In Japan, Pokémon fans will have to present their government ID to enter lotteries and purchase some TCG products from the Pokémon Center Online.
This new measure is intended to combat scalpers and bots: a verified ID should allow the Pokémon Center to confirm that each customer is a unique person, and not one scalper using hundreds of fake bot accounts. This policy is an escalation of a previous measure that was intended to accomplish the same thing: phone number verification for online orders.
The response to this announcement was positive, with many commenters on the Pokébeach article asking for a similar verification program in their part of the world.
Comments under the Pokébeach article announcing this change, asking to bring this form of ID verification to other markets like America and Singapore.
And, I understand why: bots and scalpers have gamed the system to steal new Pokémon products from the otherwise hard-working and honest collectors. A system that ensures every collector gets a fair shot at the allocated supply is exactly what the market needs.
The problem is that this kind of ID verification system compromises the privacy and security of Pokémon fans. All while failing to solve for the ultimate underlying issue.
In Japan, The Pokémon Company obviously believes this risk is worth taking. And many Pokémon fans appear to agree.
But I have my concerns.
Now, look, I'm trying not to put on my tin foil hat here (or at least hide it from my astute readers). But, part of me always worries about the slippery slope of verification and tracking in all areas of our lives. Trusting another party - especially a retailer of your favorite collectibles - with sensitive personal info is a risk.
Maybe I'm just particularly sensitive to it because, as a content creator, I'm pretty transparent about items I own in my collection. I do think about my safety and security. Having my ID leaked in a hack genuinely concerns me.
Of course, we are all used to occasionally sharing our ID in everyday life; for example: to buy alcohol or while travelling. I am a customer of several financial institutions and they all have different copies of my ID. This is nothing new.
But every new organization we trust with this information expands our risk. I think its prudent to be wary.
Especially when we're being asked to give up this information as a band-aid solution that doesn't even solve the real underlying issue...
There simply isn't enough supply.
In a booming market where demand far exceeds supply, the MSRP pricing strategy means the products sold directly by The Pokémon Company are artificially discounted. And cheap prices drive enormous demand.
Every collector wants to get their hands on more affordable products, and every market opportunities (the flippers, scalpers, etc.) can make a quick profit flipping MSRP product on the secondary market.
As a result, The Pokémon Company must find a way to filter out the opportunists, and get as many products in the hands of real fans as possible. I don't blame them for the effort they are putting into this.
But the ultimate solution can't be this kind of controlled distribution. It has to be to print enough product to meet demand.
And, in the meantime, I'd rather not add my sensitive personal information into a new honeypot that will attract all kinds of hackers and other malicious actors to it. Maybe that's just me.
Whatever happens, stay safe out there.
As usual,
Thank you for reading the TCG Buyers Club newsletter. My name's Grey, I buy cardboard, and I'm on a mission to make collecting and investing in Pokémon simple.
Cheers 🍻
P.S. I'd love to hear what you think about this news: is this a step too far, or a reasonable reaction to the current market climate? What would you do if they brought this concept The Pokémon Center in North America? Let me know, and thanks for reading!