Pokemon TCG players have spotted Pokemon cards back on Target's shelves after the department store announced it was pulling trading cards mid-May. 

Pokemon TCG scalping escalates, Target reacts

On May 14, Target decided to stop selling Pokemon cards altogether as a way to keep employees and customers safe.

Starting in 2020, Pokemon cards blew up thanks to big name YouTubers, causing skyrocketing prices in the once-niche marketplace. This led to scalping, which saw crowds of Pokemon sellers bombarding Target and other retailers in an attempt to grab as much product as possible to sell at extreme prices online. 

In response, Target and other stores put a purchase limit on all cards, usually allowing just two products per customer. This already had many in the Pokemon community infuriated, causing even more tension as scalpers continue dto buy out product at an alarming rate. 

Pokemon community members would often post photos of their kids standing next to empty shelves, unable to purchase packs for their family due to extreme scalping. But some card collectors decided to take matters into their own hands, attacking a scalper in a parking lot.

In response, Target stated that it was "reevaluation protocols." The Pokemon TCG community instantly started discussing the possibility of Target pulling cards from the shelves altogether. That eventually came true shortly after the violent incident. This caused an uproar in the Pokemon TCG community, with some collectors applauding the stores and others condemming them. 

Pokemon TCG players report the return of Pokemon cards at Target

But it seems that Target's decision was short-lived. A lot of Pokemon players have reported seeing cards back on the shelves of their local Targets. New shipments of Battle Styles have started being stocked as well as older sets of cards. 

What's even more surprising is that a lot of the photos of Target's card shelves don't include signs, meaning customers aren't limited to a certain number of items. 

From southern California to small towns in Florida, Pokemon fans have started sharing photo evidence of local Targets carrying a variety of Pokemon cards once again. Some players have even gone out to stores in those areas after seeing the tweets and taken photos of their pulls. 

While Target has not made any official announcement regarding Pokemon cards and other collectible cards, photo evidence supports that there are stores in certain areas that are already starting to carry cards again. For now, Pokemon players are scouring their local Targets and Walmarts to see if Pokemon is back as they await major updates in the ongoing scalper-enduced drama.