Oct '23 (edited) • General discussion
Japanese Modern Crisis
A few weeks ago I talked to a Pokémon collector who has been in the hobby for over 15 years and has built up a network of his own suppliers from Japan.
He shared some interesting news that will very likely also influence the EU market:
Since a month or two ago, The Pokemon Company Japan started cutting ties with Pokemon businesses that are not owned by Japanese citizens. They basically said: If you are not Japanese, you will no longer be able to buy Pokemon products from a Japanese distributor.
They are doing this to combat the insane demand for their products and the huge shortage that's going on in Japan.
Last month they took it a step further, now they don't care where you're from (even if you're from Japan), if you are selling overseas as a Japanese business (so to the EU, US, etc.) you're out.
This means that legitimate Japanese businesses that have been selling Pokemon products for years, including overseas, will now have to get their supply from the secondary market, and very likely for a higher price, meaning they will have to sell it for a higher price as well to still make a profit. It probably also leads to Japanese businesses stopping to sell overseas completely.
What does this mean for us if Pokemon Japan sticks with this decision?
- Less Japanese businesses selling overseas, for higher prices.
- Japanese citizens buying product locally and reselling for 5x the price on marketplaces such as Mercari and Yahoo Auctions (this can also tempt more people to reseal products).
- Fewer products will hit the EU market, and prices of sealed products and singles will increase.
- Higher chance of released products, as the % chance of buying from an illegitimate source increases.
The only real solution to fix the insane demand for Japanese products is more supply, but Japan seems to try and take the route of trying to block everyone out.
I hope they will reverse this decision and try to go another route, but for the time being it's not looking that good.
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Japanese Modern Crisis
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