2026 is passing by like a speeding Rapidash, which means Pokémon’s 30th Celebration set is fast approaching – it drops on September 16, 2026 in the TCG’s first ever worldwide simultaneous release.
But while this set’s ETBs are expected to have the usual MSRP of $50, fans are already paying far more than that to secure presale copies. Nothing new there, you might say, but the amount that people are willing to cough up has me well and truly stunlocked.
On eBay, we’re seeing sales of between $175 – $220 for preorders of 30th Celebration – three to four times the RRP. That’s not even for a Pokémon Center Exclusive version with the extra promo and packs, mind you, just a regular old ETB. They’re even paying $90 – $100 for the 30th Celebration binder collection, which only has five packs!
Whether they’re collectors desperate for the packs or re-sellers hoping to turn a quick buck determines whether I look at these buyers with pity or scorn, but either way spending this much seems ill-thought out.
Presumably, these people are banking on 30th Celebration being incredibly hard to get hold of and in very high demand, but one would hope that The Pokémon Company will have printed. Given that the cards and products in the 25th birthday set, Celebrations, aren’t outrageously expensive given the Pokémon TCG set’s age, it seems like it met the demand head on five years ago.
It’s possible that the 30th Celebration ETB will hit $175 within a year on the secondary market, but that doesn’t justify preordering it for that much, when you’ve no idea if TPC has printed this release into the ground.
Fingers crossed Pokémon has plans in place to protect this set from the hordes of scalpers no doubt itching to get their fingers on it. Printing an ungodly amount does seem like a good way to ensure it remains a true ‘celebration’ of the card game, rather than a grubby money-making opportunity.
Source: Wargamer
