Scalpers have turned their attention to yet another piece of Pokémon merchandise, with a Magikarp-themed cat toy now selling for well above its original retail price on the secondary market. The unusual collectible, released as part of The Pokémon Company’s 30th anniversary merchandise lineup, quickly sold out and is now commanding premium prices on resale platforms.
The latest incident highlights the continued demand for limited-edition Pokémon products, which has fueled a wave of reselling across collectibles, apparel, toys, and trading card products throughout the anniversary celebration.
Magikarp pet toy sees massive resale markup
The Magikarp Playful Partners Fishing Rod Cat Toy was released exclusively through the Pokémon Center as part of its pet accessories collection. Designed as a cat teaser toy featuring the iconic Water-type Pokémon dangling from a fishing rod, it launched with a retail price of $29.99.
However, after selling out on the official store, completed listings on eBay have shown the toy selling for as much as $129.99, more than four times its original price. The Pokémon Center currently lists the product as out of stock, and no official restock date has been announced.
The resale trend mirrors what has happened with several other anniversary products, as limited availability continues to drive demand among collectors and Pokémon fans.
Pokémon merchandise remains a prime target for scalpers
The Magikarp toy is only the latest example of anniversary merchandise attracting resellers. Earlier this year, the first official Pokémon LEGO sets sold out quickly before appearing online at inflated prices. Limited-edition Target apparel collections, collectible merchandise, and even branded food products such as Pokémon-themed Pop-Tarts have also been listed for significantly higher prices on resale marketplaces.
Scalping has become an even bigger issue within the Pokémon Trading Card Game, where high-demand expansions such as Scarlet & Violet—151 and Prismatic Evolutions have repeatedly sold out at retailers. In response, many stores have introduced purchase limits to reduce bulk buying and improve availability for regular customers.
The Pokémon Company has also introduced anti-scalping measures in recent years. According to The Pokémon Company, its Japanese Pokémon TCG store now requires customer identity verification for certain sealed-box purchases, while additional restrictions have been introduced at official competitive events to limit the resale of high-value merchandise.
Although these initiatives aim to make products more accessible, the resale market continues to thrive whenever highly sought-after Pokémon collectibles receive limited releases.
