Someone out for a late-night walk near the Clarke Road Walmart spotted a line of people queued outside the store at 3 AM on a Thursday night this month. The photo landed on r/londonontario and confirmed what many card collectors already suspected: scalpers are camping out for new Pokemon expansion packs before the store even opens.
The person who posted the photo clarified they were out for a 3 AM walk, listening to an audiobook, and came across the line by chance. According to the original poster, they have first-hand knowledge of people who scalp Pokemon cards and were told directly that camping outside Walmart and Costco is standard practice for new release drops.
The frustration in the comments was immediate and pointed. One person put it bluntly:
“I hate scalpers almost or more than I hate billionaires. Both are actively contributing to my life becoming worse and more expensive.”
Someone else summed up the vibe of the whole thing with considerably less sympathy:
“This is what peak unemployment looks like. Majestic.”
The real-world cost of this is felt by actual kids. One parent said their seven-year-old asked for Pokemon cards for their birthday and there was none to be found anywhere. Another commenter backed them up, saying they feel bad for kids and parents who just want to buy cards at a normal price.
A collector who described themselves as having followed the hobby closely pushed back on any benefit of the doubt:
“These are scalpers. Full stop. I collect pokemon cards and can tell you this has been the norm for almost 2 years now.”
The same collector raised something that doesn’t get talked about enough in the scalper conversation: the demand side. They noted that ripping packs can slide into gambling behaviour quickly, and that scalpers are essentially feeding that cycle. Another commenter agreed:
“It’s 100% gambling. Blind boxes, dumplings…it’s all gambling. I’m very mindful when it comes to blind boxes for my kids (hard to avoid them nowadays).”
One commenter wondered whether the scalpers had even checked the market lately, pointing out that supply on the current set is up and rare pulls are less rare than they’ve been in years. Whether that actually kills the margins for resellers remains to be seen, but the line at 3 AM suggests nobody got the memo.
For collectors who’d rather skip the parking lot circus, London does have dedicated card shops. EA Collectibles on Third Street is open daily from noon and runs weekly events. Players Cards and Collectibles, which has been operating since February 2019, is another option in the city.
The Walmart in question is the Supercenter at 330 Clarke Road in London Argyle Mall, open Monday through Sunday from 7 AM to 10 PM. The irony of a store that opens at 7 AM drawing a line at 11 PM the night before is not lost on anyone.
That’s cold comfort for a parent who already missed a birthday.
One person in the thread had the most accurate read of the whole situation:
“Couldn’t imagine being a kid nowadays and being gutted at there being no stock cause of these guys.”