Bots are draining Pokemon card stocks before collectors can buy
Petition with 4000+ signatures demands retailers stop bots buying Pokemon cards instantly.
Automated checkout bots are rapidly draining Pokemon card supplies from Australian retailers Kmart and Target. A Melbourne father, Kym O'Brien, started a petition with over 4000 signatures demanding better protections for real collectors.
Bots can monitor releases, add to cart and check out in seconds, repeating across multiple accounts to exceed per-customer limits. One Reddit user claimed more than 5000 units were just botted through Kmart's backend before human buyers knew they existed.
Competitors EB Games and JB Hi-Fi use account checks to block the bots. O'Brien says the situation is almost killing the hobby for families who can't afford resold packs at high prices.
- 4000+
- Petition signatures
- 5000+
- Units botted in one incident
- Kmart and Target
- Retailers targeted
- Kym O'Brien, Melbourne father
- Petitioner
Why it mattersFamilies who collect Pokemon cards can't afford them at retail prices when scalpers resell botted stock at huge markups.
AustraliaAustralian retailers Kmart and Target remain vulnerable to bots, while some competitors have built-in defences.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
