When looking for our coveted Pokémon cards, we perform a systematic check. We check with our local vendors to support their efforts and potentially score amazing rares. We check online with vendors we’ve used before and whom we trust. Finally, some of us will check eBay for a riskier chance at scoring big.
Sometimes local options are the best, however, which leads to a question regarding a rumor you may have heard. Does Costco sell Pokémon cards? The answer is a definitive ‘YES’. Costco not only sells Pokémon cards but also offers exclusives you’ll want to get before they are gone.
Today we’ll discuss the advantages of adding Costco to your regular Pokémon scouting locations. We’ll let you know what kind of cards you can expect and a little about some of Costco’s more exclusive offerings. Finally, we’ll talk about their pricing and let you know how often they restock so that you don’t miss out on these great deals!
Does Costco Still Sell Pokemon Cards?
Not only does Costco sell Pokémon cards, but they also offer Costco-specific promotional sets. This gives you a chance to score your own collectibles, and if you are the enterprising type, then you’ve also got the chance to purchase extra sets for potentially lucrative resale.
Further, you can often get discounts on items that are moving slowly and not slated to be restocked, so a visit to Costco might well turn into a very good decision on your part.
What Types of Pokemon Booster Packs/Boxes Does Costco Sell?
While Costco Pokémon sets will vary a bit from location to location, we can give you a sampling of the kind of sets you can expect. We’ve compiled 3 popular examples below to get a taste of what you might find waiting for you at your local Costco.
Pokemon TCG: Pokemon Battle Academy Set
This classic starter-set for two players comes with the following:
- 3 complete TCG decks which consist of 60 cards each
- 1 starter rulebook along with 2 tutorial guides
- 1 gaming board for 2 players
- 1 collectible metallic coin
- 1 of the following powerful collectible GX cards: Charizard, Mewto, or Raichu
To check the current price and availability of the Pokemon Battle Academy Set, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Pokemon TCG: Sword ; Shield Darkness Ablaze Set
This trainer box set comes with the following goodies inside:
- 8 Sword and Shield booster packs
- 65 card sleeves that feature Eternatus
- Sword and Shield player’s guide along with a TCG rulebook
- A 6-piece damage-counter dice set
- 45 TCG Energy-cards
To check the current price and availability of the Pokemon Darkness Ablaze Booster Box, click here to view it on Amazon.
Pokemon TCG: Legends of Johto Gx: Premium Collection Box
The Legends of Johto Premium collection box comes with the following contents inside:
- 6 TCG booster packs
- 1 collectible Raiku-GX promo foil card
- 1 collectible Entei-GX promo foil card
- 1 oversize foil card featuring 3 legendary Pokemons
- 1 collector’s coin along with a collectible pin featuring Suicine
Aside from cards that sets that you will see on the shelves regularly, Costco also offers the occasional promotional sets, so a quick visit to Costco can sometimes get you some very special Pokémon collectibles that you’ll have to be quick to get… otherwise, you’ll be stuck buying them at seriously inflated prices on eBay!
To check the current price and availability of the Legends of Johto Premium Collection Box, click here to view it on Amazon.
How Much Do Pokemon Cards Cost at Costco?
First off, you are going to need a Costco membership. These days, the cheapest membership will set you back about $60 unless you find a specific savings deal. For instance, sometimes you’ll find incentives like a $60 membership that comes with a $20 membership card for a friend, in which cases you can go in halves and just pay $40 each.
While this seems a little steep, a Costco membership doesn’t just get you Pokémon cards, you can also buy your groceries in bulk, and you’ll probably find that you save yourself quite a bit of money in the process.
Now, once you’ve got your membership, you can get into Costco to check out their offerings, and we’ll give you a little information about what you can expect.
The most popular offerings are 2-Pokeball sets which include an assortment of trading cards. These tend to be priced around $24.99, however, sometimes you will see them for as little as $19.97, and when you do, it’s a good idea to snatch them up.
This price usually indicates that these sets are not expected to be re-stocked so you’ve got a chance at some great collectibles with appreciable potential resale value.
Some special sets may be priced higher, such as the coveted Kanto Power mini tins. These include promotional cards such as Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo, and Dragonite, and these are holographic cards, so you’ll definitely want these. Expect unique sets such as this to cost around $34.99 at your local Costco.
You also get 2 packs per tin with these sets, 1 Burning Shadow and 1 Shadow and Moon, so expect them to go FAST. Some people are selling these off already for twice the amount, so when you see some special sets on-sale at Costco, it may be well worth your time to take notice.
How Often Does Costco Restock Pokemon Cards?
Restocking rules are where things can get a little tricky. Generally, Costco hasn’t restocked a set until it runs out. While more common sets may be scheduled to restock often, your best bet is to visit your local Costco and to ask.
This will be the most reliable way to find out if there are any ‘regular’ times when you should show up or if your local Costco will wait until most of the sets are sold. As Christmas approaches, it’s probably a good idea to start visiting your Costco regularly to be safe.
As Pokémon cards are still a very popular Christmas item (both to players and resellers), we recommend that you start checking at least 2 months in advance to ensure that you don’t miss out on any surprise volume that crops up to meet the anticipated demands.
Google ‘Costco Pokemon’ as well to look out for exclusives. For instance, the 5-tin Kanto Power set we’ve mentioned initially released on June 27 of 2021 in Canadian Costco stores. A simple bi-weekly check on Google should be sufficient to inform you if any promotional sets become available that you wouldn’t want to miss.
Beyond these methods, unfortunately, the only remaining method at your disposal is to note the nearest Costco locations and give them the occasional call to check for any recent restocking. It’s not ideal, but for some of us, it’s not the most challenging thing we’ve had to do to build up our collections.
Final Thoughts
Today we’ve explored some of the available offerings if you decide to visit Costco the next time you are building up your card collection. As you can see, Pokemon cards are available and competitively priced, and Costco has even taken it a step further.
If you don’t believe us, look for the Poke-ball tins on Craigslist and on eBay. You can always gauge the rarity of offerings like this by the presence of these items on the market. They are cropping up like wildfire, which should tell you all you need to know.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit your local Costco, and if you don’t see a lot to choose from, double-check when the following stock is expected to come in. You’ll soon see for yourself that Costco can be a veritable goldmine for building up your personal and exceptionally unique collection or for simply funding your efforts with some unique sets you can hold on to until Christmas!