Understanding TCG Allocations and Preorders

Please Read Before Commenting or Preordering

This post may be longer than usual, but every part of it matters. We need all customers to understand how allocations, preorders, and product availability currently work across trading card games.

Taking a few minutes to read this now will prevent confusion and frustration later.

If you have questions after reading, please contact us. We are always happy to explain how the system works.

As trading card game releases continue to grow in popularity, allocation reductions have become a normal part of the industry. This affects all major games, including Pokémon, One Piece, Magic: The Gathering, and future releases.

We believe in being transparent about how preorders and allocations work so expectations are clear before release day.

How Distributor Allocations Work

Product quantities are determined by distributors long before release. When distributors reduce shipments, stores simply receive less product than originally ordered. These reductions immediately impact preorder fulfillment because allocations must match the physical inventory received.

For example, a 70% distributor cut means:

• A preorder of 10 units begins at a starting allocation of 3 units.

• A preorder of 1 unit becomes 0.3 units.

Fractional allocations are always rounded down when they cannot reach a whole unit.

This process is applied consistently across all affected releases.

How Remaining Product Is Allocated

After distributor reductions are applied, remaining inventory is distributed using a weighted support system designed to prioritize long-term community participation.

Allocation weight considers:

• Event attendance and organized play participation

• Consistent in-store purchases within the past 30 days

• Overall engagement with the store and its communities

Support across multiple games matters. Customers who participate in or support Pokémon, One Piece, Magic: The Gathering, or other in-store communities strengthen overall allocation performance because distributors evaluate total store activity rather than a single product line.

A Structured Allocation System

Allocations are not determined by hype cycles, preorder timing alone, or guesswork. Our system is structured, repeatable, and designed to remain fair while supporting the long-term health of organized play and the local gaming community.

Secondary Distribution Pricing

In some situations, additional inventory becomes available after initial preorder allocations. This product is not sourced from the secondary market. Instead, it comes through distribution channels that adjust pricing at or after release based on current market demand.

These distributors may increase wholesale pricing in response to secondary market trends, and in some cases even primary distributors follow similar pricing adjustments once initial preorder allocations have passed. As a result, restock inventory often costs significantly more than original preorder product.

Because retail pricing must reflect actual acquisition cost, later inventory may appear at higher pricing compared to early allocations.

Pricing decisions at the distribution level are outside retailer control. Customers who wish to voice concerns about post-release wholesale price increases are encouraged to direct feedback to the publishers and distribution networks responsible for setting those costs.

What This Means Going Forward

Distributor cuts are outside any retailer’s control. What we can control is ensuring limited product reaches customers who actively support the store and its play environment.

Continued participation in events and consistent in-store support directly strengthens future allocation opportunities and helps secure more product for upcoming releases.

We appreciate everyone who helps build and support the community that makes organized play possible.

How to Improve Your Chances on Future Releases

In closing, we want to clearly share the most effective ways to secure product through us moving forward.

Become a CORE Support Member

CORE members receive priority allocation consideration. Some releases may be restricted to members only when allocations are expected to be extremely limited and insufficient to support general preorder demand.

Preorder Early and Preorder Confidently

Preorder the maximum amount you are comfortable receiving while understanding allocations may still reduce final quantities. Higher preorder commitments improve allocation positioning and increase overall odds of fulfillment.

Support Consistently

Regular weekly purchases matter. Booster packs, sleeves, deck boxes, and other in-stock items all contribute to measurable demand signals that allow us to reorder product more frequently and demonstrate sustained activity to distributors. Supporting multiple games further strengthens allocation performance since distributors evaluate total store engagement across all product lines.

Events Matter. A Lot.

Event participation is one of the strongest indicators of store health and directly impacts allocation confidence.

• Magic: The Gathering – FREE Friday Night Commander and PAID Saturday Duel Commander

• One Piece – FREE Bi-Weekly Saturday events

• Pokémon – FREE Sunday events

Attendance matters, and bringing new players into the community is noticed and rewarded. Growing active play communities strengthens our ability to secure future product and improves allocation priority over time.

Curiosity operates as a community-backed store. We reinvest support directly into organized play, events, and future inventory. Our goal is simple: continue prioritizing the players and customers who actively help build and sustain the local gaming community.

Why Our Approach May Look Different From Other Stores

Every game store operates differently, and those differences affect how product is ordered, allocated, and sold.

Our focus is long-term stability and responsible inventory management. We intentionally concentrate on the games that consistently support our customer base, primarily Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon, with additional support for One Piece while demand remains strong.

Rather than ordering aggressively based on hype or short-term trends, we order and allocate product based on measurable demand and sustainable sales. This helps prevent extreme shortages early and oversupply later, both of which ultimately hurt players and stores alike.

Events and organized play are part of that system, not separate from it. Participation shows active demand, helps justify future orders, and strengthens our ability to secure product allocations. Some events are free to lower barriers for new players, while others remain structured and paid to ensure they remain sustainable long term.

Because we operate this way, our preorder limits, allocations, and pricing may sometimes look different from stores that prioritize high-volume release sales or speculative ordering. Our goal is consistency and availability over time rather than short-lived spikes.