Pokemon: This Japanese Store Is Not Selling Trading Cards to Adults Anymore

It’s no surprise how popular Pokemon cards are in Japan. In fact, they’re so popular in the country that they’re running out of the cards. Now, one Japanese store has come up with a unique plan to put an end to it.

Hareruya 2 is one of the largest Pokemon trading card stores in the world. The store in Akihabara has decided to stop adults from buying the Pokemon cards at their store, so that kids can enjoy trading and collecting the cards.

Adults have been paying thousands, if not millions of dollars (Logan Paul) for rare Pokemon cards. They’ve been stocking up on thousands of cards, hoping to buy or sell some rare Pokemon cards in the process. It’s passionate at its best, and capitalistic at its worst.

【商品情報】

1Fにて中学生以下のお客様限定で
パック販売を行っております

各パック当日分がなくなり次第販売終了となります

※おひとり様1日合計10パックまで
※スタッフが年齢確認をさせて頂く場合がございます
※保護者様含むご本人以外の代理購入はご遠慮いただいております pic.twitter.com/kGyWCjc8EF

— 晴れる屋2 (アキバのポケカ専門店/ハレツー) (@hareruya2pokeca) May 1, 2023

Hareruya 2 store tweeted on April 30 that it has now created a section of Pokemon cards that can only be bought by kids.

As per the translated tweet, this section will end as soon as each pack gets sold out by the end of the day. It also mentions that each customer can only buy 10 packs per day.

Adults (including parents and guardians) are not allowed to buy cards from this section, and it’s been reported that the store will check IDs to confirm the age of the customers.

I can imagine it now, adults paying kids to buy cards for them.

— Ashezth (@Ashezth) April 30, 2023

Store manager Sho Watanabe explained to the Japanese site Livedoor (translated by Kotaku), “Many shops exhaust their entire stock [of Pokémon cards] as soon as they go on sale, and people active late at night or early in the morning always seem to buy [the cards].”

“By allocating half our stock for general customers, shops can continue to sell [the cards] to students and young children. Selling [goods] to children not only pleases them, but their parents as well. [We] feel this method of sales enables us to satisfy the greatest number of customers when the items are in such limited supply,” added Watanabe.

Tokyo Pokémon card shop bans sales to adults so kids can enjoy the hobby: Hareruya 2 in Akihabara will not sell new Snow Hazard and Clay Burst packs to anyone over junior high school age, hoping it will block adult resellers and make the new cards more accessible to children. pic.twitter.com/0B3OWWjEoi

— Jeffrey J. Hall ???????????????? (@mrjeffu) April 30, 2023

Kanda University Ph.D. lecturer Jeffrey Hall tweeted that the store wants to prevent the resale of the Clay Burst and Snow Hazard packs. These packs were resold for thousands of dollars when it was released on April 14.