemon and later basketball stuff when when I was kid. "Purple Cactus" if any San Antonio-cels lived close by.
Love my dad.
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Neat, there are a bunch of hobby game stores open here in San Antonio, more than Portland shockingly enough.
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Frick it’s been a long time
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I set my xhamster on xfire
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/r/LoveForScalpers in shambles
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Snapshots:
archive.org
ghostarchive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
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Normalise taking nerds cards and throwing them in the river, then you can oversupply without tanking the value.
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Nice post, bro! I posted it to twitter.
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They have used underwear in vending machines, Japan hasn't had honour in a long time
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It is honorable to not hold back against your foe with bushido
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