As the first trainers are touching down in Anaheim for this year's Pokémon World Championships, tensions are boiling in the community over certain unsavory practices. Despite The Pokémon Company International's (TPCI) efforts to prevent overpriced merch resales, the scalpers are at it again.
The Pokémon World Championships is more than just a hub for competition across the series' various games - it's essentially a massive fan convention, and a huge part of the attraction is the pop-up Pokémon Center and its exclusive merch offerings. This year, these awesome products range from a brand-new shiny Pokémon figure to the ever-popular Bear Walker collaboration skateboard. As these products usually sell out instantly, this year, TPCI implemented a lottery system for visitors to ensure that everyone has a fair shot of getting their dream item, regardless of when they can make it to the Pokémon Center.
Despite the leveled playing field, some trainers are still using their lottery luck to make a quick buck from less fortunate fans, before even getting their hands on the product or knowing its price. One trainer, Jose Marrero, has advertised the Bear Walker skateboard and shiny Gyarados figure for sale on X already, for $1k and $600, respectively, based purely on his lottery success emails.
As the Worlds Pokémon Center doesn't open for business until 2pm PDT today, we have no way of knowing these items' exact values, but based on other existing products, Marrero's fees seem extortionate. The most expensive Bear Walker boards on the Pokémon Center website are $299.99, and the stunning ghost Pokémon statue from First 4 Figures doesn't exceed $400. It makes me sad that scalping is such a normal part of the Pokémon community nowadays, despite TPCI's efforts to stop it.
There are other ways to get exclusive Worlds merch, of course. You can get a free promo card from the Pokémon Center with any order, or take part in various giveaways on social media for some adorable plushies. Plus, there are tons of Pokémon World Championship rewards available digitally across the various tournament livestreams. If you miss the action, take a peek at our Pokémon Go codes, Pokémon Unite codes, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet mystery gift codes guides to grab your goodies.