Australian trading card retailers are being targeted by thieves stealing valuable Pokémon cards, with one Queensland store reportedly losing six figures’ worth of stock in a single break-in.
Five trading card stores across Brisbane and the Gold Coast were targeted in August, with three reportedly hit within two hours on August 18.
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Mint Collectables store manager Will Swaine confirmed to SmartCompany that the business lost more than $170,000 worth of Pokémon products and sports trading cards.
“There seemed like there was a certain kind of crew of thieves hitting multiple stores across Brisbane and the Gold Coast,” Swaine said.
He said thieves smashed their way into the store in the early hours of the morning before grabbing valuable trading cards and sealed Pokémon boxes.
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“Just pulling up at the store, basically smashing the door until they got in, and then just kind of a quick kind of 10-minute ‘grab whatever you can and go,’” he said.
The store reopened two days later, having kept much of its valuable stock off-site.
“Just closing for one day can be a loss of six figures to us,” Swaine said.
Swaine said larger retailers were better placed than others to recover from the losses.
“Some of these smaller stores that got hit that we’re friends with, them getting hit once like we did, there’s pretty much potential of them going out of business,” he said.
“They’re losing all of their stock, and to rebuild for them would be months and months.”
Trading card thefts on the rise
Trading card-related thefts and break-ins at Victorian retailers rose from nine incidents in 2021 to 50 in 2025, according to Crime Statistics Agency figures.
In South Australia, Horizon Trading Cards owner Ben Hill said thieves broke into his store through the roof, stealing Pokémon, sports and trading cards.
Almost $20,000 worth of trading cards were stolen, with a 47-year-old man subsequently arrested and charged over the alleged break-in.
Hill said the rising value of Pokémon cards had made them increasingly attractive targets.
“Some cards are worth a couple of dollars, and some could be worth $10,000,” Hill told SmartCompany.
Hill said some Pokémon cards had doubled or tripled in value in recent years.
“It’s a bit crazy at the moment,” he said.
“A lot of stores might have a $5,000, $10,000 card in their store.”
Unlike some sports trading cards, Pokémon cards generally lack unique serial numbers, making stolen cards difficult to trace.
“You could walk into my shop, take a card out, and then walk out with it, and then come back in, and I wouldn’t theoretically know it’s mine or whose it is,” Hill said.
Retailers rethink security as thefts mount
Horizon Trading Cards no longer keeps expensive Pokémon cards in-store following the break-in.
Despite having insurance, Hill said the business had struggled with the disruption.
“It’s definitely hit the business, you know, losing all your stock and not being able to trade for a little bit,” he said.
Mint Collectables has also taken precautions, moving high-value stock off-site overnight.
Even with the thefts, Swaine said business was booming, with some customers visiting daily and others spending thousands of dollars on trading cards.
But he believes the growing publicity around valuable collectibles is also attracting thieves.
“Unfortunately, with that comes people wanting to cash out on it for the wrong reasons,” he said.