A surprising economic bubble is making it hard for anyone to buy Pokémon cards – especially childrenPokémon has been huge since the late 90s. Millions of people have fond memories of playing the original Red and Blue games, or trading cards in the playground for that elusive shiny Charizard (if your school didn’t ban them). The franchise has only grown since then – but, where the trading cards are concerned, things have taken an unexpected and unfortunate turn. It’s now almost impossible to get your hands on newly released cards thanks to an insane rise in reselling and scalping over the past year.Selling on your old cards to collectors has always been part of the hobby, and like baseball cards or Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon cards can sometimes go for thousands of pounds. However, the resale market for Pokémon has climbed so high that even new cards are valued at hundreds, before they’ve even been released. The latest set, Phantasmal Flames, had a rare special illustration Charizard that was being <a href="https://www.cardmarket.com/en/Pokemon/Products/Singles/Phantasmal-Flames/Mega-Charizard-X-ex-V3-PFL125">valued at more than £600</a> before anyone had even found one. When a pack of cards retails at about £4, there’s a huge potential profit to be had. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/dec/08/how-pokemon-cards-became-a-stock-market-for-millennials">Continue reading...</a>

شهد سوق بطاقات البوكيمون القابلة للتداول فقاعة اقتصادية كبيرة، مما جعل من الصعب بشكل متزايد على الأطفال شراء بطاقات جديدة. أدت الزيادة في إعادة البيع والاحتكار إلى تقييم البطاقات الجديدة بمئات الجنيهات حتى قبل إصدارها الرسمي، حيث يمثل أحدث مجموعة، Phantasmal Flames، مثالاً على هذه الظاهرة.

El mercado de cartas coleccionables de Pokémon ha experimentado una burbuja económica significativa, lo que dificulta cada vez más que los niños compren nuevas cartas. El aumento de la reventa y el scalping ha llevado a que las nuevas cartas se valoren en cientos de libras incluso antes de su lanzamiento oficial, siendo el último conjunto, Phantasmal Flames, un ejemplo de esta tendencia.

Le marché des cartes à collectionner Pokémon a connu une bulle économique significative, rendant de plus en plus difficile l'achat de nouvelles cartes pour les enfants. La montée de la revente et du scalping a conduit à une valorisation des nouvelles cartes à des centaines de livres, même avant leur sortie officielle, le dernier ensemble, Phantasmal Flames, illustrant cette tendance.

The Pokémon trading card market has experienced a significant economic bubble, making it increasingly difficult for children to purchase new cards. The surge in reselling and scalping has led to new cards being valued at hundreds of pounds even before their official release, with the latest set, Phantasmal Flames, exemplifying this trend.

‘Kids can’t buy them anywhere’: how Pokémon cards became a stock market for millennials

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