‘Pokemon TCG’ Shows Signs of Cooling Off From Hot Summer Sales

Pokémon TCG appears to be cooling off a bit from hot summer sales as Chaos Rising and Pitch Black set product prices have been drifting lower on the secondary market since late July 2026.

Chaos Rising and Pitch Black, the two most recent Pokémon TCG set releases, hit retail on May 22, 2026 and July 17, 2026, respectively (see “Pokemon Calendar“).  At the time of their releases, Chaos Rising booster displays were selling at around $240 to $250, and Pitch Black booster displays were selling around $230 to $240 on eBay.  Recent sales of Chaos Rising booster boxes are around $200 (about a 17% drop), and Pitch Black booster boxes sales are about $180 to $185 (about a 22% to 24% drop).  MSRP for each of these products is $161.64. 

The ETB boxes have taken a bit of a hit as well.  For both sets, ETB boxes started their runs at selling at about $90 on the secondary market, and declined back toward $65 to $69 (about a 23% drop). MSRP for ETB boxes is $49.99. 

The decline in secondary market prices for these two sets is a little bit of a departure from what was going on prior to the summer months, where Pokémon TCG sealed product seemed to stabilize at high prices and maintain them months after their release.  The secondary market prices are still above MSRP, but the profit margin for TCG sealed product holders seems to be steadily deteriorating in the near term. 

The 30th Celebration set (see “‘Pokémon TCG’ 30th Anniversary Set Teaser“) is setting up to be a pivotal test for the Pokémon TCG secondary market because the volume of product hitting the streets will likely be high and so will initial demand (that part of the equation really isn’t in question).  The unknown portion of the program comes a couple weeks later.  Will 30th Celebration sealed products maintain their prices through the holidays or will the proverbial iron lose its red-orange glow shortly after release?