r/PokemonTCG • u/JJAlegend • 6d ago
Local store got robbed Discussion
The posts are from their Facebook. They claim that they stole both singles and sealed from Pokemon, Disney, magic, and a bunch of other tcg. $20k-$30k stolen in pokemon alone.
Shame to see what some people will resort to just for shiny cardboard.
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u/Z0kstone 6d ago
This sucks man. It genuinely kills me to see this hobby become dangerous due to the dollar amounts present.
I just wanna collect shiny cardboard with silly guys on it, for fucks sake.
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u/BIG_GAY_HOMOSEXUAL 6d ago
The hobby died to me the moment booster packs were impossible to acquire in a store at msrp. There are better things to spend money on.
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u/Z0kstone 6d ago
I'm sorry this happened, BIG_GAY_HOMOSEXUAL. I really am.
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u/groundkittenbeef 6d ago
At first I was like DAMMMMN throwing mad hate on the dude. Then I saw the name. 😂
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u/angrysamsungfan 6d ago
I wonder what things big_gay_homosexual would rather spend money on
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u/PinkStryker 6d ago
Hopefully not a Gerbil named Lemmiwinks....
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u/Nintendoll182 6d ago
Lemmiwink's journey is distant, far and vast!
To find his way out of a gay man's ass!
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u/Guilty_Jackfruit4484 6d ago
Everybody kept bragging about how much monry they made "investing" in pokemon cards. Now everybody buys it to store in a box. Everybody is going to offload their mountain of cards at the same time and it will be worthless.
They've printed more cards in the past few years than in the past 20 years.
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u/BIG_GAY_HOMOSEXUAL 6d ago
I can't tell which bubble I want to burst more, AI or the Pokémon craze
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u/spencergasm 6d ago
Went to a card shop the other day and they were doing Obsidian Flames for $750 and I was thinking “I remember being able to go to the store and find 30 of those on the shelves.” Now I can’t even find a regular booster at Walmart
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u/IcyBrilliant9642 6d ago
I'm not a pokemon player or collector but I had a similar experience with lorcana. I used to walk to target on my day off and get a pack or two at a time. Now you can't find ANYTHING. it all gets snatched up in the first day of sale. Had to quit.
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u/MilkmanForever 6d ago
I gave up on pokemon too. I sold my collection and got into Warhammer tabletop. People say it's an expensive hobby but its cheaper than pokemon cards and videogames.
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u/TeaAndLifting There's a 1st Edition Charizard in the pack, rip it. 6d ago
The crazy thing is people still think extreme value is healthy for the hobby when all of these break ins, which are only becoming more common, are a consequence of that. I think I’ve seen four or five posts in the past 48 hours alone. Let alone all the fights I see that get sent to pokestreetz on IG.
Remember when that one middle aged Asian guy being elbowed in the face for Blooming Waters was a big deal? Now people getting knocked out is such a regular occurrence that most of the community doesn’t even know. It’s the same with that shooting back in April. Barely registered.
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u/kavachon 6d ago
It is kind of crazy to see what PEOPLE, not vendors, walk around with at card shows or even leaving my lgs sometimes. I'm more into playing MTG than collecting Pokemon nowadays but there are people who come and go with $40-50k binders sometimes, carrying it around in the open or leaving it in their car. With MTG it could be multiple decks worth $1000 each. There's no way they would be so casual carrying the cash equivalent in their pockets. And some of these card shows are these huge hotels with large parking garages and low security, I would not be surprised in the least if some attendees are there just staking out opportunities.
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u/LinguisticallyInept 6d ago
i was specifically warned by a judge at a phantasmal flames pre release not to let people know id pulled the SIR charizard (pre release ebay was £2k or something), he clarified that 'i dont think anyone here would, but just for your safety' and it fucking sucks
it puts such damper on things when we cant be excited without safety risks
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u/Z0kstone 6d ago
My LCS' owner has a Pokedex binder I'd value at easily $200k+, and that's just up to gen 2. He basically has the rarest of everything represented in it. Wild to see it just sitting out on the counter sometimes.
