Target's collection of Pokemon is getting scalped on eBay

In case you missed it, Pokemon is celebrating its big 30th anniversary this year. That means, beyond the usual slate of video games and trading cards, everyone has some sort of collaboration with their mom's brand, often involving merchandise or collectibles.

Uniqlo kicked things off, resurrecting “Fat Pikachu” from the underworld for its collaboration, while Stern Pinball, maker of deluxe pinball machines, is making some high-end and expensive pinball cabinets.

For its part, US retailer Target recently released its flagship collection, from clothing to collectible cups to themed Pop-Tarts. Unfortunately, if you're reading this article right now, the majority of the “big” stuff has been sold, and in the case of Pop-Tarts, is now being scrapped on eBay.

Yes, you read that right. A box of Pop-Tarts is now suddenly a highly prized collector's item.

Hope you weren't planning on buying Pokemon Pop-Tarts

On Target's website, a limited-edition box of Pokemon x Pop-Tarts retails for $2.99. It has since been sold. Fear not, as most of the stock has naturally made its way to eBay.

On eBay, there's no shortage of boxes of Pop-Tarts looking for new homes, at prices that will make you laugh anyway.

One such person is trying to sell four boxes for $100, plus shipping. Next, for $79.99.

Of course, not everyone is as unrealistic as those guys, with some listings as low as $12.95 and with free shipping. The low is being generous, considering that it was eventually sold for $2.99.

Which begs the question – what's the point? Say the person sells it for 12.95. They still have to fork over shipping and handling, gas and time to drop it off, and that's not even counting eBay fees that are much higher than before.

According to the eBay fee calculator, at $12.95, the estimated cost of shipping less than $5, plus the original item cost of $2.99 ​​and eBay's own deduction, you're looking at a gross profit of … $3.06.

I'm no mathematician, but that's not good.

What's more, these are just some regular Pop-Tarts with Pikachu in the package. There is literally, and I mean literally, nothing special about them. Back when Pokémon and Pop-Tarts first collaborated, the pastries featured Pokémon sprinkles on them.

These do not.

If this is how it's going for a Pop-Tarts collab, I shudder to think of the state of things when Pokemon and Heinz Ketchup come together, as teased.

Release date

1997 – 2023

network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

directors

Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Oga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makotoi, Murki, Makotoi, Murkoi, Nako, Hey Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

The authors

Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ohashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku

• 

  Rika Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

• 

  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)