Did Trump Affect the Price of Pokemon Cards?
Pokemon cards have been a hot item for years, especially among collectors and kids. Prices for rare cards can climb into the thousands, and lately, people have noticed a shift toward buying used ones. One big reason? Tariffs pushed by President Donald Trump.
These tariffs make imported goods more expensive. Many Pokemon cards and packs come from outside the US, so added costs hit new items hard. Shoppers are turning to secondhand spots like eBay to save money. For example, Gen Z buyers are snapping up Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards there in huge numbers. One seller, Aaron Ottensmann of SassyTCG, says grown-up fans from the 90s and 2000s are now sharing the hobby with their own children, keeping demand strong.
https://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-yu-gi-oh-cards-ebay-second-hand-gen-z-2025-12 reports that Trump’s tariffs have directly boosted this trend. It notes how secondhand shopping surged this year as new cards got pricier from import fees. eBay’s data backs this up, with 82 percent of people planning to spend more on used goods this holiday season compared to last year.
High-end collectors feel it too. Ottensmann sells packs and single cards over $1,000, and his top sale was a Yu-Gi-Oh set for $75,000. Some even see cards as a better bet than stocks right now. New sellers grab cards from Walmart or Costco to flip online, showing how tight the market is.
Demand stays high enough that thefts are up. In Waterford, thieves stole over $6,000 in Pokemon cards from a local store, proving these items are worth stealing.
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/pokemon-trading-cards-stolen-waterford-gaming-21220446.php covers that incident.
Sources
https://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-yu-gi-oh-cards-ebay-second-hand-gen-z-2025-12
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/pokemon-trading-cards-stolen-waterford-gaming-21220446.php