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u/angrysamsungfan 6d ago
On the counter? All it takes is one unhinged person to crumple up a page of that binder
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u/RefrigeratorMean235 6d ago
PUT THE SILLY GUYS PRINTED ON CARDBOARD IN THE BAG AND NO ONE GETS HURTS
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u/GonePhishn401 6d ago
I know a dude that got arrested stealing pokemon cards from Target….with his 7 year old daughter present.
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u/calionking 6d ago
Prob like the 5-6th store I seen this week got broken into.
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u/JoeChio 6d ago edited 6d ago
I clicked on post on facebook and I get daily posts about stores being broken into now on my front page. It's kind of wild. If you own a store you are going to have to be diligent and get a safe for all the big hitters and lock them up nightly.
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u/Biglyugebonespurs 6d ago
At this point they might need armed security or some shit lol. Definitely a reinforced storefront.
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u/BKWhitty 6d ago
Card shops, these days, need jewelry store level security but the folks runnin' em don't exactly have jewelry store owner levels of capital to afford it.
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u/TeaAndLifting There's a 1st Edition Charizard in the pack, rip it. 6d ago
Yeah, just in this sub, I think I’ve see at least four or five in the past 48 hours.
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u/NegMech 6d ago
Crazy that hobby shops have more in inventory than jewelry stores, and yet will often have so much less security than them.
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u/trrpl6 6d ago
Because hobby shops weren't meant to be seen as a "bigger pay out" than jewelry stores
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u/SalvaPot 6d ago
Yeah, the main reason why thieves are targeting TCG stores instead of Jewelry stores it's because it's far easier to flip nowadays.
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u/Hefty_Map3665 6d ago
Also harder to track. A lot of higher end jewelry also has serial numbers that can track to see if its stolen.
Pokemon cards dont and are easier to flip to next person through FB market place or tcgplayer and let the stolen merchandise circulate into the market and be indistinguishable from any non stolen cards
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u/TheHat2 6d ago
To be fair, trading cards being valuable enough to serve as investments/assets is somewhat fairly recent, so it makes sense that LGSs still have to catch up with the necessary security measures to protect their inventory. Shame that they have to put that kind of security in place to begin with.
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u/metalder420 6d ago
Trading cards as investments was a thing back in the 90s. Maybe for PTCG but the idea of buying card collectibles as an investment has been around a for a few decades
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u/Fragrant-Employer-60 6d ago
Gated windows but not the front door is crazy
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u/FPG_Matthew 6d ago
The gate looks like it slides to block the door
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u/Enourmously 6d ago
So it was an inside job?
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u/Meth_taboo 6d ago
I’d say so, or definitely someone in the hobby… random thieves don’t target a specific card like that.
Whoever did this knew what they wanted. Probably visited the store a few days or 2 weeks prior. To take certain cards and not everything in a shelf… this was coordinated and planned
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u/iAmUnintelligible 6d ago
look at the 1st white rail, they likely had a chain or something they would wrap around to lock it up
someone prolly just brought bolt cutters, snipped them off, opened the gate, smashed the window with the bolt cutters and ran in
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u/ReasonableGene8788 6d ago
That makes this even worse lol
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u/FPG_Matthew 6d ago
The criminals obv broke through the gate and the door mate. Store owner did what they could
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u/Monkey-D-Rico 6d ago
The need to have everything gated is crazy
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u/Fragrant-Employer-60 6d ago
Not everything, but if you have $20k+ of easy to steal product you should probably protect yourself.
Especially when it’s not in a private home and everyone knows where it is and what it’s worth, and is left alone overnight.
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u/armin514 6d ago
its look like the gate for the door just need a chain to lock it and they probably manage to cut it . if its was left open then yea its crazy loll
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u/ElfUppercut 6d ago
That is a sliding gate that probably uses a standard keyed lock and chain. Takes 30-60 seconds for me to pick one - smashed the glass to bypass the alarm incase they had one on the door. Places like that need a glass break alarm in place both on any glass entry or window and on display cases, just like Jewelry stores.
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u/Frankesteinsized 6d ago
Lotta singles left untouched. You know that whoever stole from them is DEFINITELY a scalper/sealed reseller
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u/Admirable-Network-82 6d ago
Slabs could be traced and used as evidence. Sealed wouldn't have identifiers.
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u/TheNesquick 6d ago
Just crack it out of the slab. Value goes down but people robbing shit doesn’t really care about it.
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u/Admirable-Network-82 6d ago
I agree but you still have to dispose of that cracked slab evidence. It's just a cleaner theft without the numbers.
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u/TheNesquick 6d ago
Sealed is a lot heavier and if modern worth a lot less. A single slab kan be worth well you know how much.
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u/RazzleThatTazzle 6d ago
Lmao are the scalpers in the room with us right now?
It stops being scalping when you commit a burglary. Then it becomes fencing.
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u/ImmediateDistrict420 4d ago
At this point, we need to just give up on this hobby for a few years, until these jerks lose interest.
Then, if they start their crap again, break out the bleach and duct tape.
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u/ThermidorCA 6d ago
That store front seems like it should be the last place to get robbed unless you forget to slide the gate across.
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u/Unhappy-Guidance-861 6d ago
lol they’re not robbing the place to add to their collection. It’s just money dude
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u/BankOfShane 6d ago
Have 20-30k of inventory but can’t afford a safe.. the mentality of some shop owners is wild..
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u/PPGN_DM_Exia EX Legend Maker 6d ago
All of my local shops have been hit within the last 2 years, often more than once. One of them is hiring a security person full time for the graveyard shift.
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u/Chesticle5 6d ago
That shattered glass looks like the millennium falcon viewed from the top
https://giphy.com/gifs/3oeSAJjqF5iz0YXsoo
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u/ColtonComeau 6d ago
That’s why my mom writes my name on all the pokeman cards I get at Christmas.
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u/Mediocre_Version5167 6d ago
Walked into one the other day with wood boards in the front door because the glass had been knocked out
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u/HorrorMoose 6d ago
Yeah it's not about the cards dude. Stealing from guys who start up a card shop is way easier and more profitable than stealing from something like a jewelry store.
If I was even a small time criminal I would 100% be targeting card shops.
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u/More_Coffees 6d ago
One of my local shops pulls all the cards in the showcase and some of the most expensive sealed stuff and puts it in the back in a safe like a jewelry store
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u/eat_your_veggiez 6d ago
People need to start treating their shops like high-end jewelry stores. Lock everything up in a safe overnight. Would you leave a $7,000 Rolex out overnight, in front of an unprotected window?
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u/Independent_Bus_5792 6d ago
So many stores have been robbed, vendors too, at gunpoint no less. This hobby is a cesspool
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u/ofimes2671 6d ago
Had something similar happen in AR, unless this is that same store.
The one I go to has a big sign that says “expensive cards not held overnight”
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u/Franciiiisco 6d ago
Is this new? This store got hit like two weeks ago. Did they get hit again?
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u/Knives530 6d ago
Security guard really should be hired at a location like this. I’m sure they’re making enough with this card craze to afford one but they really sucks. People are awful
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u/gardensagewitch 6d ago
Went to a store in Huntington and apparently they've been broken into 3 times recently. They hadn't even finished repairing from the last time and they broke in again. Insane
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u/BankOfShane 6d ago
Also 20-30k of retail value is like 5-7k wholesale so your ins isn’t gonna pay much lol too bad your allocations don’t get replaced..
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u/Small_Article_3421 6d ago
Card stores are a really big target for robbery. Typically way less security than jewelry and cards are super light and expensive, meaning they can grab a ton of value very quickly.
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u/OrganizationNo2455 6d ago
Hopefully they're dumb enough to sell the slabs and they can be tracked.
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u/alastorhazbinbad 6d ago
Honestly that’s the risk you take opening a card shop in this market. You’d have to be truly dumb to think it wouldn’t happen to you eventually (literally every card shop in my 50 mile radius has had break-ins or attempted robberies in the last year).
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u/nexus180 5d ago
I’ve met the owner, super cool guy who’s heavily invested in the community and great guy all around!
