Pokemon reportedly bans graded slabs from official events in major scalper crackdown

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So, I just heard that The Pokemon Company is cracking down on stuff at their events. Apparently, vendors aren’t allowed to sell graded Pokemon cards – you know, the ones in those protective cases – or any other really expensive collector’s items. It’s a bummer for anyone hoping to snag a big find at the event itself, but I guess they’re trying to keep things fair and focus on the core Pokemon experience.

The Pokémon Company (TPCi) is now prohibiting vendors they work with from selling already-graded Pokémon cards at events like NAIC and the World Championships. This new rule starts at the Indianapolis Regional Championships from May 29th to 31st, and TPCi doesn’t plan to make a public statement about it.

The updated rules for vendors now prohibit selling anything worth more than $1,000. They also restrict most merchandise from the Japanese Pokemon Center, such as plush toys and trading card game items.

From now on, vendors at official competitive events might not offer highly sought-after trading cards, costly protective cases, or rare Japanese imports, as these items often come with inflated resale prices.

The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) will no longer allow the buying and selling of graded Pokémon cards (slabs) and official Pokémon Center merchandise at its events. You can find more information about this change in an article on PokeBeach: ➡️

— PokeBeach.com💧 (@pokebeach) May 29, 2026

Pokemon bans graded slabs from official event vendors

Graded Pokémon trading cards are now a big deal for collectors, as reported by PokeBeach. Highly sought-after cards can sell for anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on how well they’re preserved, how rare they are, and which company graded them.

Although slabs look great, they aren’t allowed in official tournaments. This means they’re mostly for collecting, and don’t impact how people play competitively.

The recent ban seems to be an effort to ensure Pokemon events stay centered on the game and its players and families, and to discourage the growing practice of reselling cards and merchandise for profit.

I saw on PokeBeach that the limit on buying stuff from the Japanese Pokemon Center seems to be happening right after Pokemon Japan said they’re going to start asking for ID to buy certain trading card game products online, starting around August 2026. It feels like those two things are connected!

I’m hearing that The Pokémon Company International (TPCI) is making some big changes to what vendors can sell at official events like the North American International Championships (NAIC) and Worlds. Apparently, they’re not allowing partnered vendors to sell graded slabs anymore, and they’re also putting a $1,000 limit on item prices. Plus, a lot of stuff from the Japanese Pokémon Centers won’t be available either. Honestly, it feels like TPCI is sending a pretty strong signal – they want to control what’s being sold at these events and probably discourage the reselling of high-value items.

— Angelo (@angelodotsui) May 30, 2026

This system restricts certain purchases and lottery entries to people living in Japan, aiming to prevent international buyers and resellers from quickly buying up limited-edition items and selling them for profit elsewhere.

Pokemon fans have had mixed reactions to the recent announcement. A lot of competitive players like the change, believing that official tournaments should focus on basic card play, deck-building resources, and typical Pokemon merchandise.

Okay, so even though a lot of people come for the tournaments, I’ve noticed a big part of the scene is about collecting. Seriously, some folks are really into getting graded, high-end cards – like the professionally slabbed ones – and Japanese imports are super popular too. It’s cool to see, even if they aren’t actually battling it out in the tournaments themselves.

As a collector, it looks like these new rules mean we’ll probably have to hit up more card shows, local stores, and online sites like eBay if we want to find those really valuable graded cards or get stuff straight from the Japanese Pokemon Centers. It seems like official Pokemon events are going to focus even more on competitive battling than on collecting, which is a bit of a bummer, but we’ll adapt!

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2026-05-30 15:49