Dedicated Pokémon fans are eagerly awaiting pre-orders for the 30th Anniversary Trading Card Game's Ultra Premium Collection, the luxe release of the celebratory set that comes with a whopping 30 booster packs. Between the packs and the extensive accessories, no one expected the Nov. 6 product to be cheap. Even so, few could have guessed just how expensive the deluxe 30th Anniversary product will actually turn out to be.
Officially, the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Ultra Premium Collection is $179.99. Savvy fans know that, unless they snag a pre-order from The Pokémon Center, they're unlikely to pay MSRP. GameStop has already shocked the world with its $399.99 UPC price tag, which is over 100% above MSRP.
Still, fans might've hoped that retailers like Target would at least be close to MSRP. According to influencers who have access to store page listings ahead of their official release, that won't be the case. Pokémon influencer BritBrattv — who has a track record for accurate Pokémon TCG retail news — says that Target's projected UPC price will be $249.99.
The same figure has been reported by other major Pokémon restock Discord servers with access to store back-end listings. We don't yet know what Walmart's pricing will be, but traditionally, the retailer's TCG prices are the same as Target's. Both retailers are stocked by third-party vendors such as Excell and MJ Holdings, and these are the largest influence on any given product's final retail price.
Given its pricing history, Best Buy could be the outlier here; the retailer might sell the UPC for $179.99. Both scenarios present problems. If Best Buy's prices are MSRP or close to it, more people will flock to the store in the hopes of saving cash.
The UPC, which comes packed with two foil promo cards, a play mat, deck sleeves, a deck box, dice, and coins, is by far The Pokémon Company's largest 30th Anniversary box. Similar to stock counts for the Elite Trainer Box, by virtue of size alone, all stores — Best Buy included — won't have a huge number of UPCs to sell. If people are willing to camp out for multiple nights for smaller 30th Anniversary products, what's going to happen when the box contains dozens of packs and carries a market price of $715?
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