Play Magazine - July 2021 (Issue 2)

We’re excited to introduce a brand-new invite system for our most in-demand Pokémon TCG products — a fun, fair way to give real collectors the best possible chance at securing the items they love. As you’ve probably noticed, the demand for Pokémon is higher than ever, and at the same time our distribution situation keeps getting tougher. That means we’re receiving far less stock than we’d like, so we’ve created this system to make sure what we do get goes into the hands of genuine members of our community, not bots or resellers.

Here’s how it works: when you see an invite-only product, simply enter your email address to join the waitlist. Once the invite window has closed, our system will run a completely random selection process from everyone who entered. If you’re selected, you’ll receive an email from us containing a unique, one-time link to purchase that product — no need to rush to checkout against thousands of bots, and no need to sit refreshing the page all day!

Your unique purchase link will reserve the product for you for a full 24 hours. During that time, only you can use that link to complete your order, so you can relax, check your email when it’s convenient, and purchase within your secure window. After the 24 hours are up, the link will automatically expire and any unclaimed stock will be reallocated, keeping things fair and moving for everyone still waiting.

We know this doesn’t magically fix the lack of supply, but we truly believe this invite system is a happy, positive step forward for our website and our community. It helps us fight bots, protect real collectors, and give more people a fair shot at getting super high demand Pokémon TCG products. Thank you for being part of our community — we’re constantly working to make your experience better, more fun, and as fair as possible for everyone who loves this hobby as much as we do!