If there’s one thing that Pokemon fans can agree on, it’s that scalping is a serious issue for the Pokemon TCG. Collectors are up against scalpers both with in-person and online product drops, resulting in shortages that leave fans unable to fully enjoy the hobby. But it’s hard to figure out what exactly, Pokemon card retailers can do to curtail scalping and help true Pokemon TCG fans get the cards they want. Most stores employ product limits, and the Pokemon Center has its online queue. Now, one retailer is taking a more dramatic stance, and reactions have been pretty mixed.
How can you tell if someone is a “real” Pokemon fan versus someone who plans to resell their Pokemon card haul? According to a social media post from one @Ryo_Saeba_3, one Tokyo branch of Japanese retailer Bic Camera is trying an unconventional approach. The store has written a Pokemon quiz that customers will have to pass before they can buy product from the recently released Ninja Spinner expansion. This Japanese release, which will be released in English as Chaos Rising, first came out back in March. And those headed to Bic Camera are going to have to prove their Pokemon fan cred before they can buy.
Like any recently released expansion, it appears Ninja Spinner has been tricky to keep in stock. That will likely carry over to its English-language counterpart, Chaos Rising, which will release on May 22nd. But for now, one store in Japan is trying to make sure Ninja Spinner restocks go to true Pokemon fans, not resellers.
Before customers at Bic Camera’s Tokyo branch can buy Pokemon cards from the Ninja Spinner set, they must pass a Pokemon quiz. If you’re having flashbacks to Pokemon trainer school, well, that’s a good start for being able to pass muster. The quiz reportedly features a total of 15 Pokemon-related questions that are supposedly easy to answer if you’re a Pokemon fan, but which should stump those whose only knowledge is related to resale values.
Alas, it doesn’t seem anyone has gotten ahold of the full list of questions, so it’s hard to say just how deep your Pokemon knowledge would have to go. And fan reactions to the latest attempt to curtail Pokemon card scalping have been mixed. Clearly, some Pokemon card collectors sick of empty shelves would love to see more in-person retailers take up the practice. There’s something satisfying about the idea of watching a scalper seeking to profit off the hobby fail to identify Greninja, the Pokemon featured on the Ninja Spinner boosters.
But on the other hand, this measure could be a deterrent for newer fans who truly want to get started with collecting Pokemon cards. After all, not having an Encyclopedia knowledge of Pokemon facts doesn’t immediately mean you’re a scalper. It could just mean you’re a newer fan who is curious about the TCG, but who may not have played every game or watched the anime.
For now, it doesn’t seem that the practice of quizzing customers has spread beyond this initial trial run at Bic Camera. Most retailers in the U.S. have customer limits on product, and some card shows are shutting down the sale of sealed product. But as for passing a Pokemon quiz to buy upcoming products like Chaos Rising? I’ve not seen any stores here in the States trying it for recent or upcoming releases… yet.
What do you think about requiring customers to pass a quiz to buy Pokemon cards? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
[H/T: Dexerto]
