If there are two things I am, it's a huge Pokémon TCG fan, and a man with poor impulse control. So when a set of four White Flare booster packs showed up on Google's shopping tab for under $3, via dropshipping platform SHEIN, how could I refuse? Don't worry, I went in not just fearing but knowing the worst - but I still came out surprised. Oh, they're fake, obviously they're fake, but even for fake Pokémon cards they still underwhelm.
Let's go with the usual rules - if something feels too good to be true, it usually is, and I don't know any retailer or private seller willing to drop the best Pokémon packs for a fraction, nay, a sliver of their regular market price. The Pokémon TCG market right now is how I imagine the stockmarket to be: confusing and overheated. The result is that even the most boring expansions like Twilight Masquerade are still in high demand.
So, when I saw ads offering me a pack of Prismatic Evolutions (a highly sought-after special set you generally can't get for love nor money) for just $1.60 (£1.12), and one of the newest Pokémon sets, White Flare, at under $5 for five packs, I already knew what I was signing up for. I scoffed out loud at the product titles you can see below. But friendly Wargamer Editor Alex saw a golden opportunity for a damn good laugh, and I couldn't pass up on it. I bought both.
Before going on, I should highlight that Wargamer's contacted SHEIN about these cards, and it's officially assured us that, among other things, "SHEIN takes all claims of infringement seriously, and all SHEIN vendors are required to comply with our stringent IP policies including certifying that their products do not infringe third-party IP".
You can read its full statement below. With that in mind, let's look at those "pokemon Animn Pokemon Cards", shall we?
After a week of waiting, the packs arrived in a basic parcel. The Prismatic Evolutions pack was tarnished with a big label that had a Chinese printing company all over it, while the White Flare packs shared a similar label on the outside of a transparent plastic bag. The packs felt lightweight and flimsy, an obvious tell when spotting fake Pokémon cards, but it only got worse from there.
The most exciting part of ripping packs is the chase for the most expensive Pokémon cards in the set. Somehow that thrill still remains even with fake packs. But I found multiple Illustrated Rare pulls out of order with the basic cards, a super obvious tell that this was a fake pack that immediately spoiled the fun.
The cards themselves aren't even close to believable quality. The paper is flimsy, and easier to fold and crease than usual. The rip test - in which you rip a card in half in search of a blue or black line between the layers of the card - confirmed that they were fakes, printed on regular cardstock without the reinforcing central layer of authentic cards.
Lastly, the holo. It's bad enough that the cards are hoaxes, but does the holo have to be so painfully bad? The Sheiny fakes use the vertical shine pattern that counterfeits typically have: and this Amoonguss ex card was packed in a White Flare pack, despite being a card from Journey Together.
And that's all without mentioning the appalling quality of the actual print, with weird fonts and strange spacing everywhere. Funnily, my wife pointed out the borders being different sizes, but - unlike almost everything else about these cards - that actually happens to be a common issue with genuine Pokémon cards anyway, so I guess they nailed that aspect. Probably by accident.
If you're looking to test these fakes yourself, or you just have a need to rip packs no matter how bad they are, SHEIN is full of listings. I did have a giggle at seeing a Prismatic Evolutions booster box, despite that not being an official product. I think it's a neat little thing if you have young kids who want to open packs, but you're worried about some rarer cards being torn to shreds. But these are otherwise a dismal attempt at copying the real deal.
Wargamer contacted SHEIN, and it gave us this statement about counterfeiting:
"SHEIN takes all claims of infringement seriously, and all SHEIN vendors are required to comply with our stringent IP policies including certifying that their products do not infringe third-party IP. We also provide various avenues for customers and IP rights holders to report concerns to ensure that any issues can be addressed quickly and transparently.
"These include a dedicated IP protection portal for rights holders, and an easy-to-use reporting function on every product listing page where consumers and rights holders can flag concerns - including IP infringement, prohibited goods, and other compliance issues - directly from our website.
"When legitimate complaints are raised by valid IP rights holders, SHEIN promptly addresses the situation, and removes the product(s) from our site as a matter of caution. If a violation is confirmed, SHEIN takes appropriate action. We continue to invest and improve our process to detect and prevent violations."
Will I buy any more of these SHEIN bargains? Not a chance. It might be hard to get new boosters with the relentless demand for Pokémon sets, but the payoff is so much better. If you're looking to find some actual bargains on some real Pokémon packs, make sure to join our free Wargamer Discord community, where we'll share any new deals to trainers like yourself.