Demand for the Pokémon Trading Card Game is reaching increasingly extreme levels as collectors prepare for the franchise’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
The upcoming Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration expansion has created another rush for cards, but the situation surrounding the hobby is becoming much bigger than ordinary scalping. Recent incidents include a collector allegedly using a hidden GPS tracker to follow Pokémon TCG deliveries, a woman allegedly drugging victims during sex before stealing their Pokémon cards, and a burglary involving more than $100,000 worth of Pokémon merchandise.
At the same time, retailers and The Pokémon Company are introducing stricter measures to combat bots, scalpers and bulk buyers as supply continues struggling to match demand.
72-Year-Old Collector Allegedly Tracks Walmart Vendor
One of the more extreme examples comes from Ohio.
A 72-year-old Pokémon collector named Kent Kubasta allegedly placed a covert GPS tracking device inside the vehicle of a Walmart restock vendor.
The alleged reason was Pokémon cards.
By tracking the vendor’s movements, Kubasta could potentially determine which stores were receiving Pokémon TCG shipments and arrive around the time products were being restocked.
The vendor discovered the GPS tracker in June and reported it to Wooster police.
Kubasta eventually pleaded no contest and faces a $500 fine plus court costs, according to Wayne County Municipal Court records.
Collectors trying to determine retail restock schedules is nothing new. However, physically placing a tracking device on someone’s vehicle crosses a very different line.
Store managers have instead recommended that collectors use legitimate community resources, including Facebook and TikTok groups where users regularly share information about Pokémon TCG restocks.
Woman Allegedly Drugs Victims and Steals Pokémon Cards
An even more unusual case demonstrates just how valuable Pokémon card collections have become.
A 21-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly drugging victims during sexual encounters and stealing their Pokémon cards.
It is the type of crime that would have sounded almost absurd during the early years of the Pokémon TCG.
Today, however, individual cards and collections can carry substantial secondary-market values. A relatively small binder can potentially contain thousands of dollars worth of cards, making high-value collections an attractive target for theft.
Pokémon cards are also considerably easier to transport and conceal than many other valuable goods.
More Than $100,000 in Pokémon Merchandise Stolen
Businesses aren’t escaping the problem either.
ThePokeHive suffered a burglary in August 2026 in which more than $100,000 worth of Pokémon TCG merchandise was reportedly stolen.
Incidents like this demonstrate why security surrounding trading-card stores and collections has become increasingly important.
A large inventory of sealed Pokémon products and valuable individual cards can represent an enormous amount of money while taking up relatively little physical space.
The explosive secondary market surrounding Pokémon therefore brings many of the same security problems normally associated with other high-value collectibles.
Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Is Driving Huge Demand
All of this comes as Pokémon prepares for another major wave of TCG demand with Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration.
The anniversary expansion celebrates three decades of the trading card game by reprinting historic cards and introducing special anniversary releases.
One of its biggest features is a collection of 30 Pikachu variants, each carrying a special 30th anniversary logo.
Cards from Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration become legal for official competitive play on Friday, September 25.
The Pokémon Company has said that printing of the set will continue, potentially giving collectors additional opportunities to purchase products instead of immediately turning toward the secondary market.
That hasn’t stopped supply problems.
Demand has already contributed to canceled orders through the Pokémon Center storefront, while availability remains inconsistent between stores and regions.
Continued printing could eventually improve the situation, but stock stability remains unresolved.
Scalpers Continue to Benefit From Limited Supply
Whenever Pokémon products become difficult to obtain, the secondary market quickly becomes part of the conversation.
Scalpers can purchase desirable products at retail price before immediately listing them elsewhere for considerably more money.
Bots can make the situation worse by automatically purchasing online inventory faster than regular customers can complete an order.
Bulk buyers can create similar problems at physical stores by purchasing large quantities immediately after a restock.
The result is a frustrating cycle where legitimate collectors struggle to find products, secondary-market prices increase and demand for information about upcoming restocks becomes even stronger.
That demand for restock information is precisely what makes the Ohio GPS tracking incident particularly concerning.
Japan Is Introducing Tougher Anti-Scalping Measures
Retailers and The Pokémon Company have increasingly responded with stronger purchasing restrictions.
Japan has introduced some particularly strict measures around desirable Pokémon TCG products.
Government-issued identification requirements have been used to make repeat purchases more difficult, while lottery-based sales provide customers with an opportunity to buy products without simply rewarding whoever reaches a store or website first.
These systems are designed to combat automated bots, scalpers and people attempting to purchase large quantities for resale.
They can create additional inconvenience for ordinary collectors, but retailers are facing limited alternatives when demand dramatically exceeds available stock.
Community Restock Groups Offer a Better Alternative
Collectors still have legitimate options for finding Pokémon cards.
Facebook groups, TikTok communities and other local Pokémon collecting groups frequently share information about products appearing at stores.
Community-led restock tracking has become particularly useful when availability differs significantly between locations.
It allows collectors to help one another find products without interfering with employees or invading the privacy of vendors responsible for transporting and restocking merchandise.
There is a considerable difference between checking a community group for a Walmart restock and secretly placing a GPS tracker inside someone’s vehicle.
Pokémon TCG’s Success Is Creating a Serious Problem
Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration should be exactly that: a celebration of 30 years of one of the world’s biggest trading card games.
Instead, the enormous demand surrounding Pokémon cards continues exposing the worst parts of the modern collector market.
Scalping is one problem.
Tracking people, drugging victims to steal collections and breaking into businesses for more than $100,000 worth of Pokémon merchandise takes the situation into completely different territory.
Continued printing of the anniversary expansion could eventually reduce pressure by making products easier to obtain. Retailers are also becoming increasingly aggressive with ID requirements, lotteries, purchase limits and other anti-scalping measures.
Whether those measures will be enough remains unclear while demand continues to outpace supply.
For regular collectors, community groups remain one of the best ways to keep track of local availability.
Because no Pikachu card is worth committing a crime over.
