The soaring value of Pokémon trading cards is creating a new problem for collectors and small retailers, with businesses reporting a growing number of thefts involving cards sent through the post. Sellers in the UK say envelopes containing trading cards have been deliberately opened during transit, with the cards removed before the packages reach customers.
The issue comes as Pokémon continues to expand its already enormous global following. Over three decades after the franchise first became popular through Nintendo’s Game Boy games, Pokémon has developed into a vast entertainment and merchandise empire spanning video games, television, toys, collectibles and trading cards. More than 85 billion Pokémon cards have reportedly been printed since the trading card game began, while demand for new and rare cards remains exceptionally high.
The growing value of collectible cards has also transformed the hobby into a lucrative resale market. Some rare cards can command extraordinary prices, with one Pokémon card recently changing hands for about £12 million. As prices have climbed, more people have entered the market hoping to make substantial profits, while specialist card stores have increasingly become targets for theft.
Retailers now say the problem is extending beyond physical shops and into mail-order deliveries. One affected business is Bath TCG, an independent trading-card specialist in Bath. Owner Ben Thyer said the company had occasionally experienced parcels going missing, but initially believed those incidents were isolated problems.
That changed in late July when a customer contacted the business after receiving an envelope that had clearly been opened and had its cards removed. More reports followed, with seven customers eventually reporting similar incidents involving cards sent from the same batch on the same day. According to Thyer, photographs provided by customers showed that the envelopes appeared to have been tampered with in an identical manner.
The retailer said the packages had subsequently been sealed with Sellotape, despite the company using new envelopes and its own labels to secure deliveries. Thyer said the pattern convinced him that the losses were deliberate rather than accidental.
Although the cards stolen in that particular batch were not especially valuable, the incidents have had a much larger financial impact on the company. Concerned that further thefts could damage customer confidence and the reputation of the business, Bath TCG stopped selling cards online. The decision has cost the small retailer an estimated £4,000 to £6,000 in potential revenue.
The problem is not limited to Pokémon cards. Mana Rock Games, another Bath-based specialist retailer dealing in Magic: The Gathering cards, has also reported missing deliveries. Director Daniel Stack said he became suspicious after two customers in different parts of the country contacted him within minutes of one another, each reporting that their packages had arrived opened and without their contents.
The company had previously experienced a similar incident involving an international shipment to France, but Stack initially believed it could have been an isolated case. He now estimates that cards worth around £120 have been stolen from his business. The retailer had previously sent more than 1,200 orders without encountering comparable problems.
Stack temporarily suspended online sales for a week, resulting in another estimated £500 in lost revenue. He said other sellers in the area had also discussed similar incidents.
A particular vulnerability for card retailers is the way many trading-card purchases are shipped. UK sellers frequently use online marketplaces such as CardMarket, where buyers often select Royal Mail delivery services. Trading cards are commonly posted in hard-backed envelopes designed to protect them from damage. However, those distinctive packages can also make it easier for someone handling the mail to identify potentially valuable contents.
Royal Mail has said it is investigating the reports and working with affected businesses. The postal operator said the security of mail is a priority and that reports of theft are taken seriously, with investigations and cooperation with law enforcement undertaken where necessary.
The concerns could become more serious in the coming weeks as demand is expected to increase around the release of a highly anticipated Pokémon 30th-anniversary card set. Retailers are already preparing for heightened interest from collectors, resellers and scalpers, potentially making valuable shipments even more attractive to thieves.
The latest incidents highlight how the extraordinary growth in the value of Pokémon cards is creating new challenges for small businesses. Retailers are being forced to weigh the income generated by online sales against the possibility of stolen shipments, unhappy customers and reputational damage.
For businesses that depend heavily on mail-order sales, stopping online trading may protect them from further losses, but it also threatens an important source of income. Until the investigation into the reported thefts produces answers, card sellers face an increasingly difficult choice between continuing to send valuable collectibles through the postal system or reducing their online operations to protect their businesses.
