McDonald's × Mercari - Forming a "Tag Team" to Prevent Reselling: A Thorough Explanation of the Happy Meal "Pokémon" Starting August 8 and the Weekend-Exclusive "Pokéca" Distribution

2025年08月07日 19:30

Introduction: Toy Resale and Happy Meals
Background of Collaboration: Soaring "McDonald's Exclusive" Cards
Details of McDonald's Measures
Details of Mercari's Measures
Complete Guide to the New "Pokemon" Happy Meal
Weekend Limited "Pokémon Card" Distribution and Purchase Restrictions
Intentions of Parents, Collectors, and Resellers
Legal Perspective and Industry-Wide Impact
Expert Comments: Is There a Deterrent Effect?
Summary and Future Outlook

1. Introduction: Toy Resale and Happy Meals

In recent years, driven by the surge in prices of limited toys and cards, it has become common for "Happy Meal®" products to be resold at high prices on flea market apps on the same day. Especially with Pokémon-related goods, prices can multiply several times on the release day, and social media is flooded with photos of "early morning queues" and "bulk purchases." Such actions hinder the supply to the original target audience—children and parents—and can damage the brand image. Miscellaneous Blog, Sometimes Amazon

2. Background of Collaboration: Soaring "McDonald's Exclusive" Cards

The Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) has seen a sharp price increase due to rising global collector demand, with limited distribution items sometimes reaching tens of thousands of yen on auction sites. The 2023 "Detective Pikachu" promo saw its market price increase 20-fold in one week, leading to stock shortages at McDonald's locations. Based on this experience, the company plans to gradually introduce guidelines of "up to ○ sets per person" starting in 2024. In 2025, for the first time, they will directly collaborate with Mercari to seriously tackle "resale deterrence." McDonald'sKahoku Shimpo Online

3. Details of McDonald's Measures

Information Sharing: Provide product images and JAN codes to Mercari before release and register them for AI monitoring.
Purchase Restrictions: Limit to 5 sets per person for three days from the 9th to the 11th. Explain to customers making large purchases at the store. McDonald's
Cautionary Notice: Suppress resale activities through the official website and in-store posters.
Refrain from Stock Inquiries: Clearly state to refrain from confirming stock via phone or SNS. McDonald's

4. Details of Mercari's Measures

Violation Listing Removal: Automatically detect and immediately remove listings that include no-stock, image reproduction, and copyright infringement. Kahoku Shimpo Online
Price Monitoring: Display a warning banner when prices surge beyond the average market rate.
Awareness Campaign: Display a banner at the top of the app encouraging users to "trade at fair prices" and promote calm behavior.
Recurrence Prevention Discussion: Share data even after the sale ends and implement a PDCA cycle for the next collaboration.

5. Complete Guide to the New "Pokemon" Happy Meal

Sales Period: August 8th to about three weeks.
All 9 Toys: Comprising Pikachu's Water Wheel, Mega Lucario's Disc Launcher, etc., with 4 types in the first wave, 4 in the second, plus 1 secret toy.
Development Concept: "Whole body play" that enhances hand-eye coordination and imagination. McDonald's
Price: From 510 yen at the store (varies by store conditions).

6. Weekend Limited "Pokémon Card" Distribution and Purchase Restrictions

On the weekend of the 9th to the 11th, a set of two cards—an original Pikachu plus one random card (out of five types)—will be given away. It was announced that these cards are compatible with existing texts and can be used in official tournaments. ※Limited quantity, while supplies last. McDonald's

7. Intentions of Parents, Collectors, and Resellers

On social media, opinions are divided, with comments like "It's helpful because my child wants it" and "Will people still line up?" Meanwhile, accounts suspected of being resellers are reportedly beginning to refrain from posts suggesting "visiting multiple stores." grape [Grape]

8. Legal Perspective and Industry-Wide Impact

While there is no established "limited toy resale regulation" similar to the ticket high-price resale regulation law, multiple legal areas such as intellectual property rights, the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and abuse of superior bargaining position are involved. In the retail industry, companies like Takara Tomy and Bandai Namco are also advancing information collaboration with flea market companies, and this initiative is expected to be a touchstone for similar collaborations in the "food x toy" field. Miscellaneous Blog, Sometimes Amazon

9. Expert Comments: Is There a Deterrent Effect?

Professor Takashi Shibata, a marketing scholar, evaluates that "the root of resale activities is the supply-demand gap. The 'dual strategy' of implementing purchase restrictions and platform-side crackdowns simultaneously is expected to have a certain effect." However, he also points out that "the side effect of 'difficult to obtain = publicity' that companies might expect cannot be denied, and in the long term, it is essential to review the production volume and sales methods themselves."

10. Summary and Future Outlook

The collaboration between McDonald's and Mercari has set a new standard for "limited merchandise business" in the flea market era. The queue situation on the first day of sales and the trend in the number of listings on Mercari will serve as barometers for measuring the deterrent effect in the future. Parents are encouraged to visit early within the purchase restriction limits, and collectors should aim for fair price transactions. Whether companies, platforms, and users can unite to protect "children's smiles"—that first step will be tested on August 8th.

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