Long-time fans of thePokemonseries know that it’s easy to spend a small fortune onPokemonmerchandise. The available loot comes in all shapes and forms, from inexpensive toys to costlier (and fancier) products like customPokemondress shirts.
Pokemon’s lasting popularity has spurred the creation of likely millions of fakePokemonproducts over the years, and a recent bust by U.S. Customs agents has now uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illicitPokemongoods.
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U.S. Customs agents intercepted packages coming in from Hong Kong through a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania border point. 15 boxes containing over 86,000bootlegPokemonfigureswere discovered and seized. The individual figures are very clearly bootlegs and often don’t match the actual appearance of the Pokemon they’re based upon very closely. However, the real stunner here came from the overall value of the figures. Customs agents came to the conclusion that the toys were worth a whopping $603,000 USD if they were sold in the place of legitimatePokemontoys.
Although the toys likely wouldn’t have fooled discerningPokemonfans, chances are some people would have wasted their money on these toys without knowing any better. Stopping the import of bootleg goods like these helps to protect fans of the series, and even family and friends of fans who might have picked up a bootleg for thePokemonlover in their life not knowing any better.
While the idea of over $600k inPokemongoods might sound absurd to some, Pokemon fans are more than willing to open their wallets for legitimatePokemonmerchandise. Recent products with high prices have includedGigantamaxPokemonplush toysat nearly $500 a pop, but olderPokemonproducts in good condition go for even crazier prices. One buyer spent nearly $200,000 on a singlePokemoncard being sold at auction.
Unfortunately, not every bootleg product will be successfully blocked at the border. Following the success of the NES Classic Mini, bootleg consoles started appearing online, fooling gamers who were eager to get their hands on one while availability was scarce. More recently, a politician even complained about buying abootleg PS4 controller off of Amazon.
