
Pokémon has a huge scalper problem: it feels like we see a story every day about exclusive merchandise and cards being sold for extortionate prices online. And it’s happening again thanks to a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and US retail giant Target.
Kotaku reports that, specifically, scalpers are setting their sights on Pokémon themed Pop-Tarts, which you can only buy at Target. The extremely-sugary breakfast treat comes with an exclusive Pikachu box and contain 6×2 wrapped pastries in Frosted Vanilla flavour. At just under $3 a box, it’s… reasonable enough.
But if you can’t find any in your local Target store, then you’ll soon find that sellers are putting boxes of the stuff for sale for more than $10 a box on eBay. We saw one box on sale for $34.99, excluding shipping. Madness.
And, as Kotaku rightly points out, this isn’t the first time Kelloggs and TPC have teamed up: back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the collaboration went much further than just a Pikachu on a box, with Pokémon-themed sprinkles and a new Wild Cherry flavour.
There was even another collab where, as well as a little sugar boost at breakfast, you also got a minifigure.
Scalpers are clearly leaning on that FOMO; one quick search for Pokémon Pop=Tarts didn’t just bring up the new Target version, but plenty of social media posts begging TPC to bring back these classic ones. The Target ones are much simpler.
Of course, it’s not just the Pop-Tarts that are being scalped, that’d be too simple: the whole range of Target merch, which only launched this weekend, is already being sold for ridiculous prices. Do you want to pay $249.95 for a jacket? That’s double the price of it in-store, and it’s out of stock in most places, including online.
So, you either have to get lucky or wait for a second drop, which is apparently coming later in the year.









