Pokémon vs. Scalpers: Making Smart Vending Machines Even Smarter

“Gotta catch ‘em all.” Pokémon has made this phrase ubiquitous in pop culture, whether you grew up trading cards on the playground, hunted for Pokémon on store shelves for your kids, or wandered your neighborhood chasing Pokémon in Pokémon GO. 

At the heart of Pokémon is the Pokémon Trading Card Game. First launched in the 1990s, the popular game boasts a dedicated, multigenerational fan base.

As Pokémon cards’ popularity skyrocketed, so did third-party prices. Resellers began inflating costs and limiting purchases to keep their shelves stocked. Recognizing the need for a more fan-friendly solution, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) launched its own direct-to-consumer vending machines in 2017. Pokémon vending machines are owned and operated by TPCi, offering authentic Pokémon products at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. 

Today, over 1,400 vending machines operate across 25 U.S. states. 

The Problem: Unfair Play

By Spring 2025, a new kind of challenge had emerged for Pokémon Trading Card Game fans. They were forced to face off, not against rival trainers, but scalpers. The guaranteed authenticity and fair prices offered by TPCi’s vending machines turned them into hotspots for resellers looking to flip stock for profit. Entire machines were sold out in minutes, leaving everyday fans empty-handed.

In a bold and unexpected move at the beginning of March 2025, TPCi took many of its vending machines offline to roll out a major software update aimed at curbing bulk purchases and giving fans a fairer shot. Machines were shut down for days at a time, prompting curiosity and speculation across the community.

Surprisingly, the response from fans was positive. On the r/PokémonTCG subreddit, users expressed hope that the update might introduce smart features like purchase limits or even facial recognition to stop scalpers. 

One fan summed up the mood with a wink to another legendary franchise: “I felt a great disturbance in the Force as if millions of scalpers suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.”

Today, it’s common to hear about bots beating out kids and collectors for trending products. TPCi’s move represents a rare moment where a company hit pause on profits for the sake of fairness.

The Update: Game Over, Scalpers

To level the playing field, TPCi didn’t just patch a problem. They overhauled the experience.

According to the dedicated trading card fan site PokéBeach, the software update introduced two major changes: a strict purchase limit and periodic inventory release. Now, even when a machine has stock, it may display certain items as “sold out,” preventing scalpers from making multiple purchases in back-to-back transactions. It’s a clever bit of sleight of hand designed to give more fans the opportunity to purchase in-demand packs.

Another subtle yet strategic change: a new on-screen warning stating, “Loitering is not permitted.” While simple, this message empowers host venues to ask lingering customers to move along.

Once again, the Pokémon Trading Card Game subreddit rallied behind the move. Fans celebrated with snapshots of the updated vending screen and shared success stories of finally snagging long-elusive packs. For a community often left frustrated by scalper-driven scarcity, it felt like a genuine win.

Of course, taking over 1,400 machines offline for days at a time wasn’t without trade-offs. While the update was celebrated by the community, the downtime highlighted an opportunity for improvement. With a more streamlined approach to system management, TPCi could have maintained availability and kept fans engaged throughout the process.

The Opportunity: Remote Monitoring and Management

TPCi’s choice to shut down machines made headlines and earned praise from fans. But they missed a quieter, more efficient path.

Using Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools like Canopy, TPCi could have addressed the scalper issue without taking machines offline. RMM provides real-time visibility into remote devices like vending machines and the ability to manage them at scale. That includes everything from pushing software updates to thousands of machines at once to automating responses based on user behavior.

Using RMM, TPCi could have:

• Pushed updates remotely to all 1,400+ machines without interrupting access.
• Scheduled software changes during low-traffic hours to reduce customer disruption.
• Automated alerts and rules to detect suspicious purchasing patterns or repeat activity.

Instead of powering down machines for days, RMM automations would make it possible to:

• Temporarily block purchases based on real-time scalper behavior.
• Stagger updates in response to usage trends across different locations.
• Preserve availability for everyday fans while still enhancing fairness and security.

RMM offers a strategic opportunity to manage fleets at scale. With the right tools in place, future TPCi vending machine updates could be as seamless as they are effective.

Gotta Fix ‘em All

Direct-to-consumer channels give brands more control over their products but also expose them to new vulnerabilities. When presented with scalpers, TPCi made the fan-first decision to protect its community. The decision paid off in goodwill but came at a cost: downtime, lost sales, and operational strain.

Digital innovation is changing retail operations. As the popularity of remote devices like vending machines increases, comprehensive device management strategies will become central to maintaining customer trust and satisfaction. RMM tools like Canopy allow companies to swiftly counteract misuse without disrupting service.

Pokémon may have stopped scalpers this time, but with smarter oversight, targeted interventions, and seamless updates enabled by RMM, they won’t have to shut down if scalpers come back for a final boss battle.