Pokémon Fans Mock Scalpers Over Selling Out Plush

Pokémon Fans Counter Scalpers' Price Gouging with Pranks and Pre-Orders

Following its initial online sell-out, Pokémon fans combatted scalpers attempting to resell a Beginning Pikachu plush for inflated prices. The plush, which commemorates Pokémon's 30th anniversary and replicates Pikachu’s original sprite from Pokémon Red and Green, was originally available at the Japanese Pokémon Center for approximately $19 USD. It was quickly relisted on auction sites for over $200 USD. The Pokémon Company then announced a restock and encouraged pre-orders at the original price, prompting fans to mock the scalpers on Japanese auction sites. Some fans created false listings for the plush at prices exceeding $60,000 to alert potential buyers and disrupt the resale attempts. In related news, a new Pikachu plushie has been introduced: a chunky, black-and-white character with pixel art details. This new "chonky" Pikachu was not mentioned in our previous blog post. Separately, some Pokémon fans have posted fake ads on Mercari with high prices, falsely announcing that the Starting Pikachu plush will be made to order on the Pokémon Center website. These listings prank resellers, while others comment on the exorbitant resales to warn fellow enthusiasts about inflated prices. Through these coordinated actions, Pokémon fans actively resisted exploitative resale practices.

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