“Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” Finally Drops Below $100 (And Falling), Second Wave Sees Unprecedented Store Security, Saga Almost Over?

[Water Pokémon Master]

Last weekend the second wave of “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promos released in the Netherlands. Customers had to spend €30 on Pokemon TCG products to receive one.
As we expected, this second wave was almost as large as the first — nearly doubling the first batch. The only difference was hobby stores were left out of this wave. Each of the 1,000+ chain stores again received between 25 and 650 copies, with an estimated mode of 150 copies.
Security was even stronger this time. We’ve learned Intertoys’s headquarters monitored the distribution of promos live. If a store checked out too many promos at once — as in an employee was scalping them — the...

Continue reading...

 

[Octowen]

HOORAY!

 

[Hukutus]

I’ve been following what’s going on Cardmarket and there seems to be some fake accounts making orders of the card with no intention of paying for the order. I assume this is to keep the competition over the prices lower as the cheapest listings get hidden by the fake orders.

We visited the museum after they stopped giving out the card, so I kind of would like to add one to my collection, but the shenanigans are making me not want the card at all.

 

[Anonymous Fan]

Longtime reader/first time poster. I want to thank you Jon for keeping the community informed. There is no one out there with your dedication. There are people in big places that rely on your work. Don't see it said but we appreciate you.

 

[Sleeper79]

As well a long time reader but first time poster.
Apparently not all stores where monitored as employees where making like 10 to 15 orders at once for customers who spent a lot of euros so they could give 10 to 15 promos to one customer. I asked them how many do you have left while I was in line waiting and they said only 1 box left from the 3. This was 15 minutes after they opened the store.
So I almost missed the change to get one for my collection. Have to say it made me a bit mad as well seeing people scalping like this.

 

[Michie]

Went to a lot of stores throughout last week and not a single Intertoys had a second wave of pika. They all denied there was a second wave let alone a third wave. Really disappointed.

 

[PepijnBos]

The cards are coming back to Toychamp stores on march 11th. I don’t know how many cards each store is receiving but there are around 20 Toychamp stores in the Netherlands. So I don’t think this will change the availability or price of the cards much.

 

[Chari]

Nice

 

[Sleeper79]

Don’t know if it is true, but the intertoys store where I just was said “we got a message this morning that we don’t get a third wave”.

 

[TCG-EU]

Don’t know if it is true, but the intertoys store where I just was said “we got a message this morning that we don’t get a third wave”.

there is no third wave indeed at intertoys

 

[Robinho11]

I just obtained one at the Mediamarkt in Den Bosch, Netherlands, they still had 26 left in stock an hour ago

 

[bobbi]

It sounds like you're describing the distribution and management of promotional items, specifically the "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat" promos in the Netherlands. Here are some key points from your description:

Promo Distribution: The second wave of the "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat" promos was released in the Netherlands recently. Customers were required to spend €30 on Pokémon TCG products to receive one of these promos.

Distribution Channels: Unlike the first wave, hobby stores were excluded from receiving the promos in this wave. Instead, over 1,000 chain stores received them, with varying quantities ranging from 25 to 650 copies per store. The estimated mode, or most common quantity, was around 150 copies per store.

Quantity Increase: The second wave nearly doubled the quantity of promos compared to the first wave, indicating a high demand or strategic decision to release more.

Security Measures: Stronger security measures were implemented for this wave. It's mentioned that Intertoys's headquarters monitored the distribution of promos live. They likely monitored for any irregularities or suspicious activities, such as employees scalping the promos.

Preventing Scalping: To prevent scalping, measures were taken to limit the number of promos a store could check out at once. This suggests an effort to ensure fair distribution and discourage reselling of the promos at inflated prices.

Overall, it seems like there was a concerted effort to manage the distribution of these promos effectively, maintain security, and prevent exploitation such as scalping. This approach aims to ensure that promotional items reach genuine customers and contribute positively to the Pokémon TCG community.