Wild Pokemon TCG scam has players sharing “scummy” stories of their own
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon TCG players have been lamenting the prevalence of scamming plaguing the hobby, especially after one worryingly convincing set of fakes was posted online. Vendors pushing fake cards isn’t new, but as techniques improve, it’s become increasingly difficult to spot counterfeit cardboard at a glance.
One user of the PokemonTCG subreddit has taken it upon themselves to warn others of illegitimate third-party sellers operating on Amazon. The listing stated that buyers would receive four Booster Packs — potentially from rare releases like Evolutions — from a random assortment of sets.
In this case, that’s exactly what the affected customer received, though, upon further inspection, the person behind the purchase claims the cards contained within are fake.
“I’ve recently bought some packs from Amazon from a seller. To my surprise, all the packs were fake and the cards were not well done,” the victim commented. “I’m looking out for the people who do not want to buy from Amazon to keep an eye on this provider and to avoid them at all costs,” they continued.
The unenviable outcome prompted others to share anecdotes of allegedly receiving fake cards or tampered boxes from online sellers.
“Something similar happened to me with Amazon. I bought two Booster Bundles for my daughter’s birthday. The cards were legit but all the Boosters were open and only contained 5 to 6 common cards,” shared one collector.
“My mother got caught by these scam packs as she was just trying to do something nice for me. One of the packs I opened was even soaking wet inside somehow. Yeah, never by from anywhere that you can’t trust,” said another.
A genuine copy of Tyranitar EXCustomer reviews for the seller in question are mixed. Multiple claims of receiving fake or opened blind bundles are publicly visible on the vendor’s page, as are positive reviews.
So-called blind bundles are an effective means of shifting unsold bulk, especially from sets that have been overprinted. Generally speaking, your best bet to avoid being scammed with fake products is to buy from official vendors, factory-sealed products, or visiting physical stores to check products yourself.