The high demand for Prismatic Evolutions is giving Pokémon Trading Game players flashbacks of pandemic-era shortages. This month, the Pokémon TCG officially released Prismatic Evolutions, a new "special set" focused on Eevee and its evolved forms. While normal sets are sold in individual booster packs and bundled products, Prismatic Evolutions can only be found in special boxed sets. Unfortunately, Prismatic Evolutions has seen overwhelming demand, which in turn has led to instant shortages during their release. Some stores have even gone as far as to say that they won't carry Prismatic Evolutions, citing safety concerns.

The Prismatic Evolutions shortages are reminiscent of supply issues that first arose during the pandemic. Thanks to hype from celebrities and additional spending money thanks to travel restrictions and stimulus checks, there was an explosion of interest in the Pokémon TCG and other collectible card games. Unfortunately, scalpers raided many big box stores in the hopes of re-selling the cards at a markup, leading to inflated prices and widespread shortages. Although The Pokémon Company eventually increased print runs to ease supply concerns, the recent Prismatic Evolutions shortages have brought out the worst in Pokémon card collectors.

Prismatic Evolutions Brings Out High Demand From Fans

Special Sets Have Different Products That Are More Expensive For Stores To Stock

There are two main causes why so many people are looking for Prismatic Evolutions cards. The first is that Eevee-themed sets have traditionally sold very well on the secondary market. There was a similar run on the Eevee-themed Evolving Skies products several years ago, especially once rare cards such as the Moonbreon started to sell for over a thousand dollars on eBay and other card sellers. At least in Prismatic Evolutions' early days, several cards in the set are selling for hundreds of dollars, including a new Umbreon card selling for as much as the last Moonbreon card.

The other reason is the manner in which Prismatic Evolutions was released. The set is only available in special boxed products like Elite Trainer Boxes and special boxed collections. These products are more expensive than standard booster packs and take up more space on store shelves. While a store can spend around $100 to get a booster box display of Pokémon cards, they'd only be able to purchase around 3 Elite Trainer Boxes (rounding up) for the same amount.

Not every special set is going to be a hot seller like Prismatic Evolutions, so retailers are often faced with a choice.

Similarly, while a store could hypothetically sell the booster box's contents to 36 different people, they'd only be able to sell the Elite Trainer Boxes to three customers. Not every special set is going to be a hot seller like Prismatic Evolutions, so retailers are often faced with a choice. Do they try to get in additional stock beyond what they'd usually sell in boxed product, or do they lean on past sales to make a decision?

In this case, while many retailers tried to purchase additional Prismatic Evolutions stock, the number of stores ordering product led to some allocations, leading many retailers to getting only a fraction of what they originally ordered. If a store had pre-orders, it's possible that they ended up with no stock left to sell after fulfilling those.

Why Scalpers Are A Big Problem In Pokémon TCG

Scalpers Buy Up Stock Using Insider Methods, Making It Harder To Find Cards At Standard Prices

In addition to the high demand for the set, Pokémon TCG collectors have also had to deal with scalpers. Similar to the pandemic, scalpers take advantage of high demand and low supply for their financial gain. Scalpers have a few tools to help them get ahead of the average Pokémon fan. Some use computer programs to automatically buy up online stock the second it goes on sale, while others lean on their knowledge of distribution schedules to get to stores the moment that a store puts inventory on the shelf.

Several videos have gone viral of scalpers raiding Costco stores for a new Scarlet & Violet - 151 boxed set, which is rumored to be the last 151 set to be printed by the Pokémon TCG. Not only do the videos show scalpers attacking each other, but they also reflect another sad truth. All these scalpers knew exactly when these stores were going to place their stock on shelves. While individual stores might have ways to promote a more orderly sale, the average Pokémon card buyer doesn't have a chance against scalpers with inside information.

There's Good News For Patient Prismatic Evolutions Fans

More Reprints Are Planned For Prismatic Evolutions

While Pokémon fans might be fretting over Prismatic Evolutions now, they shouldn't have to wait forever. Scarlet & Violet - 151 had similar influxes of demand, but Pokémon continued to print stock for well over a year. The Pokémon Company has already confirmed that they'll be releasing additional Prismatic Evolutions products over the next few months, and reprints are also planned. This reflects a commitment by The Pokémon Company to getting their products into the hands of fans, even if takes a few extra months. However, it still doesn't fix the overall problems caused by these special sets.

The reality is that something needs to change with special sets. Not only are some stores opting out of stocking Prismatic Evolutions due to safety reasons, but most other retailers have also already sold out of product. While the Pokémon TCG has taken steps to increase production of their cards, some special sets are always going to have shortages simply because they represent a bigger investment for retailers to stock properly. Gatekeeping sets behind boxed products decreases the number of customers that product reaches, no matter how many print runs a set has.

Every trading card game has its own quirks, ranging from limited promo cards to expensive "collector booster packs" that only contain rare cards. The major difference is that the Pokémon TCG is a game made for kids. Even if most players aren't kids spending their hard-earned allowance money on cards, it's still difficult to explain why there aren't any Pokémon cards anywhere in the city to a nine-year-old. For the good of the game, the Pokémon TCG should consider ending special sets or at least radically changing how they get to stores.