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← all stories figuresbusiness 5 sources · Oct 13 · · Updated

LINE Yahoo Bans Carton, Empty Box, Bulk Pokemon Card Listings

The empty-box ban reaches past the Pokemon Card Game to trading cards as a whole, and Mercari's earlier temporary ban on 30th CELEBRATION listings still left workarounds that appeared in listings, so platform-level rules are doing what a single-product block could not.

Key Facts

  • LINE Yahoo announced on October 13 that Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions prohibit three categories of Pokemon Card Game listings.
  • The ban covers carton-unit listings of Pokemon cards, listings of empty card boxes and empty packs, and bulk listings of the same product for a certain period after release.
  • The empty box and empty pack ban applies to trading cards as a whole, not only the Pokemon Card Game.
  • The bulk listing restriction is applied starting with the MEGA Expansion Pack 30th CELEBRATION, released on September 16.
  • LINE Yahoo and The Pokemon Company signed a memorandum of understanding on July 20, 2023 covering safe trading of trading cards.

Reporting from 5 sources: KAI-YOU, Denfaminicogamer, GameBusiness.jp, Magmix, and 1 more.

LINE Yahoo Bans Carton, Empty Box, Bulk Pokemon Card Listings

LINE Yahoo announced on October 13 that, working with The Pokemon Company, it has prohibited three categories of Pokemon Card Game listings on Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions. Carton-unit listings of Pokemon cards are banned. Listings of empty Pokemon card boxes and empty packs are banned, and that ban applies to trading cards generally, not only the Pokemon Card Game. Bulk listings of the same product for a certain period after release are also banned, applied starting with the MEGA Expansion Pack 30th CELEBRATION, released September 16. The notice says confirmed trouble includes swapped contents in a resealed box sold as unopened, and that empty boxes and packs could be misused for the same repackaging, which is why they are named. The announcement did not specify how many items constitute a bulk listing, or how long the post-release period runs. The Pokemon Company will share information about products and distribution that could lead to trouble in the secondary market.

The two companies have worked together before. Yahoo Corporation, LINE Yahoo's predecessor, and The Pokemon Company signed a memorandum of understanding on July 20, 2023, focused on safe card trading. Under that arrangement, The Pokemon Company supplied new product and rights-infringement information, and Yahoo issued warnings and deleted violating listings. The measures announced October 13 go further by naming listing forms that are prohibited outright.

Enforcement is not limited to removals. Listings judged to conflict with the guidelines may be deleted, and accounts may be suspended in some cases. The bulk-listing rule applies to 30th anniversary products, which include expansion packs, deck sets, and bundles that pair cards with display stands; the bulk restriction begins with the expansion pack 30th CELEBRATION. Because those products reproduce past card designs, supplies have stayed short, and The Pokemon Company introduced identity verification using My Number Cards at launch. As of September 15, Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions had said they would not ban 30th CELEBRATION listings and would not set price limits; competing flea market service Mercari began a temporary ban on unopened expansion packs and all nine card set types on September 16.

  • Listings of Pokemon cards by the carton: prohibited from October 13
  • Listings of empty Pokemon card boxes and empty packs: prohibited from October 13, applied to trading cards generally
  • Bulk listings of the same product for a certain period after release: applied starting with the MEGA Expansion Pack 30th CELEBRATION

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Pokémon Trading Card Game The Pokémon Company LY Corporation

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