The Best Places to Buy Pokemon Cards in Store and Online, Ranked

Oct 18

Luckily, Pokemon cards are readily available now both online and in stores. You just need to know where to look. In this comprehensive guide, we’re going to be taking a look at the best places to shop for your favorite Pokemon cards and sealed products, both in person and online.

The Best Places to Buy Pokemon Cards Online

#1 TCGplayer is the easiest place to purchase Pokemon cards online

The majority of Pokemon players and collectors I know purchase their cards on TCGplayer. If you aren’t familiar with TCGplayer, they are a massive online marketplace, kind of like eBay. Not only do they offer just about every single Pokemon card and sealed product you could dream of, they also have additional features built into their site that make them ideal for rare Pokemon card hunters, like their data around Pokemon card market value and average listing price.

Usually, TCGplayer is going to be your best bet for finding deals on Pokemon card singles. Additionally, TCGplayer has very good customer support, and also offers TCGplayer direct, where they handle the shipping and handling etc.

TCGplayer pros for buying Pokemon cards:

Massive online selection
Excellent customer service
Direct by TCGplayer offers enhanced service and standards (cards are shipped and handled by them)
Plenty of opportunity to preorder
Standardized way of shopping for specific cards and products

Cons:

Interface is sometimes confusing, especially when looking for specific card images
Shipping can take a long time (especially when not purchasing from TCGplayer direct)
Shipping is often more expensive than the cards you buy (when buying low cost singles)
There’s no way to track shipping for lower cost cards
No great way to purchase low cost shipping with tracking
No bidding

Pokemon cards on TCGplayer

#2 eBay is best for discerning shoppers and particularly rare cards

eBay is a close second when it comes to buying Pokemon cards online. In some ways, it is even more versatile than TCGplayer. However, it is a little trickier to use given the more complex transactions available, therefore requiring a more discerning buyer. If you just want to go online, buy something quick, and get it for a good price, your best bet is probably TCGplayer.

If you really want to hunt for rare deals you are unlikely to find anywhere else, then eBay is your best bet.

There are a couple of things that we like about buying cards from eBay more than TCGplayer, and a couple of things we dislike about it.

First of all, eBay makes it really, really easy to look at each and every card you buy. Unlike TCGplayer which has a generic image for shopping that can sometimes be confusing, and a bunch of listings below, in eBay you get to browse through each and every specific card that’s on offer. This makes eBay often easier to use when purchasing more expensive singles.

A few additional benefits of shopping with eBay include the excellent eBay stamped envelope which affords sellers a way to ship cheap cards for cheap, and the authentication service that eBay offers at no additional cost.

eBay pros for buying Pokemon cards:

Cheap shipping with tracking (a huge advantage)
Easy interface for examining individual cards
eBay offers bidding so you can often snag cards for cheap
Seamless way to interface with sellers directly

eBay cons for buying Pokemon cards

There’s no “market value” data presented to customers, making it sometimes difficult to know that what you’re paying is fair
Cards listed as “buy now” are often above market price

Pokemon cards on eBay

#3 PokemonCenter.com

Did you know you can buy Pokemon cards directly from Pokemon? A lot of people like to purchase their Pokemon card products from Pokemon Center. While I am not one of those people ( I prefer to do my shopping on either TCGplayer or eBay), I know many serious Pokemon players and collectors who regularly purchase from Pokemon Center.

One thing that does make Pokemon Center stand apart is that it offers Pokemon Center exclusives, like the well known Pokemon Center ETBs. And while these exclusives are cool, they can also be purchased on TCGplayer, making them a little less exclusive for online shoppers.

Pros:

A very wide selection
Very cool Pokemon Center exclusives
Lots of other Pokemon products and TCG accessories

Cons:

I’ve heard of shipping issues from Pokemon Center for very high demand products
Not for purchasing singles

#4 Amazon is decent for sealed products

You can purchase Pokemon cards from Amazon. I won’t get into this too much because most people know how to buy stuff on Amazon. However, the main thing I’ll say is that Amazon is not the place to go for purchasing singles. But if you are looking for sealed Pokemon products at a reasonable price, Amazon could be a great option for you.

