The Pokémon Center added a queue system earlier this year in an effort to crack down on scalpers and bots ofPokémonmerch, but it seems the feature isn’t working as intended. In fact, the queue is making the situation worse for honest buyers as bots bypass the line and override the purchase limit. This is causing regular buyers to be stuck in line while new releases sell out.
Reddit userAnimanicManiacshared a series of posts by another Redditor (now deleted), making fans aware of the situation. According to these posts,the Pokémon Center queue is being easily bypassed by bots, allowing scalpers to buy up hot new releases likePokémonTCG card boxes and evenPokémonplushies to resellat a huge markup. The images show a scalper using a bot to easily purchase over a dozenPrismatic EvolutionsTCG Elite Trainer Boxes in one go, while fans struggled to find even one at the product’s launch.
The Pokémon Center Feature Meant To Help Fans Is Hurting Them
Bots Can Bypass The Queue Meant To Stop Them
Just two months ago, the western version of thePokémon Center implemented a systemthatrequires fans to wait in line to purchase a popular new merch drop, like a bigPokémon TCGrelease. The system has been in use in Japan for years alongside an item purchase limit, effectively cutting down on bad behavior on the site during periods of high traffic. While some fans felt that the new feature was moving in the right direction to deter scalpers, many others believed that a queue on its own wouldn’t be enough without additional safety measures.
It turns out these fans were right to be concerned, as the new system is failing to work as advertised. Fans are finding themselvesstuck in a virtual line among themselves, as bots skip the queueand buy out the merch before they can even get to it.
“You are asked to be part of the hoards frothing at the mouth…in a queue of millions whilst bots waltz on through and clean house.”
The screenshots shared by AnimanicManiac show evidence that"bots don’t go in queue,“making some fans consider not continuing with the hobby of collecting. As Reddit userTheChattyRatputs it, it’s hard to want to continue in a hobby where “you are asked to be part of the hoards frothing at the mouth trying to queue up in a queue of millions whilst bots waltz on through and clean house.”
The Rise Of Scalpers Is Shaping The Way Game Companies Do Business
Pokémon Isn’t The Only Big Gaming Company Affected
Recently, the Pokémon Company has been a major target for nefarious buyers who purchase huge amounts of newly released merch,causing shortages for honest buyers and then reselling the goods at a huge price increase.ThePokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutionsset release was particularly bad, causing thePokémon Company to release a statementpromising to increase safety measures and print more of the set “as quickly as possible and at maximum capacity.”
Unfortunately,Pokémonisn’t the only gaming industry giant affected by this growing issue. Nintendo is facing similar issues ahead of its highly anticipated upcoming Switch 2 console release. It’s such a big problem that Nintendo has had to craft a system of checks to ensure thatonly honest, dedicated fans got the chance to preorder the console—a system which is already being thwarted based on the manyridiculously overpriced Switch 2 presale keysthat are already littering eBay.
At the end of the day, there’s only so much that Nintendo orPokémoncan do to combat the huge problem of scalping in the games industry. The best way to stop the scalpers is for fans to stop buying from them. Hopefully, the Pokémon Center will figure out a better way to protect honest buyers before long.
