Conspiracy: Journey Together is a Trojan Horse for future scalping.
Buyout Bandit here. I’ve been thinking.
I’m not one to slap on a tinfoil hat unless there’s a damn good reason. But this? This is my conspiracy theory, and I’m telling you. Journey Together isn’t a random set.
It’s a Trojan Horse for future scalping.
I know what you’re thinking. That’s crazy.” Oh yeah? Then tell me why all the pieces magically fall into place if you just stop being a sheep for two seconds and connect the dots.
Two versions? This was planned.
Let’s start with the basics. TCGplayer split Journey Together booster boxes into two versions.
Regular version. Meh.
Enhanced version with the promo. Now we’re talking. This will be worth 2-3x the price.
You really think this “enhanced version” was just a cute bonus? Hell no. It’s built-in price manipulation. This gives distributors like MJ Holding a way to control demand and milk the market dry.
Preorders canceled = power move.
Walmart canceled MJ Holding’s Journey Together preorders and pulled their listings. Good, right?
Wrong.
MJ Holding still has all that supply. And guess what? Now that those preorders are gone, they don’t owe you sh*t.
They can hold back the enhanced versions and release them whenever they want. And when they do? 3x MSRP, easy.
Timed to perfection for maximum profit.
They’ll let the market starve for a bit. Let prices skyrocket. Let people fight over scraps.
Then right before demand crashes: BOOM. They’ll dump those enhanced boxes onto the market and clean house.
This isn’t supply and demand. This is manipulation 101.
“It’s just the market, bro!”
Here’s the part that pisses me off. When this all goes down, they’ll sit back and say:
“Oh, the enhanced versions were just rare.”
“The market decided the price.”
No. This is controlled scarcity. They’re gaslighting the entire community into thinking this is just how things go.
Spoiler alert: It’s not.
This wasn’t an accident. This was the plan.
Let me say it again. None of this is an accident.
Pokemon splitting the product into two versions.
Distributors cutting supply from stores, who cancel preorders.
Distributors pretending to be stores, also canceling preorders.
Distributors holding inventory back.
All of it was calculated.
Journey Together is a scalper’s blueprint for the future.
What’s next?
You think this stops with Journey Together? Nah.
This is the new playbook for major sets going forward. They’re testing the waters now to see how much the community will tolerate. And once they know how much they can get away with, we’re screwed.
We’re sick of this.
Look, we can't let this slide. If we just sit back and let this happen, we’re setting the stage for more of this BS in the future. It’s up to us to fight back and make sure this doesn’t become the norm.
So, let’s keep pushing and calling out the shady practices. Let’s show these distributors that we’re not going to be their cash cows. We’ve got the power to change the game, but only if we keep demanding better.