I preordered a Silver Tempest booster box from Amazon once, and it came pretty quickly after the release date. So that was cool.

Pros:

Good for buying new sealed Pokemon products
Reliable shipping

Cons:

Not great for buying singles
Not ideal for purchasing specific rare cards for your collection

Shop Pokemon cards on Amazon

The best places to buy Pokemon cards in store

#1 Target is great for snagging the latest products

Target is probably our favorite place to buy Pokemon cards in store, simply because they are really good at stocking the latest products on time. However, this likely varies from location to location. It can be really competitive to find the products you want at Target, as they are often high priority for collectors and scalpers. But if you get the feeling for your local delivery schedule, you should be able to find some good products as early as the day of release.

Pros of buying Pokemon cards from Target:

Products are sold at market retail price (good for super hot items)
Usually good at stocking the latest products
Usually at least a weekly shipment of cards
Better for purchasing the latest products than online marketplaces (if you can find them)
Great for finding specialty Pokemon TCG products

Cons:

Usually sold out within hours of shipment
You can’t buy singles
We aren’t aware of any Target Pokemon exclusives
In store shopping only for high demand Pokemon products

#2 Best Buy is almost always stocked

Believe it or not, Best Buy is also a great place to purchase your favorite Pokemon cards. They offer a similarly regular refresh schedule as Target, but are slightly less reliable on having the latest products on release day. However, if you’re looking for a place you can go to browse a reasonably good selection of Pokemon cards reliably, I would recommend Best Buy

Pros:

Almost always stocked with Pokemon product
Very affordable suggested retail price products
Online/in-store pickup available for Pokemon products

Cons:

Less reliably shipment schedule
Less likely to find specialty Pokemon TCG products

#3 GameStop

GameStop can be an excellent place to purchase Pokemon cards, however, their selection is often much less limited than Target or Best Buy. That being said, GameStop does offer a few advantages. For example, you can preorder your Pokemon products and then pick them up the same day as release (assuming they are in stock). Additionally, GameStop has special exclusive sealed products that you can only purchase from them, like the Lugia V special collection box.

Lastly, GameStop lends a more personal touch to your shopping. Because they are a smaller store, you’re more likely to get help finding what you need, and a friendly shopping experience. However, be ready to get hounded to sign up for their loyalty card.

Pros:

Exclusive Pokemon products
Good customer service
Preorder cards for same day as release
GameStop sometimes does prereleases

Cons:

Limited selection
Selection varies greatly depending on location
Slightly higher prices than other retailers

#4 Your local game store can have good deals

As you get more and more into the trading card game hobby, it’s a good idea to make connections with your local game shops other than the big box stores. While these shops likely won’t have as cheap prices as the retailers, they can get you on the inside track with special events and products that can be hard to find elsewhere.

For example, many stores will let you preorder products before they come out, or have special leagues where you can get exclusive Pokemon prize packs.

Local game shops are also the only in person stores that are likely to carry singles. While not all do, this can be helpful for picking up cards for your collection or your deck in a pinch. While their prices are unlikely to match online prices, keep in mind that you also own’t have to wait for them to come in the mail, pay shipping, or deal with potential discrepencies between the listing and the card in hand.

Pros:

Get the inside track on latest products
Shop singles in addition to products
Sometimes local stores are better stocked with the latest products than retailers

Cons:

Prices are rarely competitive with online or retail shops
Sometimes smelly

#5 Costco has some incredibly deals you won’t find elsewhere

Last, we have Costco. Yes – if you didn’t know by now, you can buy Pokemon cards at Costco. Most times that we go there, there is at least some Pokemon card product for sale. And yes – you can get some pretty incredible deals on Pokemon cards there. However, this comes with a big asterisk: you’ll never get the most cutting edge products from Costco.

Costco sells older sets in bundle deals, but don’t deal in specialty Pokemon products like Ultra Premium Collections, or the cutting edge releases.

That being said, you can find some incredible buys at Costco if you are lucky. One time we were able to buy a bundle with two ETBs, and one of them was the highly sought after Evolving Skies pack.

If you are looking for a deal on Pokemon products and don’t really care what they are (as long as they are from relatively recent expansions), Costco could be the place for you.

Pros: