In a world where market price has become the new MSRP for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, it can be hard to consider the possibility of securing the hottest ETBs out there right now for a whole lot less.
Thankfully, there’s been a couple of recent wins for trainers this week, with retailers like Best Buy and Amazon prioritising invite systems to ensure the rarest sets are being distributed fairly.
Now, Amazon is selling the Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Boxes for just $59.99… if you can secure an invite to buy. That’s a big if, but it’s a whole lot better than paying the $120+ market price you’d find at TCGplayer or other resellers.
Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box
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While it can be frustrating for anyone who simply wants to purchase these without jumping through hoops, it does somewhat even the playing field and at least allows a select number of trainers to buy without the stress of short drop windows.
Plus, in my view, this system does allow even more people to get their hold on cards to open up, collect, and use, rather than folk who just want to pick up a few ETBs to sell on again.
As I mentioned, Best Buy has done something similar with the elusive and extremely rare Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions ETBs, selling those for just $49.99 to those who are invited to purchase.
Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box
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In the same way as Amazon’s Pokémon invites go out, your invite request will be kept on Best Buy’s system to be in consideration for the next (or future) stock drops the retailer gets for this particular ETB — before randomly selecting who amongst those requesters actually get an invite.
If you do get selected, of which you’ll be notified by email, you’ll have 24 hours to purchase your Prismatic Evolutions ETB before said invite expires. In light of that fairly narrow window, that’s also why Best Buy advises you to download and use the Best Buy app as well, so you can get real-time alert notifications.
Whilst this all means requesting an invite doesn’t guarantee you’ll get selected this time, you’ll at least stay on the list for any future restocks, too, so you don’t need to request one again each time. That counts for both Amazon, and Best Buy as well.
For now, to give you an idea of where the dust is settling on the 30th anniversary set, we’ve also recently pulled the median market prices per TCGplayer for the top 10 highest-value cards in the set, so you know what to look out for when ripping packs. See those just below, and good luck!
Robert Anderson is a Senior Commerce Editor for IGN. Based in London, UK, he is a qualified journalist with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (First Class Degree) and over seven years of professional writing and editing experience.
You can usually find Robert lost in open-world RPG games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Outside of gaming, his passions include reading comics (especially Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man), taking photos, and keeping up with the latest in film and TV.
His primary coverage focuses on tracking down the best gaming deals and diving into the fast-paced world of Trading Card Games (TCGs). He regularly covers everything from the latest releases in Pokémon TCG and the most expensive cards to comprehensive Magic: The Gathering buying guides.