Households and collectors trading and selling Pokemon cards to pay the bills

Winston Glades Shopping Centre in Flinders View, Ipswich, west of Brisbane is now home to one of the country’s largest Pokémon trading card nights, thanks to the impressive work of retailer, EVO Games.

EVO Games is a fast growing Queensland retailer which specialises in the sale of premium Pokémon products and collectibles.  Its Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) products include trading cards, booster boxes, single cards, booster packs, merchandise and TCG accessories. EVO Games has amassed a growing base of keen enthusiasts that are eager to get their hands on some of the country’s rarest and most valuable premium Pokémon trading game cards.  

In response to significant demand, EVO Games has launched Pokémon card trading nights every fortnight on a Thursday night from 5pm to 8pm.  The trading card nights are attracting nearly 150 people per event from children to adults.

“We can’t get over how popular the Pokémon trade nights have become. Kids are bringing in their cards and under our watchful eye, they are trading them for other cards. We also have a great turn out of adults that enjoy collecting and trading cards as well,” EVO Games cofounder, Jason Bennett, said.

“Many people don’t realise the value of their cards and we oversee everything to ensure they are given appropriate trades and are not taken advantage of. Many children are taken advantage of at schools, where trading of cards had been occurring, with a lot of children ending up trading a genuine Pokémon card for a ‘fake’ card. We have several teachers from the local community that come into our store to purchase cards for their students to help with their positive reinforcement of learning.

“It is incredible to see the value and rarity of some of the cards that are being brought in to trade.   We are also attracting collectors from far and wide, that are traveling to the trade nights to see what they might be able to trade or buy.”

According to EVO Games, Pokémon is incredibly popular and has a huge following.  Millions of people play the Pokémon card game across the world. There are a lot of collectors in Ipswich alone.

“Since Pokémon launched over 20 years ago, it has continued to grow in popularity.  Collectors pay good money to purchase rare cards.  Some have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old, if you understand the value of Pokémon and how quickly high quality cards go up in value, then you’ll know why it is such a great investment.

“Many Pokémon products that are left sealed and rare cards in mint condition go up in value quickly over one to three years.  This depends on the Pokémon set and how popular it is.

“There are a lot of online stores but not many physical stores like EVO Games, where we have a large display of single cards for people to choose from. We needed a place where we could display all the products and give customers the opportunity to see them all.  We also needed a location where we could undertake trade nights to help the community come together with a mutual interest and feel comfortable to trade together safely, knowing that someone is there to help make trades that are fair.

“Demand for collectibles has gone up across the board. Our trade nights are increasing in popularity.   We make sure we have an active presence with all trades. We also offer help to appraise cards and make sure people are getting even trades. This also reduces the risk of people getting fake cards.”

According to centre owner, JMK Retail, general manager, Vicki Leavy, having a business of EVO Games’ calibre in the region is exciting for collectors and households.  We are pleased to see the trade nights attracting so much interest from people.

“With ample free parking, the trade nights are an ideal opportunity for people pop into the Pokémon trade nights.”

https://www.winstongladesipswich.com.au/