My g/f is more or less just a collector. She has binders and binders of cards she collected over 30 years before the scalpers turned the TCG into a commodity. She got so fed up with the scalpers and inflated prices that she started an LLC so she can get wholesale product. She has to compete with big box stores for product, which means she gets way less wholesale than big established stores. She probably sells 75% of the wholesale product/unopened packs and keeps 25% for herself. She charges reasonable prices. She’s making like $2 an hour profit running her LLC after accounting for packaging, shipping, and purchasing new inventory. Even though she can’t get as much product as she wants, she’s always sold out because she isn’t charging scalper prices. She gets cards/packs for herself at reasonable prices, and her small customer base doesn’t have to pay scalper prices.
My FLGS (which is a weirdly massive deal) has the same limits on pokemon pack purchases that everyone else has had to implement, but they recently went one further and now have a rule that children get to cut to the front of the line on restock days. Not a perfect system sure, but the salt from the scalper base has been absolutely legendary.
This is a problem with every kind of hobby. Anytime something is throttling production or there’s a limited edition, scalper bullshit comes around. It’s one of the big reasons I hate limited editions so goddamn much.
tcp japan is definitely making bank on scalpers, not only limited edition but the pull rate of rares, or the price=usage in irl tournament. they also dont reprint the same card often too. magic had issues with scalping, but i heard its mostly negated by them releasing too many SETS in one year.
Scalpers are some of the worst scum to humanity has produced.
if you seen the pokemon scalpers, pretty much. people who dont even play it try to cash in on it.
My g/f is more or less just a collector. She has binders and binders of cards she collected over 30 years before the scalpers turned the TCG into a commodity. She got so fed up with the scalpers and inflated prices that she started an LLC so she can get wholesale product. She has to compete with big box stores for product, which means she gets way less wholesale than big established stores. She probably sells 75% of the wholesale product/unopened packs and keeps 25% for herself. She charges reasonable prices. She’s making like $2 an hour profit running her LLC after accounting for packaging, shipping, and purchasing new inventory. Even though she can’t get as much product as she wants, she’s always sold out because she isn’t charging scalper prices. She gets cards/packs for herself at reasonable prices, and her small customer base doesn’t have to pay scalper prices.
My FLGS (which is a weirdly massive deal) has the same limits on pokemon pack purchases that everyone else has had to implement, but they recently went one further and now have a rule that children get to cut to the front of the line on restock days. Not a perfect system sure, but the salt from the scalper base has been absolutely legendary.
i heard on another forum, that some stores require the packs to be opened in store, before leaving.
That’s actually really wholesome.
This is a problem with every kind of hobby. Anytime something is throttling production or there’s a limited edition, scalper bullshit comes around. It’s one of the big reasons I hate limited editions so goddamn much.
tcp japan is definitely making bank on scalpers, not only limited edition but the pull rate of rares, or the price=usage in irl tournament. they also dont reprint the same card often too. magic had issues with scalping, but i heard its mostly negated by them releasing too many SETS in one year.
Yeah they’re like corporations and big investors.