The release of the Pokémon Trading Card Game's 30th Celebration set has become a business opportunity for resellers rather than just a milestone for collectors. While fans camped outside stores overnight, resellers used automated bots to buy dozens of boxes online at manufacturer's suggested retail price, then tried to offload them at marked-up prices to fans who couldn't buy cards for themselves. The Verge reports that most retailers can't keep cards on shelves, and videos online show resellers showing off piles of product obtained through bots or inventory-checking programs.
This reselling is increasingly organized. Reseller BotterBoyNova works with Polar Chefs, a "cook group" that charges $660 per year or $75 per month for access to a private Discord server, restock alerts, and bots. Nova told The Verge that the process is "almost completely hands free," and that he spends less than 3-5 hours a week on reselling, often asleep while pre-programmed bots make purchases. These bots create multiple retailer accounts with virtual credit cards and spoofed IP addresses. Retail bots are not illegal, but they violate most retailers' terms of service; Congress outlawed ticket-focused bots in 2016, and lawmakers have proposed similar rules for retail bots.
The tension around the hobby has escalated. Pokémon content creator Natalie Roush posted a now-deleted video showing unreleased premium boxes; other creators claimed the cards were stolen from the manufacturer and mocked her for trying to sell them at exorbitant prices. The Verge also notes resellers have gotten into altercations over cards, and in one recent case a 72-year-old man was arrested for tracking a Pokémon delivery worker's location with a device secretly planted in her car. The anniversary set's unusually strong pull rates could also disrupt the aftermarket by giving more fans the rare "chase" cards they want, potentially lowering resale values.