“Pokemon Card 151” Restock Coming to Japan This Month, Possible Changes to Future Releases

We’ve learned Pokemon will be shipping a fresh batch of Pokemon Card 151 product to stores in Japan!

The new batch will arrive on July 21st. However, many companies will hold the product in warehouses before delivering it to their stores. This is because 151 is not a new product, so it’s not urgent to get it on shelves. This means the rollout could take a few weeks.

This latest move indicates Pokemon is proactively printing more product to meet demand — and may continue to do so in the future. In Japan, Pokemon’s manufacturers do not hold on to inventory, so all batches ship to stores as soon as they’re printed. This new print run is much sooner than usual.

Stores have been informed to get ready for the shipment so they have a sales plan in place. In other words, to distribute the product in a way that prevents scalpers from buying out their stock.

We’ve also learned Pokemon is implementing a new strategy for the release of Ruler of the Black Flame. The first wave of products will be smaller than usual, presumably to satisfy die-hard fans on the set’s July 28th release. Then a second, much larger wave will arrive to stores in early August so the general public has better access to the product.

Pokemon announced in June that it would also be selling 151 booster boxes as “made-to-order” through the Pokemon Center website. The orders were limited to one box per customer. They will ship out in monthly waves from September through December. Pokemon stated in the same announcement they might open orders for more boxes down the line. They also asked fans to be patient and not give in to scalpers.

The last main set to release, Snow Burst & Clay Hazard, sold out in Japan within a day of release.