Pokemon TCG McDonald’s cards are already being resold for absurd prices

Pokemon and McDonald’s first collaboration of 2025 kicked off on January 21 with another run of promo cards for fans to collect and they’re already being marked up with absurd prices.

The promotion, which runs until February 24, comes amid a colossal surge of interest in the Pokemon TCG. Prismatic Evolutions, the first major set release of 2025, has infamously been targeted by scalpers and suffered widespread stock shortages.

Booster packs of McDonald’s limited-time Dragon Discovery set, which includes 15 cards to collect, are found inside Happy Meals when purchased from participating restaurants.

However, keen to capitalize on the franchise’s popularity, resellers have already flocked to auction sites to sell the cards at massively inflated prices.

Premium-priced cardboard

Sorting by sold listings on eBay, pages of listings for individual Dragon Discovery packs, as well as entire crates, have already changed hands, with the latter fetching prices anywhere from $600 to $800 USD. Individual packs, on the other hand, have routinely sold for $5 each.

For context, depending on the state and contents ordered, the price of a Happy Meal in the US ranges from $4-8. Likewise, the MSRP of a single booster pack from a standard Pokemon TCG set, which includes 10 cards as opposed to the four found in a McDonald’s pack, is $4.50.

Whether these inflated prices will hold remains to be seen, but considering the event’s month-long duration and no indication from TPC or McDonald’s that supply shortages are expected, it’s unlikely that these mark-ups will hold.

If you’re aiming to complete a full set of Dragon Discovery without resorting to overindulging in fast food, your best bet will be to hold out for a week or two and swoop in when prices inevitably fall.