The family of late Pokémon influencer Avery the Poké Kid is speaking out after scalpers have reportedly started using his death to artificially inflate the prices of a 30th Anniversary Jirachi SIR card.
Avery the Poké Kid died at 12 years old after a seven-year-battle with pancreatic cancer in late September. He was a huge fan of the Pokémon franchise and its accompanying trading card game; his parents had recorded the last time he opened a pair of card packs and shared the video to Instagram a couple days later, showing him excitedly pulling a 30th Anniversary Jirachi SIR card.
The footage went viral within the Pokémon community and even caught the attention of the card’s artist, who tearfully reacted to the situation on social media — but now, scalpers are reportedly using the situation to their advantage.
As pointed out by Dexerto, Pokémon TCG collectors have discovered that the 30th Anniversary Jirachi SIR card has started climbing in price, with one user on X/Twitter noting that it rose from $70 up to $100, most likely due to Avery’s viral posthumous video.
The situation has sparked a wave of backlash within the TCG community, with one user writing on X, “So, what, we’re using a 12-year-old child’s death as a way to increase the price of a f**king Pokémon card? I’m utterly disgusted.”
“I’m so glad I was able to get this card before these losers jack up the price. It would’ve been so much sweeter to make it so everyone could get it to remember him, but nothing matters more than money I guess…,” another remarked.
The fervor around this particular card has grown so loud that Avery’s family is speaking out about the situation. They published a statement on Avery’s official Instagram account, where they distanced themselves from any cards supposedly being sold in his name and urged scalpers to take down any listings they may have that reference him.
“We are not involved in or benefiting from any cards being sold in Avery’s name or likeness. We have not approved these sales. We have asked sellers to take their listings down. Please do so immediately. This does not honor Avery’s generous heart. We are mourning our son and caring for our children. Please let us do that in peace,” they wrote.
Commenters are sharing words of support on the post and condemning the scalpers, with one writing, “I can’t believe scalpers are trying to profit off your pain. I’m so sorry, I can’t even imagine how this all is weighing on you guys when you’re just trying to live and heal.”
“Horrible that you have to even talk about this. Just know that there are decent humans praying for your family and not involved with this,” another said.
Scalpers haven’t been getting off scot-free, though; the Pokémon Company made enough supply for its 30th Anniversary collection that resellers felt the impact on their businesses and went viral after moaning about everyone else getting the chance to buy some stock for themselves at regular retail prices.
Virginia Glaze
News Editor
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.