Richmond, British Columbia, once again witnessed the incredible magnetism of the Pokémon trading card economy. Collectors lined up overnight outside the London Drugs in Ironwood Plaza, Richmond, to snag the highly anticipated 30th anniversary limited-edition card packs and gift sets for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, hoping to be among the first to buy their desired items when the store opened on Wednesday morning. According to the Richmond News, Edwin Chang, manager of the London Pharmacy, said that people started queuing outside the store at 9:30 pm on Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning the queue had grown to more than 100 people, who had been waiting outdoors for nearly 12 hours.
There is an astonishing arbitrage opportunity in the secondary market. Zhang Enwei admitted that although this London pharmacy located in the southern part of Richmond has seen many new product queues in the past, the grand occasion of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary is undoubtedly the largest and most exciting one he has ever witnessed. He pointed out that the long queues that have appeared outside the store recently are mostly related to Pokémon merchandise. The current Pokémon trading card market is experiencing a massive speculative frenzy among collectors.
This has long surpassed mere hobby, involving astonishing arbitrage opportunities in the secondary market and international capital. Zhang Enwei said that with the rise in collecting, some cards have become quite expensive, attracting many people to specifically seek out certain designs. “There is a lot of enthusiasm among collectors right now, and there is also monetary value behind it. Many people are looking for those very valuable cards.” Despite the frenzy, the queuing order remained calm.
Despite the large number of people and limited stock, the queue did not escalate into a dispute. Zhang Enwei said the entire queuing process was quite peaceful, with customers showing courtesy to each other, and many children could be seen looking excited when they received their card boxes. “Everyone was very polite. You could also see the children—they were really happy when they got their card boxes. It was a good sight to see that.” However, the number of cards was ultimately limited. After the items sold out, some customers left empty-handed. Zhang Enwei believes that these disappointed collectors will not give up, after all, there are other sales channels on the market.