TPC Finally Addresses Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Shortages

The Pokémon TCG is the most popular trading card game in the world by many metrics, and its upcoming Prismatic Evolutions set is so popular ahead of release that sellers are worried about supply, demand, and customer behavior. To the point where the Pokémon Company is now directly involved.
On Jan. 15, The Pokémon Company International released a public statement, confirming it is aware that consumers are having problems when trying to purchase Prismatic Evolution products as they go up for pre-order.
Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Pre-Order Shortages, Explained
This is especially noticeable because Prismatic Evolutions is a special set that is released in waves of products, not in a condensed schedule focusing on main products around Booster Boxes. This follows multiple reports of local stores having their orders for Prismatic Evolutions cut due to high demand.
As reported by PokéBeach, local stores in the United States are reporting receiving “less than 10% to 15% of what they requested to buy from distributors.”
TPCi Promises to Print More "Prismatic Evolutions" Amid Unusual Shortages
— PokeBeach.com💧 (@pokebeach) January 15, 2025
Check out this article on PokeBeach for all the details:
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One source noted that this is likely because Prismatic Evolutions is in such heavy demand that retailers who don’t normally stock Pokémon products in high quantities are now requesting supply from distributors, leading to a severe dilution among existing Pokémon sellers and these “TCG-adjacent stores.”
“If a Pokemon store requested something like 100 Elite Trainer Boxes, for example, then the distributor might say they are only allowed to buy 15. This is even if the store is very well-established in the card community and consistently spends a lot of money on TPCi’s products.” Player 1 Services owner Ben DeGuire said to PokéBeach. “I don’t think a lot of Pokemon stores thought it was going to be this bad.”
According to PokéBeach, this is only set to impact local or smaller retailers, with larger stores like Target and Walmart likely to receive their full orders—which will cause the usual mayhem once doors open on release day ala scalpers. Though one GameStop manager on Bluesky noted that her store was not sent any product at all, even to fulfill existing pre-orders taken at that location.
Because of this, TPCi is now promising to reprint products “as quickly as possible” to make up for the inconvenience, though there is no date on when these reprints will actually be allocated to stores once the first wave of Prismatic Evolution products start dropping on Jan. 17. There is also no confirmation on how these reprints will be allocated, so there still could be issues.
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This is not an isolated issue, as just going to a store and looking for Pokémon cards typically ends with only finding a few EX Boxes and various tins at larger retailers. And, since Surging Sparks released in November, it seems stores are having even more trouble than usual keeping anything in stock as demand for the Pokémon TCG continues to soar.
“I mean this lovingly but: no one scares me quite like Pokémon TCG people scare me,” Pink Gorilla Games co-owner Kelsey Lewin said. “If the dozens of calls per day about this new set are to be believed, I think we might have an actual riot in the store on release day.”
Local stores are already taking precautions to combat scalpers as they anticipate massive turnouts for extremely limited products. This includes removing the shrink wrap from purchased products, imposing strict purchasing limits, and more just to try and get a handle on something that many people think is destroying the hobby.
Whether they attribute it to the rise in high-end unboxing and retail purchases kickstarted by Logan Paul in 2020 or rising demand as the Pokémon fandom continues to grow, players, collectors, and fans in general are having a hard time getting Pokémon cards now.
“It is unhealthy for card collectors and players if you cannot get access to a set at release,” DeGuire said to PokéBeach. “2025 should be a fun and explosive time for all aspects of Pokemon, and everyone deserves access to play and collect. We all love Pokemon, but a better balance is needed for the long-term stability of this hobby.”