GAME "scalping" Pokmon cards, staff say, demanding 20 shipping to post small tinSky high delivery cost appears a deliberate move to hike prices.Image credit: GAME / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Feb. 10, 2025 UK retailer GAME has been slammed by shop staff and store customers for charging 19.99 delivery on small tins containing the latest Pokmon cards, which are in hot demand nationwide.Stock of the new Pokmon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Prismatic Evolutions card set is extremely hard to find with many toy shops and supermarkets selling out. But GAME is still taking pre-orders for the set's new 11 Mini Tins - if you stump up a 19.99 delivery fee, which nearly triples your overall purchase price. Speaking to Eurogamer anonymously to protect their jobs, GAME staff say the situation amounts to the chain effectively "scalping" their own supplies, and customers. Employees say they've been left exasperated by the chain's handling of the popular Pokmon cards' release, and had to deal with angry customers left unable to buy the cards in-store on release day. GAME staff say that too much of the chain's stock of Prismatic Evolutions cards has been put up for sale online, rather in actual GAME stores or concessions. Additionally, staff say, the small amount of stock sent out to GAME shops has also arrived late, meaning customers who popped in on the set's launch day left empty handed - despite staff previously being told that stock would arrive on time. One staff member claimed their store had been sent a single TCG card pack."We're constantly taking the brunt of abuse from customers and the company itself," one staff member told Eurogamer, saying they felt they had been lied to by bosses after they'd been told to reassure customers their store would get stock on a certain date - only for it not to turn up. Online, meanwhile, Pokmon card stock such as the 11 Prismatic Evolutions tins is only available to buy with that 19.99 fee - for what the chain is describing as an "Oversized Delivery" that will arrive in three to five working days.GAME typically charges 4.99 for a Standard Delivery, or alternatively you can pay 4.99 to Collect in Store (also both three to five working days). If you really want to splash out, you can spend 11.99 on some items for Next Day Delivery by DPD. Checking online today, none of these cheaper options are available for the new Pokmon card tins. GAME's website does not offer 4.99 Standard Delivery or Collect in Store options for Prismatic Evolutions card tins - only the pricier 19.99 Oversized Delivery option. | Image credit: GAME / EurogamerSo why are these cards an Oversized Delivery? Staff say they have questioned their bosses about the matter - initially thinking it was a mistake - only to be told the decision was deliberate.These Mini Tins (which describe themselves as offering "Pokmon Favourites in the Palm of Your Hand!") are no larger than a smartphone. At the same time, GAME still offers its usual 4.99 Standard Delivery option for much bulkier items - including consoles such as a new PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch.GAME staff say they had initially assumed the Oversized Delivery requirement is a mistake, only to be told by bosses that it wasn't, without any further explanation. Eurogamer has contacted GAME for more.Last year, Eurogamer published a report detailing GAME's ongoing issues, the difficulties faced by shop floor staff amidst store closures, relentless redundancies, and a head office that was failing to deal with stock problems. At the time, staff told us the chain was losing touch with customers.