Amadeo Herrera, owner of Pok\u00e9Oasis, said the surge in interest around Pok\u00e9mon cards has drawn a mix of longtime players, collectors and newcomers motivated by resale value, creating a broad and shifting customer base.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty huge right now, and it\u2019s still growing,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cI feel like there\u2019s already so many people involved, but there\u2019s a good chunk of people that have just played the game. There\u2019s a lot of people that are in it for the money, and then there\u2019s just straight up collectors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cards have overtaken nearly every other category of collectibles at Galactic Gamez, shop employee Tyler Cox said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are the new stock market,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n
Herrera\u2019s shop started on social media in 2021 before he gained enough money for a physical storefront in 2023. Even then, his early focus was not foot traffic but hawking collectibles on livestreams and social media.<\/p>\n
Herrera no longer sells online. Instead, he travels weekly to card shows around the country to buy, sell and trade.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0449-1024x575.jpg\")
High-value Pok\u00e9mon cards sit locked in a glass case at Galactic Gamez in Fort Worth. The store carries an array of high-priced memorabilia and games. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0473-1024x575.jpg\")
High-value Magic the Gathering cards are locked in a glass case at Pok\u00e9Oasis in Fort Worth. The store carries cards from many major trading card games and has extensive stock of many high-demand cards. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m on a flight every week,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s really where the money comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Galactic Gamez had a slower evolution, Cox said. The store opened eight years ago with a focus on retro video games before expanding into cards, tabletop games and accessories as demand shifted.<\/p>\n
Both stores have felt the same surge in demand lately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was here about a year ago, it was just the kids and their parents coming in and buying the Pok\u00e9mon cards,\u201d Cox said. \u201cNow, I got grown dudes coming in here without their kids buying Pok\u00e9mon cards.\u201d<\/p>\n
The surge has not come without complications.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0447-1024x575.jpg\")
Sealed products sit on racks at Galactic Gamez in Fort Worth. Even with so much in stock, the store struggles to meet the demand on several items like new releases of Pok\u00e9mon card sets. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re relying on just brick-and-mortar sales, you\u2019re probably not going to make money,\u201d Herrera cautioned.<\/p>\n
Cox pointed to automated bots that buy items and early big-box releases as major frustrations for both collectors and shop owners. The automated buying tools often snap up online releases within minutes, leaving shelves empty and pushing customers back toward local game stores to find product in person, he said.<\/p>\n
Early card releases at large retailers also undercuts the smaller shops, Cox said.<\/p>\n
The result is a growing divide between players and those chasing short-term profits, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the deal,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not really the true nerds like the rest of us are. They\u2019re in here just to kind of make a quick buck.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that speculative pressure moves between games, the collectors said.<\/p>\n
Scalpers who once focused on Pok\u00e9mon have shifted into newer card markets such as the Japanese trading card game One Piece, Cox said as an example. He has seen prices triple on One Piece collectibles in just the past month, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just want to make money,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n
Herrera acknowledged similar cycles, though he framed them as predictable waves rather than permanent disruptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s usually about like four months throughout the year where things slow down, and then everything else is steadily on the rise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Price and demand swings can be dramatic even for individual cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the most recognizable modern Pok\u00e9mon cards is a near-mint Mega Charizard EX from the Phantasmal Flames set. The card\u2019s value has shown wide fluctuations on secondary marketplaces, with listings ranging from over $900 upon release in early November to roughly $400 at its lowest point in mid-December.<\/p>\n
The spread reflects how prices are driven<\/a> by scarcity perception, influencer attention and speculative buying, where a single surge of interest can rapidly inflate values before settling back toward historical norms, according to Bloomberg.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shop owners say those swings make inventory planning difficult, particularly when online pricing can shift faster than local stores can reasonably adjust.<\/p>\n Despite the convenience of online marketplaces, both shop workers said in-person buying continues to matter.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even buy anything online,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cI\u2019d rather buy it in person. I\u2019d like to see it, inspect it.\u201d<\/p>\n Cox said nostalgia plays a major role in all collectibles.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people are really wanting the original thing right now,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018I want the system, that tactile feeling.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Customers often buy items they may no longer have a way to even use, he said.<\/p>\n That emotional pull, he said, has staying power.<\/p>\n \u201cCertain cards are always going to hold a special place in someone\u2019s heart,\u201d Cox said. \u201cA lot of people come in and they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh my God, my childhood\u2019s here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n For now, both shops will adapt as demand shifts and new products cycle through.<\/p>\n Cox expects current speculation to cool, as it has before.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are just waiting until the \u2018poke-bros\u2019 drop out,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph Morgan is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at joseph.morgan@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0441-1024x575.jpg\")
Game cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System on sale at Galactic Gamez in Fort Worth. Demand is still high for these games even though Nintendo has not supported the system since 1995. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0457-1024x575.jpg\")
Games from several retro consoles behind glass for sale at Galactic Gamez in Fort Worth. Many collectors seek out only games that come complete in their original packaging. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0462-1024x575.jpg\")
Amadeo Herrera holds two of his most valuable Pok\u00e9mon cards Jan. 20 at Pok\u00e9Oasis located in Fort Worth. The card on the left is valued at $40,000 and the card on the right is considered almost priceless as it is signed by Pok\u00e9mon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
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Some of Amadeo Herrera\u2019s most valuable cards sit on a table at Pok\u00e9Oasis in Fort Worth. He estimated the total value of these cards to be roughly $500,000. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPM0464-1024x575.jpg\")
Amadeo Herrera holds his two most valuable One Piece TCG cards Jan. 20 at Pok\u00e9Oasis. He only recently started carrying One Piece cards and has seen more customers begin to collect them as well as Pok\u00e9mon cards. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n