The Dark Side of Trading Card Games (TCG): A Case File of Incidents Related to Merchandise Sales

It has been about 30 years since trading card games, or TCGs for short, were born.
The world is currently experiencing an unprecedented TCG boom, fueled by hype on YouTube and other platforms, causing a bubble-like situation with resale prices skyrocketing!
Although TCGs are gaining popularity, there have also been many incidents that could be described as dark games.
This time, we will introduce some incidents involving merchandise sales and resale.

Trading Card Game Sales Case Files

Yu-Gi-Oh! Premium Pack sales suspension incident

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Going back about 20 years, in August 1999, a card game event was held at the Tokyo Dome, and there was a flood of people wanting to buy a premium pack that was sold exclusively at the event.
The event organizers had not anticipated such popularity and had a poor sales system, so those hoping to buy the items were forced to line up for several hours in the scorching sun, before an announcement was made that sales would be canceled on the day.
Naturally, the people who were waiting were not happy and there was a flurry of complaints.
The incident also led to the cancellation of a card game tournament.

According to a shop clerk who was there at the time, the order form for the TCG sent by the manufacturer after this incident read:
"Excellent topicality"
Apparently the letters were flying.

Upper Deck Incident

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UpperDeck was licensed to sell Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in North America and Europe, but it did not have a very good reputation due to inconsistencies in rulings during tournaments and manipulation of inclusion rates.
Eventually, he resorts to counterfeiting cards.
It was made by a company that manufactures and sells cards, so it's very detailed and practically authentic.
To an amateur it is almost impossible to tell the difference.

Eventually, their wrongdoing was revealed and their sales license was revoked, but when it was discovered, it became a hot topic, with people saying, "There really were people who would do things like the evil organizations that appear in hobby manga..."

Huge queues in Akihabara on the release day of the new pack! Police are even called in!

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This is a development that comes as a result of the recent card boom.
On December 19, 2020, the day the Yu-Gi-Oh! card set box was released, there was a flood of people wanting this product.
Lines formed next to Akihabara Radio Kaikan and Onoden.
The situation was so dire that the police were called in.
Furthermore, on February 6, 2021, the day the packs of the same card were released, a similar line formed!
This incident was reported on TV and became a hot topic.
Since then, there have been endless lines on the release dates of the cards.

A queue at the opening of a card shop in Akihabara

It's not just on card release days that lines form at Akihabara card shops.
As TCGs become more popular, more and more new card shops are opening in Akihabara.
On the opening day of such card shops, people line up to buy special offers and lucky bags.

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In March 2021, lines formed at a store that opened near Shohei Kindergarten.
It is said that the number of people involved was over 500.

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A card shop that opened near Onoden in July of the same year also saw long lines.
Despite it being a weekday, about 700 people lined up.

Flea market app original pack scams

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Original packs, abbreviated as "OriPa," are sold in vending machines at card shops and other stores.
As the name suggests, these are original packs created by each store.
Naturally, the inclusion rate can be adjusted depending on the mood of the store, so it's possible to get something really bad, or even no hits at all.
However, if they did that, they would lose credibility and customers would leave, so I don't think any legitimate store would go to such extremes.
However, you should be careful as original packs sold by individuals on flea market apps etc. are apparently a breeding ground for fraud.

Akihabara OriPa vending machine installation store Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters, Pokemon, MTG

Magic: The Gathering Super Expensive Card "Black Lotus" Mix-Up Incident

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In February 2020, the popular and rare card "Black Lotus" arrived at a card shop in Akihabara.
It was sold at a retail price of 650 million yen and sold out the next day.
However, due to a misunderstanding by the shop clerk, he ended up giving me a low-value (not saying it was cheap) Black Lotus.
Black Lotus comes in three different versions: the rarest being the Alpha version, the next rarest being the Beta version, and the third rarest being the Unlimited version. The version sold this time was the Alpha version, but I ended up giving away the Beta version.
The buyer noticed it immediately and announced it on social media.
The store apologized and exchanged the item for the original one.

Card shops on Junk Street are burgled one after another

On November 18, 2022, the Akihabara card shop "Card Secret Base" was burgled.
Apparently the display case was broken and the cards inside were stolen.
This store had just opened on the 12th of the same month.
Additionally, on December 16, 2022, a burglary occurred at the nearby Card Shop Hanjo.
A series of incidents have occurred on Junk Street.

In 2023, another burglary occurred on Junk Street.

In the early hours of April 12, 2023, a theft occurred at the card shop "Trading Card x Head Akihabara Main Store" on Junk Street.
It is said that items worth around 100 million yen were stolen, mainly Pokemon cards.

The TCG boom is heating up! When will it calm down?

So, I have introduced several incidents related to card sales, from old ones to more recent ones.
Especially recently, with the TCG boom, there are often long lines, which can lead to confusion and problems.
If an incident were to occur in the queue and sales were to be suspended after everyone had waited in line, it would be a terrible sight and, above all, dangerous, so please be sure to follow the rules and etiquette and make every effort to have an enjoyable shopping experience.

*2023/1/11 Junk Street Burglary Incident Update
*Additional information on burglary as of April 13, 2023