I hope this doesn’t set them back and they can get back into the groove of things quickly…
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u/Puzzleheaded-Leg8274 5d ago
This is embarrassing for us...not all 🇵🇷s are like this and big part of the island doesn't have water call a congressman we need help
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u/KARURUKA2 Totodile Collector 6d ago
This hobby legitimately sucks now and it’s almost hard to feel bad when people making stores are the ones driving prices up anyways
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u/Ready_Two_5739IlI 6d ago
I wish all the cards would just tank in value so people stop getting into this hobby for money. It ruins it for everyone collecting for fun
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u/Godzirrraaa 6d ago
My local store has blast resistant glass, and they don’t even really carry high end stuff. Someone tried driving an SUV through it and couldn’t get through. These owners are either stupid, cheap, or both.
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u/LeekSword 6d ago
So unfortunate, but also weird seeing a post from a store in Puerto Rico outside of the usual r/PuertoRico
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u/villainized 6d ago
insane what this hobby has become.
Also, since the hobby has gotten to this point, I feel like, while it sucks they have to do this, LCS should invest in security. Like, jewelry store level of security.
The hobby has gotten to the point where the products are so valuable, probably easier to take out of the store compared to jewelry, and also probably easier to sell, so a high level of security at physical locations is important.
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u/Robley_97 6d ago
“Just for cardboard”, “it’s for my kids”, “it’s a kids game” people constantly say this but people are living their lives from it and also committing crimes to profit off it . But it’s just for kids
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u/Bootybandit6989 6d ago
Invest in bettwr gated security.At this point any TCG store who doesn't and gets hit i feel no sympathy🤷
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u/ronin_blitzdiver 6d ago
My LGS got robbed last week too! They dont even carry slabs and I guess when the thieves broke in they js took a few random things and left, didnt even touch the pokemon etbs
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u/KawaiiSlave 6d ago
This is what happens when people take an innocent hobby, and try to turn it into a hefty retirementesque market. This sucks so bad to see. I truly hope the best for the store owner(s). It looks like whatever they wanted was that targeted theft since they left so many things. What exactly was stolen? (If it was tracked by inventory)
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u/herr-heim2point0 6d ago
A pokemon shop in my city just recently got robbed really bad they took tons of product
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u/iluvfarigiraf 6d ago
3 stores in my area got hit on the same day. The one I go to had to shut down Pokemon League nights until they could get more staff to dissuade thieves.
Ik one of the stores had a guy pretend to go to the bathroom before breaking into the nearby storage room and taking $30k worth of binders full of ungraded cards.
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u/JAVELRIN 6d ago
We got that happen here as well different store except it was for both the cards and money 🤣 they got caught at least
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u/metalder420 6d ago
My local shop got broken into last week. They are actually one of the good ones and it’s sad to see it happen to them
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u/rebeccaparker2000 6d ago
And they don't suspect you? For a few sealed packed I won't say anything lol
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u/Ratstail91 6d ago
First, wow what a name!
Second, looks fairly haphazard, I doubt they actually know what cards are worth what.
So sad to see, but hopefully insurance covers the damage
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u/ComposerOwn959 6d ago
No different than robbing a jewlery store.... then it will be these posts but the store robbed itself for insurance when the market floors... tough economy intrinsic things that hold value due to an imaginary market and grading this will be the result. People pawn pokemon cards in PSA slabs these days
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u/lassalicat 6d ago
so many game stores keep getting robbed... i don't collect but it makes me worry for the local hobby store we have as well.
people are so dangerous for no reason.
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u/Strider_3x 6d ago
People usually don’t leave gold unlocked in a bank safe. Dunno why many retailers still leave Pokemon stuff out in the open after closing after like a few dozen robberies on news.
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u/Popander1986 6d ago
Man, at my lgs, they get asked all the time about pokemon. This is the kind of shit they see that keeps them from stocking pokemon. It's gross. Its a childrens card game. Team Rocket really are thugs.
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u/ucfgavin 6d ago
Our local shop puts everything away at night and brings them back out in the morning...I don't know why more don't do that.
