Empty Shelves, Counterfeit Cards, and Unruly Customers… Is It Safe To Buy Pokemon Cards At Walmart?
Originally launched in 1996, Pokémon cards have been a global phenomenon for nearly thirty years. And as the largest global retailer, Walmart has been a major supplier of these popular gaming cards throughout that time.
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Is Walmart Still Selling Pokemon Cards?
Despite the continued popularity of Pokémon cards in 2023, they have become increasingly difficult to find at Walmart, forcing customers to wonder whether Walmart even sells them anymore.
Yes, Walmart still sells Pokémon cards. But supplies are extremely limited and not every store keeps them in stock.
In other words, while Walmart technically still sells Pokémon cards in stores, you might struggle to actually find any. That said, you can shop for Pokémon cards anytime on Walmart.com. A single pack of 50 Pokémon cards is currently priced at $8.99.
According to many users on Reddit, Pokémon cards have been increasingly difficult to find at Walmart in recent years due to high levels of popularity and insufficient supply. This is probably intentional on the part of The Pokémon Company to some extent, to keep demand and desirability of the cards high.
You can also find a wide variety of other Pokemon products on Walmart.com, including Pokemon action figures, toy sets, video games, stuffed animals, and more.
Rumors That Walmart Stopped Selling Pokémon Cards
Several online publications, including VideoGamesChronicle.com, incorrectly reported in 2021 that both Walmart and Target had permanently halted the sale of Pokémon cards in their retail stores for “safety reasons.” According to Nerdist.com, concerns arose after numerous instances of violence broke out over the sale of Pokémon cards.
In the case of Target, the reports were true. Target permanently halted sales of Pokémon cards at their stores in 2021. However, Walmart quickly countered the claims, stating that the lack of availability of the cards in their stores is simply due to high demand and limited supply.
Where To Find Pokemon Cards
The easiest way to buy Pokémon cards from Walmart is to shop online.
But if you’re shopping at Walmart in person, start by looking in the toys and/or gaming aisles. If you’re lucky, you might find a few lingering packs.
According to this Reddit user, however, some Walmart stores keep Pokémon cards behind the counter to prevent theft.
Reading through another thread, it became clear that many Walmart stores have adopted this policy in recent years.
So, if you’re having trouble finding Pokémon cards at Walmart, try visiting the counter where the tobacco products and lottery tickets are sold.
If you’re on the hunt for rare Pokémon cards specifically, you might get lucky when shopping at Walmart. Several Pokémon card products listed on Walmart.com claim “rares guaranteed” in their product description. These might be worth checking out, but it also might just be a sneaky sales technique.
If you’re searching for rare Pokémon cards in person, check out this YouTube video from Leonhart to follow along on their journey to find rare cards at Walmart.
How To Check If Pokemon Cards Are Real or Fake
In early 2022, a flurry of online reports began accusing Walmart of selling fake Pokémon TCG (trading card game) products through their online store. Sites like Screen Rant, Best Life, and Game Rant all shared the story, raising big concerns among Walmart’s gaming customers.
Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, it is true that Walmart has allowed multiple third-party sellers to sell counterfeit Pokémon cards through Walmart Marketplace. As a result, Walmart Marketplace has proved itself to be an unreliable source for authentic Pokémon cards.
Long before this recent controversy, Walmart had become infamous among card collectors for selling knock-off card packs even in their stores. While the cards themselves were real, the packs did not contain as many cards as standard packs, and they were often filled with cards deemed not as desirable by fans.
For these reasons, it’s probably safer to buy your Pokémon cards elsewhere to ensure that you’re actually spending money on the real thing.
Safari Zone Collectables, GameNerdz, and Collector’s Cache have all been cited by serious collectors as reputable places to buy Pokèmon cards.
Amazon and Walmart top the list as the least reliable places to buy authentic Pokémon cards in 2023, as most card packs are sold by unvetted third-party sellers.
