Pokemon cards - where to buy?

[CandiedPrincess]

Other than the elusive Needoh, my DS really wants Pokemon cards for Christmas but I can't find them anywhere and a lot of online retailers seemed to have bumped the price up somewhat.

I have tried requesting to purchase through Amazon many times and never get selected, despite my Amazon account being over 25 years old! Not sure how you get approved for that.

Anybody got any good sources?

Smyths Toy Superstore
The Works
The Entertainer
Card Factory
Argos
Waterstones
TGJones
WHSmith
Supermarkets
Local independent bookshops
Local independent toyshops
Small local newsagents
Local trading shops/collectables shops
Secondhand bundles from Facebook
Secondhand bundles from charity shops

They come and go fairly quickly so you do have to keep checking

Hi, my DC are really into pokemon so I have managed to figure it out, although it took me a while.

Drops and restocks are on Wednesdays and Fridays.

If you get to a TG Jones, sports direct, hmv, smyths, entertainer or waterstones for opening on these days you have probably got a chance of getting something.

There is a big drop on the 6th of November and another on the 5th December. There will be bigger queues these days but more product.

My local entertainer don't put their stock out until 4pm to give the kids a chance so worth asking locally.

My DS is also into them. We have been lucky a couple of times at our local Asda. Limit of 3 packs per customer. Also the only way I got 30th cards was to queue early at Smyth's. Was there for about 5am and managed to get but over 30 people in front. They are being kept for Christmas.

There are new ones coming out on Friday so there may be some shops that have them. Our Card Factory occasionally has them and Sports Direct also sometimes does them. Would watch their social media for info.

Hope you manage to get some.

This is extremely useful information, thank you!!

Thanks - I see I need to get strategic about this! My older son (now 20) was very into them when he was a kid but they were so easy to get hold of!

Where are you in the country? If near Bristol, they always seem to have them in Trade Off on Gloucester Road.

Yeah as listed above are good high street shops. If you have a local pokemon card/ games shop I'd pop in there. It's good to support local businesses but also in my experience they're very good at giving advice and recommendations. Definitely a bit of a hub where I live with kids clubs/ chance to swap cards too x

I got 4 packs in Asda last week on Thursday. I have also had success with the invites with Amazon but only twice this year and I’ve just been accepted for the invite to the new one that comes out on Friday. Plenty of cards shops will ape per orders BUT you need to have made a precise from most to be eligible as a previous customer. I managed to get a full box of 36 at rrp of £215 just over the weekend for the release on Friday coming.

Argos have started doing an invite option and first one is Pokémon Poke Ball Tin. Think it's just the app and you can request an invite until 3pm today according to someone on Facebook.

Have just put my request in so will see if I get lucky.

Thanks for sharing @angelopal - I've just done the same through the app. Will report back!

Argos app ( saw the poster in store today)
vending machines have them although according to my )grown up) kids they are over priced

We have the vending machine ones - they are about £4-5 a pack which doesn't seem that unreasonable to me. They are all Korean or Japanese though and my 6 year old would like English ones.

Waterstones usually has them. Beware though, you will end up with a loft full of boxes of them, all messed up and mixed together, with no hope of ever getting rid of them.
see also: pop vinyls, my little pony, etc

Amazon have registration lists you can join. They then invite so many people to purchase the cards. Absolutely ridiculous but we have got quite a few packs this way

Haha this isn’t my first rodeo - my 20 year old still has all his, but they were very accessible when he was a kid!!

so, each store (as the first comment listed) will get stock on different days. Go in or call if you can and find out what times/days they restock. Plan around that to go buy them. It's a nightmare to buy them, but the vending machines are a scam avoid them. Tesco and one stop also stock them. Pokémon webstore sometimes sells them too but again, scalpers buy them so quickly it's ridiculous. Comic book shops too like independent ones may also stock but again, they sell out instantly. Blame Logan Paul and social media for the high cost and demand 😂. Card shows may also be a good shout but I've never been to one.

Can someone explain this to me please? My daughter has been asking for Pokémon cards, if I go on Amazon there seem to be loads? Is it very specific ones kids are after?

Pokemon tcg are the ones the kids want, ideally the English version although some do collect the Korean which are much easier to get. Every drop tends to have a new name…the one coming out on Friday is called Delta reign and I believe there is also some 30th anniversary stuff being dropped too. They come in different forms. A single pack of cards for about £6-7.50 with I think 8-10 cards. Then a tin. Then a triple pack with coins or posters. You can get trainer boxes etc but they go up in price.

Same. Please explain.

my daughter is OBSESSED and I found a lovely seller on vinted. He sent a tin and cards, 50, for £6. So when she continued the obsession I went back and he sent 259 including a sealed packet and a laminated special one for £14 I think.

she was beyond happy. We got her a wee folder and she and I spent a lovely afternoon sorting them at her instruction.

She also got a coin? Which seems special to her but I have no clue. She’s 8. And very happy with this

My 21 year old still has his in Pokémon tins and Pokémon Folders. He’ll never get rid of them I don’t think.

I am an avid Pokemon TCG collector (as is my son!) A new set is out on Friday, you'll have to go to Smyths from about 4/5am to guarantee getting something.
Asda randomly sell different sets on random days.
One Stops usually have single packs, as do Coop, morrisons daily etc.
Hobbycraft, Waterstones, TG Jones and The Entrtainer also do them.
If you have Twitter (X) follow some Pokemon pages on there and they reliably tell you where and when to find stock.

I don't even want the new ones @takemeback90! He's 6 he couldn't care less as long as they're in something he can open. Might grab some from Magic Madhouse website as I used to use that years ago.

Was in Asda today and despite it saying online I could order them with my groceries, they said they had no Pokemon cards whatsoever! All the TG Jones's stores have closed here so that's off the list!

DD is really in to Pokémon and I got her tickets to Cardmania for Christmas last year and she loved it! Tickets are very cheap but obvs then there’s the card spend 😁 There's a real mixture there though - cards you can rummage through 4 for a £1 right through to £1000s on a specific card and everything in between. You can trade too. They run events all over the country.

Entertainer in Tesco extras do them, ours is once a month and the next one is this Friday. People do que outside before it opens for them, and they are limited to almost 1 pack per customer. So I'd ask the entertainer staff (normally on toy aisle) in your local Tesco superstore.