A Pokémon Trading Card Game card collector is claiming that fake products are being sold at Walmart. Like many other aspects of Nintendo's long-running monster-wrangling game franchise, the Pokémon Trading Card Game remains a popular and lucrative commodity for collectors, with new Pokémon cards and Booster packs being released all the time. However, things have grown more complicated in recent years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in shortages due to people being stuck inside and taking up the hobby of buying, collecting, and trading Pokémon cards.
This in turn has led to many scams involving fraud and counterfeit Pokémon cards. Recently, a Japanese shop owner was arrested for selling fake Pokémon cards, and a Georgia resident was also sentenced to three years in prison for falsely applying for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan that they instead spent on a rare Charizard card. Not even big-name celebrities have been immune to Pokémon-related scams, as Logan Paul discovered that he spent upwards of $3.5m on fake Pokémon cards earlier this year. It’s reached the point where online retailers like eBay have launched authentication services for collectors to verify that the cards they order are real, but it seems that even major retailers like Walmart could be selling counterfeit Pokémon products to unsuspecting fans.
HobbyGaming YouTuber and Pokémon card collector Deep Pocket Monster recently posted a video regarding a message they received from a fellow collector, as reported by Dexerto. According to the content creator, they were told that a box of Pokémon cards bought from Walmart by their sister turned out to be a counterfeit, as seemingly proven with a Charizard card that was instead named “Caterpie.” Deep Pocket Monster then bought the Pokémon XY Evolutions Booster box in question to verify these claims, and contacted Walmart for more information on the $169 set. Walmart reportedly confirmed that the Booster box was ordered from a third-party account named “JoyBuy” - which Deep Pocket Monster claims is actually tied to a Chinese online retailer named JD. Since Walmart actually has business ties to JD, Deep Pocket Monster wonders if the retail chain is actively selling counterfeit Pokémon cards, and implores Walmart to look into this. Walmart would eventually give a refund to Deep Pocket Monster after a “challenging” process, but the Pokémon XY Evolutions Booster box that sparked this controversy is still being sold online.
Last year, certain Walmart locations decided not to carry Pokémon cards at their brick-and-mortar stores due to safety concerns and increased demand, and consumers have been warned about scalpers looking to snatch up Booster packs and resell them at inflated prices. This situation is not unlike the one brought on by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which were met with similarly high demand when they were released back in 2020.
Pokémon cards are much easier to counterfeit than consoles, making it all too common for collectors to inadvertently spend hundreds of dollars on a Booster pack and discover that it is full of fakes. Hopefully, Walmart addresses the allegations soon, but in the meantime Pokémon Trading Card Game collectors should stay vigilant amidst the claims.
Source: Deep Pocket Monster/YouTube (via Dexerto)