Pokémon and One Piece trading cards have become a hot topic in France as speculators, known as "scalpers," buy large quantities of the cards and resell them at significantly higher prices online. This has frustrated many collectors and longtime fans, who feel the practice is unfair and limits their ability to obtain cards they genuinely want. Laurent Seror, manager of the Parisian trading card store Atmos Arena, explains that these cards are especially vulnerable to scalping due to their high demand and limited availability. Pokémon cards, in particular, dominate the market, accounting for 66% of sales in the past three months, far outpacing other popular licenses like One Piece and Magic: The Gathering. The issue came to a head on September 16, the release date of the first commemorative Pokémon cards to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary. Luigi, a 50-year-old Pokémon enthusiast, arrived at a Cultura store in the Paris region at 7 a.m., hoping to buy the highly sought-after Elite Trainer Box (ETB), which was priced at around 50 euros. However, after waiting in line for four hours, he found the ETB already sold out. Worse still, he saw scalpers reselling the boxes for up to 200 euros on sites like eBay.fr. The surge in demand has led to a sharp increase in trading card sales across France, with the toy market seeing a 74% rise in sales for the week of the release, according to market expert Frédérique Tutt from Circana. In response to the growing problem, large retailers have implemented new policies to try to limit the impact of scalpers. Stores like Cultura, JouéClub, King Jouet, and La Grande Récré now sell Pokémon cards at the checkout or in display cases, rather than on open shelves. They also limit purchases to one copy of each product per person for highly anticipated releases. However, these measures have not stopped determined scalpers. Alexandre, a 17-year-old, managed to buy five ETBs across multiple stores with the help of friends, spending 395 euros and reselling them for 960 euros, making a profit of around 180 euros per box. Despite the frustrations, the Pokémon phenomenon continues to attract a wide audience. According to Circana, 41% of new Pokémon card buyers in Europe are 12 years old or older, and experts believe the long-term success of the franchise depends on keeping children engaged so they continue collecting as adults. Laurent Seror notes that even common cards, like a shiny Pikachu, can bring joy to young collectors, making them easier to please. Meanwhile, fans like Luigi and "Hodor," a 41-year-old Pokémon enthusiast, hope that the Pokémon Company will find ways to address the issue of scalping, which they believe is harming the experience for genuine collectors.