When Will The Pokémon Card Shortage End
Pokémon cards continue selling out quickly, ostensibly meaning a shortage, as supply can’t meet demand. Here’s why (and when) this may end.
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The Pokémon Trading Card Game has once again skyrocketed in popularity, seemingly creating a shortage as supplies fail to meet public demand. However, there are a few reasons why Pokémon cards continue selling out quickly, and understanding these reasons may be key to learning when the card shortage will actually end.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Pokémon cards have seen an increase in sells and popularity. This is likely due to more people being indoors and having time to spend on their collections. However, it’s led to some complications with card collecting, as Pokémon cards are increasingly difficult to find and prices for Pokémon cards reach extravagant prices. Because of this, scalping has become even more common.
To combat scalpers, Target has stopped carrying the cards altogether and The Pokémon Company has implemented a lottery system. So, while scalping appears to be the biggest problem (and also the most likely cause of the shortage), this likely won’t go away until the high demand for Pokémon cards either goes away completely or goes down enough that it deincentivizes scalping. Again, this leads back to the biggest question of all: When will the Pokémon card shortage actually end?
Why The Pokémon Card Shortage May End Soon
As with any shortage, it really comes down to two factors: Either a company makes more of a product to meet demand, or the demand decreases enough that supplies are no longer affected. In terms of the Pokémon TCG, assuming cards don’t get a higher production rate (which seems unlikely, since it could end up flooding the market and hurting company profits), then that means the demand will have to go away before this shortage truly ends.
As more people are vaccinated for COVID-19 and return to some sense of normalcy, it’s likely they will become less interested in their collections and the demand for Pokémon cards will go back to the levels it was at before the pandemic started. This will also most likely affect scalpers, because it means less people are interested in paying high prices for items. Theoretically, this means the Pokémon card shortage should start to be alleviated in the near future.
Granted, the Pokémon series is still wildly popular, so even after fewer people are interested in the TCG, the demand for cards will still be present. So, while Elite Trainer Boxes and booster packs may continue selling out, it will hopefully get easier to find the Pokémon Trading Card Game at retailers again soon.
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