Pokemon TCG players divided after collector discovers coworker “scammed” them

Pokemon TCG collection can be a cutthroat business at times but it’s not all black and white. Fans of the hobby are split on whether or not one of their fellows was truly scammed by a coworker.

Collecting Pokemon Trading Cards can be a significant investment. The right cards can go for big money, and by big money, we mean millions of dollars.

With that kind of reward on offer, scalping and scamming abound in the scene. Things have reached the point where people will riot for Pokemon cards and even the grading authorities can be dubious in their practices.

With the waters this muddied, it can be hard to tell what constitutes duplicity in the world of Pokemon TCG collecting. Reddit user u/GearsOfLogic brought complaints of a “scam” to the Pokemon TCG Subreddit but others on the platform are quick to judge.

u/GearsOfLogic explained that a co-worker of theirs had a nephew who loved collecting Pokemon cards. This moved u/GearsOfLogic and others in the office to sell cards cheaply to this coworker.

It was eventually discovered that there was no such nephew and the coworker had been collecting the cards themselves at a discounted rate. According to u/GearsOfLogic, the coworker was “too embarrassed” to admit that they were an adult collecting Pokemon cards.

Users in the comments have empathized with the coworker though, particularly considering that u/GearsOfLogic was only selling them common cards in bulk. “I mean, I’d say it really only depends on what you sold to her. If it’s only bulk – I’d say drop it,” one collector intoned.

It was revealed that the coworker wasn’t reselling the cards and just enjoyed collecting older Pokemon products.“I’m giving your coworker the benefit of the doubt in this case. It sounds like a case of an adult being insecure about collecting Pokémon,” another user offered.

Unsplash: ThimoPedersen

Bulk is a term for big quantities of common cards with not much individual value.

One collector in the Subreddit suggested they talk with the coworker and explain that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Many others agreed with the sentiment.

Very few users agreed that this constituted a “scam”. Particularly given there were no fake cards or resale profiteering.