The recent online launches of Terastal Festival ex [SV8a] and Battle Partners [SV9] on the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store as well as those of Prismatic Evolutions [PRE] and Journey Together [JTG] on its international equivalents saw a staggering amount of web traffic headed to the official supplier of all things Pokémon—including Pokémon TCG products. The sheer number of people who sought to buy Pokémon cards online would’ve been quite a sight to behold if it had been physically visible.

Needless to say, the vast majority of Pokémon fans all over the world were left empty-handed. Not only that—the sheer onslaught of visitors left the website itself inaccessible at times during the immediate hours following the products’ release. The items sold out within a matter of hours, leaving many to have to resort to buying the items in person on release day—or failing even that, buying the items from an external seller who may or may not be a scalper planning to make easy money off unsuspecting buyers who might not know any better.

This therefore brings up the question: how does one go about buying Pokémon TCG products on the Pokémon Center’s online store? This guide will break down your options, from official retailers to alternative marketplaces, giving you the best chance to build your collection.

What Is the Pokémon Center’s Online Store?

Before proceeding, it should be noted that the method of buying Pokémon TCG products on the Pokémon Center’s online store differs depending on whether one is purchasing the items from the Japanese or the international store.

The Pokémon Center’s online store (both Japanese and international versions) is the official source for Pokémon TCG products. However, due to high demand, securing items at retail prices can be challenging.

It’s not only possible to purchase items already released, but also to preorder them as well. Preordering is often the best way to secure highly anticipated releases. Keep an eye on the official Pokémon Center website and social media channels for preorder announcements. Be ready to act fast as preorders can (and in the cases of seriously epic sets, will) sell out quickly.

1. Japanese Pokémon Center Online: https://www.pokemoncenter-online.com/ Note: This store only ships within Japan. International buyers are required to use a proxy service.

2. International Pokémon Centers: (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, US) See below for specific URLs. These stores also typically only ship within their respective countries.

1. Purchasing Pokémon TCG Items From the Pokémon Center’s Japanese Online Store

The URL of the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store is https://www.pokemoncenter-online.com/. The search bar can be found on the left of the logo while the main menu lies below it as you can see in the screenshot below. For the purposes of this article, the main menu will be used.

Mouse over the third tab of the five laid out horizontally under the logo. A selection of 13 tabs will be shown. Click on the third tab from the left on the top row.

It will lead to a page listing all sorts of Pokémon TCG products. Once on that page, for those who don’t live in Japan, copy all the URLs of the items to be purchased.

Some of you who have never bought anything from the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store might be a little confused as to why the products aren’t being bought on the page itself. That’s because items from the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store can only be sent to addresses in Japan. Thus, for those who aren’t in Japan, the URLs of the items in question are to be copied and pasted into the order database of a third-party proxy seller’s website.

On the proxy seller’s website, confirm the order with the shipping method and delivery address. The proxy seller will then first purchase the items on the buyer’s behalf before sending them to the buyer. International shipping fees will be charged accordingly.

As an aside, if you’d like to know more about the upcoming reprints of Terastal Festival ex [SV8a] and Battle Partners [SV9] and how they will be sold on the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store, please proceed to this link.

2. Purchasing Pokémon TCG Items From the Pokémon Center’s International Online Stores

The Pokémon Center has five international online stores; each of the five serves one of five countries. The URLs of each of the five stores are as follows:

Australia: https://www.pokemoncenter.com/en-au
Canada: https://www.pokemoncenter.com/en-ca
New Zealand: https://www.pokemoncenter.com/en-nz
United Kingdom: https://www.pokemoncenter.com/en-gb
United States: https://www.pokemoncenter.com 

A tab near the top of the page has “Trading Card Game” on it. Browse through all the links listed under it to find the desired Pokémon TCG products, then select those to be purchased.

As is the case with the Pokémon Center’s Japanese online store, each of the international online stores only ships to the country in question. However, the method by which non-residents bypass this differs.

Once again, the assistance of a proxy seller is used. However, on the international site, the purchase is to be made on the site itself even if the buyer isn’t residing in the country in question.

