Pokemon card YouTuber claims Walmart are selling “fake” TCG products
The Pokemon Company / YouTube: Deep Pocket MonsterPokemon fans are outraged after being sold fake Pokemon cards from Walmart’s online marketplace. A sponsored seller on the US retailer’s site is said to be “scamming” collectors with fraudulent TCG products.
In 2009, Walmart launched its marketplace website to compete with retailers such as Amazon. The online store allowed approved third-party accounts to sell products through the popular American company.
According to TCG collectors, players are being scammed after being sold fake Pokemon cards on the digital shop. Several fans were stunned when their XY Evolutions booster boxes purchased through Walmart ended up being counterfeit.
YouTube: Deep Pocket MonsterScammers are selling fake Pokemon cards on Walmart’s website
Popular YouTuber ‘Deep Pocket Monster’ brought attention to the scam with his March 12 upload. The creator discovered the counterfeit items after fellow collector ‘JediMasterSquirtle’ had a relative who purchased XY Evolutions Booster box from Walmart for $169. The fan was shocked when a Charizard in the set was named Caterpie instead.
Confirming the fraudulent item, Deep Pocket Monster then ordered the box himself from the marketplace and was also sent the same fake collectible. After contacting the retailer, the American chain confirmed that the TCG box was being sold through a third-party account called ‘JoyBuy.’
However, after further investigation, the YouTuber claims the account is actually tied to JD – a Chinese online retailer who had partnered with Walmart in 2017. “Walmart purchased a 5% stake in JD dot com for $1.5 billion. Now that stake is 12%. So JoyBuy isn’t some random third-party company selling on Walmart’s marketplace,” he said. “JoyBuy, also known as JD, is Walmart’s partner and they are selling fake cards. So does that mean Walmart is actually selling illegal counterfeit Pokemon cards?”
The YouTuber claims he tried to get ahold of Walmart and even sent them evidence to get the product removed. However, the retailer has yet to respond. Disappointed and concerned that more fans would get scammed, the content creator sent a video message directly to the American company.
“Walmart, I know you’re trying to compete with Amazon. But the environment you’ve created for us, we’re GETTING SCAMMED! It’s not good. You’re not protecting your buyers. I invite you to a discussion about this,” he said.
The retailer did eventually refund the YouTuber his money for the counterfeit TCG box. However, Deep Pocket Monster claims that the process was challenging and required him to speak with various employees before it was finally approved. At the time of writing, the counterfeit Evolutions box is still being sold on the site.