What stands out about the most-searched topic among US collectors this week is not a card, but the line. Target, one of the largest US retail chains, has launched a drawing system to sell Pokémon Trading Card Game products through its website and app. Searches for “Target Pokémon lottery” passed 20,000 on Google Trends US.
The reason will be familiar to any collector: Target usually drops new products after midnight on weekdays, and fans who stay up waiting often lose to bots that clear out stock within milliseconds, many of them working for scalpers.
How the drawing works
On the product page, a logged-in guest taps “Enter Drawing” during an entry window, with one entry per guest. When the window closes, Target randomly picks winners, who get an email and a deadline to complete the purchase: nobody is charged automatically. Items won this way cannot be returned or exchanged, and “guests who aren’t selected will have another chance if more inventory becomes available,” the store page says.
The first test was a small one: a Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals three-booster blister at $14.99. Entries closed on Wednesday, November 4, at 11 a.m. Eastern, and winners are being notified by email starting today.
How it differs from Walmart, and what comes next
Walmart already runs a similar drawing, but its entry windows last an hour or two; Target’s is much longer. Polygon points out the upside (more people can take part) and the catch: a longer window also gives scalpers time to create extra accounts. Target has not said which products come next; the expectation is that the system will reach more in-demand items, such as the Pokémon TCG 30th anniversary collection.
Drawings like this are already common at Pokémon Center stores in Japan, and other US retailers have leaned on purchase limits to curb resellers.
Sources: Target, Polygon, ScreenRant and GameRant.
Max Xavier
