A 2018 benchmark from Magic

What this is

A 2018 benchmark from Magic: retailers buying direct paid about 53% of list price, and through a distributor about 56%.

How it’s built

1. From ICv2 figures: a Magic booster box with $143.64 list price cost $75.96 direct from the publisher, about $5 more through distributors.

What we assumed

• Magic’s 2018 trade terms are a fair comparison for Pokémon now.Only structurally; it is a different publisher and an older year, so it supports a ceiling, not a value.
• The publisher’s price to distributors was below 53% of list.ICv2 said direct buyers got the slightly larger discount, so distributors paid the publisher less.

Sanity check

Consistent with the research’s 0.50–0.56 ceiling on the Pokémon publisher’s share of list price.

Where it comes from

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

• EstimateWhat US hobby stores pay for Pokémon products as a share of list price
• EstimateEstimated share of a Western card's list price that reaches TPC, by sales route

Where it’s used

• StoryTrading cards
• Deep dive · Trading cardsAgainst Magic: the same size once both are counted at the publisher
• ProfileCard distribution channel (distributors, hobby stores, mass retail)