Mercari and The Pokémon Company Ban Sealed 30th Anniversary Listings to Cut Out Scalpers

Mercari and The Pokémon Company coordinated to ban listings of sealed Pokémon 30th Anniversary products on Mercari, a direct action targeting scalpers ahead of the set's release. The 30th Anniversary set — also referred to as the 30th Celebration set — was releasing around the week of September 18, 2026. In Japan, the 30th Celebration box was priced at ¥7,200 and contained 20 packs of six cards each.

This is one of the more aggressive anti-scalper moves the hobby has seen from a major manufacturer. The Pokémon Company coordinating directly with a marketplace to suppress sealed listings at launch is a meaningful escalation from the usual post-hoc enforcement. For collectors who actually want to open product at retail price, that matters. It also signals that TPC is willing to use platform-level pressure as a tool — which raises the question of where that pressure gets applied next and whether it actually moves product into the hands of players and collectors rather than flippers.