When making the purchase after creating an account, the address details are to be filled in with the address of the proxy seller’s warehouse in the country that the particular online store serves. Once the Pokémon TCG items arrive at the warehouse, the proxy seller will then send them to the buyer. Once again, international shipping fees will be charged accordingly.

Tips for Getting the Jump on Scalpers by Staying Alert on Product Release Day

Many of you will now be thinking “All right, that’s all well and good—but more than anything else, I just want to beat the scalpers and their bots so that I can get what I’m after”. Well, while there’s no foolproof method to beat the scalpers to Pokémon TCG products, there are several steps that can be taken to ensure that one has the best possible chance of doing so.

The most important thing to know about a new product launch is the time at which it will drop. The idea is to be at least 30 minutes early. If the item is being purchased on one of the international stores, create an account ahead of time, then log in early. Ensure that all payment information and addresses have been input. It may also be helpful to be logged in on multiple devices at once to maximize one’s chances of obtaining that coveted booster pack, booster box, or whatever the product(s) in question may be.

Do NOT under any circumstances refresh the page repeatedly. Anyone who does so will be incorrectly flagged as a bot and subsequently locked out of the website.

Ultimately, however, beating scalpers to any Pokémon TCG item is a lottery. Even those who fastidiously follow every tip mentioned might find themselves beaten to the punch by scalpers while on the other hand, it’s also entirely possible for someone to just stroll in and land it on the first try.

Thus…

What If You Miss the Preorder or Retail Drop?

If All Else Fails, Try the SNKRDUNK App for Pokémon TCG Products at Unbeatable Prices

A lot of you will undoubtedly come up short in your quest to land the Pokémon TCG item(s) you’ve been dreaming of—whether buying from the Japanese or international store. But not to worry—this is where our SNKRDUNK App comes in!

What Does SNKRDUNK Offer to Pokémon TCG Buyers?

Well, have a look at these:

✅ Wide Selection and Availability of Japanese and English Pokémon TCG Cards, Sets, and Boxes

SNKRDUNK is well-known throughout Japan and beyond as one of the internet’s leading purveyors of Japanese Pokémon TCG cards. We have a truly enormous card and product repository including some of the most expensive and rarest cards to ever enter circulation. For the serious players out there trying to build a dream deck, we stock all the most gameplay-viable cards too.

Not only that—these days we don’t just sell Japanese Pokémon TCG items anymore. We’ve been gradually building up our selection of English Pokémon TCG cards and products; while our English selection can still be said to be a “work in progress” in some ways, it’s nevertheless already very impressive—especially considering the relatively short time that it’s been around for.

✅ 100% Guaranteed Authenticity

Every Pokémon TCG item sold on the SNKRDUNK App has had its authenticity fully guaranteed by highly skilled experts. As such, whenever you purchase a Pokémon TCG item off our app, you can be certain that it’s the real deal and not a forgery or counterfeit item. On top of that, all SNKRDUNK users who sell cards which have been verified may list themselves as sellers of authenticated cards and subsequently have their respective user pages registered as seller pages.

✅ Competitive Prices

The prices of Pokémon TCG products sold on the SNKRDUNK App are frequently less expensive than those of other resellers. Thus, using the SNKRDUNK App to buy these items is absolutely worth considering for one to maximize value for money.

✅ Bulk-Buy Option / Shopping Cart Function

Those of you who are interested in buying Pokémon TCG items in bulk can take advantage of our bulk-buy option to avail yourself of a shipping discount. We also supply a shopping cart function for Pokémon as well as all other TCG items. With this function, most buyers receive 80% off shipping fees on the second single card they purchase. We said “most” because this figure increases to 100% for buyers in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States.

✅ TCG Campaigns / Offers / Coupons

One last thing: let us remind you to frequently check back on SNKRDUNK’s Instagram, magazine right here, and website. We’ll keep you posted about our latest TCG campaigns, offers, and coupons to ensure that you’ll be able to save as much money as possible while landing those coveted cards, booster packs, or booster boxes on the fantastic SNKRDUNK App.

So now that you’re aware of all of this, there’s only one thing left to do—shop to your heart’s content and get yourself all the Pokémon TCG items you’ve been after!

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