GameStop price increases for Pokémon cards are out of control

For certain releases, fans can expect to pay 50% or more over the MSRP

Few people are as aware of the meaning of MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) like GameStop customers in search of Pokémon cards. As trading card fans know all too well, GameStop prices for the pocket monster collectibles run higher than you would find at any other major chain — at times, rivaling the amounts you would expect from a reseller. And apparently, it's going to keep getting worse.

Demand for Pokémon cards has remained high in recent years, to the detriment of both retail workers and fans. At stores like Target, fans will regularly line up ahead of time to purchase new releases — even if it means risking potential injury. If TCG fans abstain from joining the frenzy, then they run the risk of not being able to purchase the cards at all ... unless they venture to GameStop.

The video game retailer has recently shifted to focus its business model on trading cards, which still heavily rely on brick-and-mortar sales. To this end, GameStop now grades cards, purchases cards for resale, and even puts together its own mystery packs that guarantee collectibles of a certain rarity or value.

For over a year now, GameStop has experimented with the prices of its trading cards. Reports from February 2025 saw fans grousing over markups on new card stocks ranging from a few dollars up to $10 more than the suggested retail value. Despite the upcharge, fans reported that they still had trouble finding desirable packs consistently. While GameStop prices were higher, they were still lower than what a reseller might charge. Turns out, this was just the start for GameStop.

In November 2025, fans once again noticed that Pokémon card prices had increased at GameStop stores. Booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, booster bundles, and sleeved booster packs all saw price hikes. The increase varied widely depending on the product. GameStop started charging $6.99 for sleeved booster packs typically priced at $4.99, a 55% change. On the higher end, a GameStop exclusive Ultra Premium Collection was initially sold by the retailer for $180. That price was reportedly lowered to $159.99 at some stores, fans say. But as of this writing, just a few months later, that very same box is being sold by GameStop for $274.99.

But the promise of potentially obtaining a valuable card proved too seductive for fans, even after the second apparent price increase. Some stores said that people would still come in and sweep as much stock as they could, regardless of cost. While some fans could find cards if they went to GameStop shortly after opening, these customers generally were sorting through leftovers. Big-ticket items sold almost immediately.

"People bought the product just the same and didn't give a single shit about the increased prices," one GameStop customer wrote in November 2025. Customers complaining about the prices but paying anyway has now become a meme for GameStop employees.

"The 'fuck GameStop' crowd sure does spend a lot of time spending money in GameStop," one employee remarked in early March 2025. "'Fuck these raised prices... I hope GameStop goes out of business. Anyway, I'll take 2 $100 ETBs and 2 $200 UPCs. Fucking scammers,'" the employee continued.

Some fans say that workers at their local stores have explained the price increases as a response to the resale environment.

"I couldn't believe the employee at my gamestop had the audacity to lie straight to my face that the prices were being raised to battle scalpers," one fan wrote in a video discussing the anti-resale rationale. "I was like gamestop yall are the scalpers now lol."

Despite all the controversy, GameStop workers at multiple locations are now reporting that they have been instructed to print out new price tags for a variety of sets, like the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection. The MSRP for that collection is $119.99, but employees say that the set has gone up to $249.99 at GameStop. The fluctuation is being compared by some to the practice of dynamic pricing, where stores will alter their price tags based on real-time demand. As far as employees are concerned, the practice will only get worse so long as fans keep purchasing the cards for inflated prices.

"At this point GS is charging what the scalpers are charging," one employee remarked in a Reddit thread discussing the most recent price increases. "Which in turn means, the Scalpers are going to see this, wait until they sell out anyway to idiots, and then THEY will increase their prices, as is the scalper way. Which then means that demand goes up again, and so the next release will get ANOTHER price increase from GS (and other hobby stores that are greedy). And the cycle just continues."