$4.50 for Pokemon TCG booster pack: Whampoa provision shop price surprises netizens

In the true spirit of 'catching them all', trading card games have become quite an expensive hobby.

Whether you're hunting down a 'chase' card, a specific art or rarity of a certain card, or just want to collect cards in bulk, it's pretty easy to spend hundreds of dollars a month.

So anytime there's a chance to get a good deal on trading cards, we're definitely down for it. And as luck would have it, a provision shop in Whampoa might just be the new place to get some Pokemon cards.

A TikTok user, who goes by 6jj9 and describes himself as "a daddy collecting Pokemon Cards", posted a video of him visiting Siong Wan Co, a provision shop at 82 Whampoa Drive.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@_6jj9/video/7143865907595545857[/embed]

The video, shared on Sept 17, shows him heading to a shelf that is stocked with facial wash products, but one section is full of Pokemon booster packs from sets such as Lost Origin, Astral Radiance and Fusion Strike.

Each pack is priced at $4.50 and in his caption, he wrote: "Gosh, look at the price!"

Netizens were surprised at the price of the packs — one even described it as a "steal" while another said it was "cheap".

A quick check at local game stores such as Mana Pro and PLAYe shows that prices start from $5.50, depending on which store you visit and which pack you're getting.

[[nid:592722]]

Another netizen also said that they visited the shop at 8am on Sept 17 but the Lost Origin packs were sold out. However, it was said to be restocked as of yesterday.

In case you're questioning the authenticity of the cards, 6jj9 assured his viewers that the cards are real. He also addressed the issue in the comments and verified the authenticity through his own purchase.

He wrote that the packs he bought came with a code card, and the QR code that was in the Pokemon Go tin was accepted by the Pokemon Go app.

One commenter, in particular, shared that they hated "the feeling that they ain't surviving and [are] barely hanging on". While 6jj9 agreed, he also pointed out that the shop usually draws a crowd in the morning as customers shop for necessities.

Well, perhaps this time, the shop owners can draw a different crowd — those who are willing to spend to sweep affordable Pokemon booster packs off the shelves.

bryanlim@asiaone.com