Fake golden cards at the centre of “gross” Pokemon TCG debate

Pokemon TCG fans are calling out resellers for marking up the price of ‘fake’ cards, and the notorious golden cards are at the heart of the conversation.

After nearly 30 years of Pocket Monster fever, naturally, there are countless cards to find and collect. So it can be hard for uninformed parents to find the right product for their kids, let alone navigate the murky waters of fake cards. So, it’s disappointing to think of card sellers taking advantage of people.

If you were to have a quick browse on sites like AliExpress for Pokemon cards, you may come across a plethora of golden cards, often bundled into packs of 50 or more, and often very cheap. Now, almost certainly these are not official Pokemon cards, but instead flashy imitations designed to fool unsuspecting parents like a DVD copy of ‘Transmorphers’.

Some fans have recently been calling out these sorts of cards on Reddit, calling the practice of reselling them “gross,” especially when sellers are not disclosing that they are fake.

In the post, some of these fake golden Pokemon cards are being sold individually for prices of up to £15.00, a huge markup when the cards are sold in bulk for less than this, and possibly an attempt to trick unsuspecting parents or younger fans.

Another major issue for Pokemon TCG fans is that these cards erode trust, as while these are more obviously fake to a discerning fan, there are big problems with more ‘official’ looking cards having fake versions being sold around as well.

One person explains how selling fake cards would put them off, saying, “If I see a couple of fakes, I’m going to think everything else you’re selling is fake too.”

Similarly, for shops selling more things than Pokemon cards, it could be a portent of other nefarious reselling schemes. Another Reddit comment adds, “I saw some shop selling fake Pokémon cards… guess what their movie props and games were also fake. They don’t care”.

If you’re a parent or newcomer to the Pokemon TCG franchise looking to avoid making a costly mistake, you can follow our guide on how to spot fake Pokemon TCG cards, and which gold Pokemon TCG cards are actually real.