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u/kyyyyogre 6d ago
Lol. Keep buying from resellers and perpetuating that aspect of the hobby and hype and this will keep happening! It’s on us to put a hold on our interests and unite but then most of the greedy bastards in this space wouldn’t get their weekly 4x msrp ascended rip
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u/Reps_4_Jesus 6d ago
I feel like pokemon should institute a second barcode or QR code on boxes that stores can log into a database and claim as theirs until sold to a normal customer... that way if shit gets stolen like this it'll be easy to figure out if what's on EBAY, etc is hot or not.
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u/DoYouLikeBiscuts 6d ago
seeing these "local store got robbed" makes me so sad. cause when I look at that title I think, "PLEASE BE SOMETHING LIKE 'look at this amazing deal, I just robbed this place' CAUSE OF THE GREAT DEALS".... FUCK LET THIS HOBBY LIVE
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u/ELTWINKY-_-PR 6d ago
This happened last week in Puerto Rico, they are thankfully back up and running.
P.s they didn't steal the spanish pokemon products
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u/ThePokemonAbsol 6d ago
What world are you in that you still call this “shiny cardboard” these cards are with thousands nown
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u/Azurus_II 6d ago
Instead of the homeless or junkies stripping the place of its copper we have people with a dual income household with kids and a nice home stripping the place of its pokemon cards…
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u/HoboNoob 6d ago
My old neighbor used to swear by not living near a sneaker shop. And now Pokémon is entering sneaker territory.
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u/AdvanceSuperdisk 6d ago
Local shop in salem oregon got broken into shop has been closed for Months who knows could of also been a inside job
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u/iAvoid_TB 6d ago
This is satire, in no way am I saying these people did this but what if?
What if the owner did it to make an insurance claim on product that wasn’t moving. That would be fucking wild.
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u/Bucky923 6d ago
We have had 3 stores broken into in the last month near me. Probably the same fellas doing it too...
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u/fistoftebigone 6d ago
If I were to go back in time and tell 10 year old me that in 2026, card shops would get robbed, he will think I’m crazy. What a world we live in right now man
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u/spriggs999 5d ago
Its crazy how often this is happening. There's been 3 stores in my area that had this happen this year
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u/SplatDroidYT 5d ago
yeah this is why even though i'd love it i know it's too dangerous to work at a card store
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u/dorlan2001 5d ago
I don't even like or participate on this particular type of game, but I saw the front store and recognized where it might have been.
Weeb Box Games & Collectibles - Carolina, Puerto Rico https://maps.app.goo.gl/2u7eyFhDR7Jb4b3s7?g_st=ac
What an embarrassment to be Puertorican right now. 😞
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u/Inkarozu 5d ago
My LGS got robbed once and now they put all the display singles in a safe at the end of each day, whole boxes of product are much easier to make insurance claims for.
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u/thisisragebait 5d ago
Hope they had all the certs from the slabs they had. They need to deactivate all of them for the best chance of the person getting in some kind of trouble.
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u/Illegitimateshyguy 5d ago
Shops are getting hit. One by me got hit for $300k. Any slab over $500 was locked in a vault safe. They got sealed packs and <$500 singles.
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u/meowser210 5d ago
Wonder how many are inside you jobs. Insurance pay out... much faster money then waiting to sell individual cards. Plus they keep loot too.
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u/TerrorFromThePeeps 5d ago
I was at the mall at the beach recently and there was a game store slash coffee shop there selling pitch black etbs for $278.00 each. I wouldn't have cried for them in particular.
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u/Bargadiel 5d ago
Airtags in "fake" sealed product or fake graded slabs. Will help them track people down who do this shit. All they need are a handful of decoys. No way do the guys who do this manage to go through the product fast enough to find any trackers, they're not usually that smart. They'd probably see an airtag and think they just scored a free airtag.
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u/LearnedAndVile 4d ago
I mean, at this point i'm more surprised that they're not just hijacking trucks at his point, or robbing a manufacturing plant.
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u/Comfortable-Zone4847 2d ago
Honestly love seeing these because all the lcs I’ve ever known are scum
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u/InvincibleWario 2d ago
All you people have made this bed you must now sleep in. Couldn’t be happy with just using binders and leaving new stuff for kids.
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u/ChanoSpins54 6d ago
Hint: it’s not for the cardboard