How Best Buy Became a Hidden Haven for Authentic Pokémon TCG Drops at MSRP Prices With Anti-Scalper Queues

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Collecting Pokémon cards has been a favorite pastime for millions of people for decades at this point, but in recent years, getting your hands on new drops has gotten increasingly frustrating. They’re cleaned out by bots almost instantly, scalpers charge double the price, and third-party marketplaces are full of resealed or weighed packs.

When you think of Best Buy , you probably associate them with TVs, laptops, and electronics in general. But what’s gone under the radar is that they’ve become a fantastic option for buying Pokémon cards thanks to huge stock, MSRP pricing, anti-scalper protections, early access, and authenticity guarantees.

If you’re a devoted Pokémon card collector, you probably already know that most stores that carry them have pretty limited variety. You can get a few booster packs and maybe a couple other options, but that’s pretty much it.

Best Buy might surprise you with how huge its selection is, including from the latest expansions. From the Mega Evolution Pitch Black series that launched with 120 cards in July, there are sleeved booster packs , booster bundles , and Elite Trainer Boxes .

That’s just scratching the surface of what’s available. Best Buy also carries previous expansions as well as coveted Ultra-Premium Collections (like Mega Charizard X Ex ) and other collector’s items (like the Pokemon Center Tohoku Special Box ). There are pages upon pages of available packs and boxes.

Life is full of annoying things, but near the top of the list is getting excited about an upcoming drop, only to have bots steal everything out from under you. Seeing “sold out” under a new release seconds after it goes on sale is a special kind of soul-crushing. Best Buy combats this with invitations, digital queues, strict purchase limits, and surprise drops.

Particularly popular upcoming releases will allow you to request launch day access ahead of time by signing into your Best Buy account and clicking “Invite to Purchase” on the item page. Best Buy will then alert a set number of people that they’ve been selected and provide a secure link where they have 24 hours to complete their purchase.

If a drop doesn’t have invites beforehand, you can use the Best Buy app to enter a waiting room on launch day. Everyone is limited to one purchase, which prevents a bot from swooping in and buying everything at once. It doesn’t guarantee every person will get what they want or that no scalpers will get in, since that’s unfortunately impossible. However, it evens the playing field to give real humans a chance to check out safely.

There are also sudden surprise drops that will go unannounced until they’re already underway, giving you the chance to spontaneously grab new cards. You have to be quick on these drops though, so follow Best Buy’s social channels to see announcements and jump on them immediately.

If you follow the prices of packs and boxes closely, you might have noticed that some shops and retailers will jack up the price on a set that has a lot of buzz. They’ll refer to this as “dynamic pricing,” but we call it a “hype tax.” Best Buy has declared that they won’t do that, they always stick to MSRP. So if a box normally retails for $49.99, that’s how much they’ll charge for it.

Nobody is going to complain about not paying extra money. For major collectors, that can save you hundreds of dollars a year, so that’s an obvious benefit of the guarantee. But it also helps with peace of mind, knowing you’re not going to get an unwelcome surprise once a new set goes on sale.

My Best Buy Plus is a membership program that costs $29.99 per year that brings benefits like members-only prices on certain products, an extended return window, and free expedited shipping. But the most relevant benefit when it comes to Pokémon card collectors is exclusive early access to TCG pre-orders.

If you have a My Best Buy Plus account, you’ll be able to access pre-orders before the general public, which can make the difference in getting the item you want. This still isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be successful, since it’s based on things like the amount of stock available and the level of demand. But it can give you a leg up.

Considering the steep difference in price between MSRP and the resale market, getting in on one pre-order you would have otherwise missed could cover the cost of a yearly membership. Only you can know if a membership is right for you, but if you make proper use of its benefits, you can end up saving more than you spend.

Another reality of our increasingly digital world is the risk you take having valuable things shipped to your home. Have you ever waited for a shipment like it’s a gift on Christmas morning, then had it arrive with the box dented and contents inside scratched? Or even worse, have you gotten a notification that your package has been delivered, only to get home and find that someone stole it off your porch? If you haven’t, trust us: it really sucks.

Best Buy has a hybrid purchase system that can help, giving you the convenience of shopping online but the reliability of picking up in person. Waiting in the queue, checkout, and payment can all be handled on your phone or computer, then just select in-store pickup and the location you want to pick up from.

Your local store will hold your order for up to five days, so you’re assured that your item will stay safe and secure until you’re able to pick it up. Of course, this means you need a store close enough to be able to visit in person, but with more than 1,000 Best Buy stores across North America, most people should have access to one.

How to Guarantee You Get Factory Sealed Items

Shopping online with big retailers can sometimes be confusing about who is actually selling an item, since third-party sellers can get mixed into search results without being clearly labeled. That can mean you’re at risk of buying fake cards or resealed packs from a seller you don’t know.

Best Buy also has third-party sellers, so you still need to be vigilant and make sure you verify who you’re buying from, but that’s very easy to do. Just look above the “Add to Cart” button on the item page and make sure it says “Sold by Best Buy” instead of “Sold & shipped by [seller name].”

If you don’t even want to see items being sold by third-party sellers, you can easily do that too. When you filter your search results, simply click the “Store Pickup” option. Since it’s impossible for third-party sellers to allow in-store pickup, this ensures all listings you see are actually from Best Buy.

All items bought directly from Best Buy are guaranteed to be factory sealed straight from The Pokémon Company, so as long as you pay attention to what you’re buying, you can be 100% certain of their authenticity and condition.

All of these features combine to make Best Buy a worthy option for buying new Pokémon cards. There’s a huge selection to choose from, you know you won’t have to pay above MSRP, there are bot protections in place, membership options allow for early access, and it’s easy to ensure you’re getting authentic items.

So if you’re a long-time collector who’s sick of dealing with scalpers, you’ve been scammed into buying fake cards before, or you’re just looking for a place you know will have the next big drop, Best Buy should be your first stop.

Corey DeMoss is a Custom Content Writer for IGN who has covered titles big and small from all around the world. He has nearly 20 years of experience as a writer and editor.