In the latest sign that the Pokémon Trading Card Game craze has reached absurd new heights, an Ohio man has been found guilty of illegally tracking a delivery driver in a desperate bid to locate fresh card restocks. Kent Kubasta, 72, admitted to placing a GPS tracker on a woman's vehicle so he could follow her route and discover where and when Pokémon cards were being delivered, according to Wooster police.
The driver discovered the device in June and contacted authorities. Kubasta pleaded no contest to illegal use of a tracking device in Wayne County Municipal Court and was subsequently found guilty. The case highlights just how far some collectors are willing to go to gain an edge in the increasingly competitive hunt for sealed product.
Why Pokémon Cards Are So Hard to Find
Buying Pokémon cards used to be as simple as grabbing a few packs during a routine trip to the store. These days, a new release can mean monitoring restock accounts, lining up before dawn, and still walking away empty-handed. The cards themselves haven't lost their appeal—if anything, demand has exploded—but securing them at retail price has become a logistical nightmare.
Collectors have learned to track shipment schedules with near-obsessive precision. A timely tip can be the difference between opening packs that afternoon and paying a reseller three times the retail cost. While most fans rely on group chats and social media alerts, Kubasta took his information-gathering to a criminal extreme.
Stores have attempted to manage the frenzy with purchase limits, but those only help if there's still product on the shelf when you reach the front of the line. A single shipment can draw a crowd, and sealed boxes often vanish before casual fans even know they were available. That leaves many collectors choosing between waiting for another restock or reluctantly paying inflated prices.
The 30th Anniversary Set Fuels the Fire
The timing of this case is notable: the tracker was discovered months before the Pokémon TCG's 30th Celebration set launched, so the anniversary release didn't cause the incident. However, it underscores why the story resonates now. The 30th Celebration looks back at the game's history with a Classic Collection while introducing new Mew cards, day-and-night artwork, a full lineup of Pikachu rares, and more. It gives longtime fans plenty of reasons to chase packs.
Fortunately for collectors—and unfortunately for scalpers—the 30th Celebration cards boast some of the best pull rates Pokémon has ever offered. That means buying singles online is a very attainable option. Someone hunting for a specific Pikachu or Mew can purchase that card directly without paying a premium for sealed packs and hoping for luck.
Still, the scramble for cards shows no signs of slowing. The Kubasta case may be an extreme example, but it reflects a broader frustration: walking into a store and buying a few packs shouldn't be the hardest part of enjoying the hobby. As long as demand outpaces supply, some fans may continue to push boundaries—though hopefully not to the point of breaking the law.
For now, the verdict serves as a cautionary tale. The love of Pokémon cards is one thing; attaching a GPS tracker to a stranger's car is quite another. Collectors would do well to remember that no cardboard chase is worth a criminal record.
