Starter Deck 100 and the “Weighing Issue” What’s Actually Happening in Japan (as of December 19)

Starter Deck 100 has officially been released in Japan, and the market has been moving faster than many expected.
Because the price is relatively affordable and the contents are highly anticipated, demand has surged not only within Japan, but also from overseas collectors and buyers.

However, alongside this demand, certain concerns have already surfaced and this is not a “recent rumor.”
As of December 19, this issue is already being actively discussed in Japan.

One topic that has been repeatedly mentioned is the so-called “weighing issue.”

In the trading card world, this is not a new concept.
Depending on packaging and contents, some products can show weight differences that may give hints about what’s inside.
By exploiting this, some sellers are believed to:

• Send decks with a lower chance of hits overseas
• Keep decks with better odds for themselves

These practices have been discussed across marketplaces, private sales, and auction platforms.

In addition, there have already been cases where some card shops or sellers opened products before the official release date and posted the results publicly.
This may have been done to gain attention or engagement, but personally, I find sellers who act this way difficult to trust.

To be clear, not every seller is doing this.
However, two facts remain true:

• The environment makes such practices possible
• Some people are actually doing it

For overseas buyers in particular, this can be worrying.
You cannot physically inspect the product yourself, and it’s often impossible to know how the item was sourced or handled before shipping.

Our Policy Clear and Simple

So I want to be very clear about how we operate.

We do not weigh products.
We do not purchase weighed or pre-selected items.
We do not send any product that has been weighed or filtered in any way.

All Starter Deck 100 units we provide are purchased directly from physical stores such as convenience stores and retailers, and are sent exactly as they were bought.

This is not something special.
It is simply doing what should be considered normal and honest practice.

Trading cards and decks are meant to be about:

• The excitement of opening
• The unpredictability
• The enjoyment of the experience

Short-term profit or attention gained by undermining that experience ultimately damages trust in the entire market.

Moving Forward

This blog will continue to share real, on-the-ground information about the Japanese card market, especially things that overseas buyers may not easily notice.

If this helps even a little in allowing people to enjoy collecting with more confidence, then it’s worth writing.

Contact Information

If you are interested in Starter Deck 100, please feel free to contact us directly:

Instagram: pokeshopjp
WhatsApp: Click here
(WhatsApp responses are usually faster.)