The estimated share of the list price The Pokémon Company receives through each Western sales channel, with a blended 35 to 59 cents per dollar

How it’s built

1. US hobby shops via distributors: 38–50 cents. US mass retail via the distributor Excell (Target, Walmart, Amazon): 38–59 cents.
2. GameStop, which buys directly: 50–65 cents. Europe via Asmodee: 29–55 cents. Pokémon Center: the full price.

What we assumed

• US hobby shops buying through distributors pay about 53–55% of list.From a distributor's January 2018 terms for new accounts (47% off list, plus card terms); the terms do not name Pokémon. The company's share is put at 38–50 cents, below that, to leave room for the distributor.
• GameStop pays 50–65% of list price.GameStop's filing confirms it buys Pokémon directly, but not on what terms. The range is unsourced.
• Asmodee keeps about 16–42% of what European shops pay it.Based on Asmodee's margins and shops paying it 50–65% of list; this gives the company 29–55 cents in Europe.

Sanity check

No channel figure is sourced from a price list or contract, so the blend could be off in either direction by 10 cents or more.

Where it comes from

Our calculation from other figures in the trainer’s notes:

• ReportedAlliance New Account FAQ: date and discount structure (verified), effective Jan 2018 (catalogue refs 01/18, Mar 2019)
• FiledGameStop's three largest suppliers in the year to January 2026
• FiledGameStop's statement in its latest annual report that it buys substantially all its products directly from manufacturers and publishers and, in some cases, from distributors
• EstimateA test of whether Asmodee's distribution margin can be worked out from its group gross margin
• EstimateAn estimate of how much of each Western list-price dollar reaches The Pokémon Company in the year to February 2026
• EstimateEstimated share of a Western card's list price that reaches TPC, by sales route

Where it’s used

• StoryTrading cards
• Chart · Trading cardsTPC’s Western arm keeps just under half of a card’s list price, and all of it in its own shop
• ProfileExcell Brands
• ProfileAsmodee Group
• ProfileGameStop
• ProfileWalmart
• ProfileCard distribution channel (distributors, hobby stores, mass retail)

Related figures

Built from this one

• EstimateOur estimate of how much of a Pokémon card's list price is kept by the shops and distributors on each route to the shelf
• EstimateDirect channel gain per box against wholesale route, 30th CELEBRATION (Sep-Nov 2026)