Mercari and The Pokémon Company Ban Sealed 30th Anniversary Listings to Cut Out Scalpers
The two companies coordinated to remove sealed 30th Anniversary product from Mercari as the set hit shelves the week of September 18.
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.
- Mercari and The Pokémon Company banned sealed Pokémon 30th Anniversary product listings on Mercari.
- The action was explicitly aimed at scalpers reselling product above retail.
- The 30th Anniversary set was releasing around the week of September 18, 2026.
- Japan's 30th Celebration box was priced at ¥7,200 and included 20 packs of 6 cards.
- This represents a direct manufacturer-marketplace coordination, not just a platform-side policy change.
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.
What exactly was banned on Mercari?
Listings of sealed Pokémon 30th Anniversary products. The ban was coordinated between Mercari and The Pokémon Company and targeted scalpers reselling product at launch.
Does this affect opened cards or just sealed product?
The ban covers sealed product listings. Opened singles and packs are a separate category and were not part of the announced action.
What is the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set?
It is a Pokémon TCG release marking the franchise's 30th anniversary, releasing around the week of September 18, 2026. The Japanese 30th Celebration box contains 20 packs of 6 cards and retailed at ¥7,200.