GAME "scalping" Pokémon cards, staff say, demanding £20 shipping to post small tin

UK retailer GAME has been slammed by shop staff and store customers for charging £19.99 delivery on small tins containing the latest Pokémon cards, which are in hot demand nationwide.

Stock of the new Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions card set is extremely hard to find with many toy shops and supermarkets selling out. But GAME is still taking pre-orders for the set’s new £11 Mini Tins – if you stump up a £19.99 delivery fee, which nearly triples your overall purchase price.

Speaking to Eurogamer anonymously to protect their jobs, GAME staff say the situation amounts to the chain effectively “scalping” their own supplies, and customers. Employees say they’ve been left exasperated by the chain’s handling of the popular Pokémon cards’ release, and had to deal with angry customers left unable to buy the cards in-store on release day.

GAME staff say that too much of the chain’s stock of Prismatic Evolutions cards has been put up for sale online, rather in actual GAME stores or concessions. Additionally, staff say, the small amount of stock sent out to GAME shops has also arrived late, meaning customers who popped in on the set’s launch day left empty handed – despite staff previously being told that stock would arrive on time. One staff member claimed their store had been sent a single TCG card pack.