Trade Minister Responds to Pokémon Card Craze in Indonesia with Prices Reaching Billions
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The phenomenon of hunting Pokémon cards is heating up again in Indonesia. Amid prices soaring into hundreds of millions to billions of rupiah and the emergence of potential fraud issues, Trade Minister Budi Santoso has spoken out.
Responding to the viral news of Pokémon cards being sold at fantastical prices, Budi assured that the government will intervene to conduct supervision.
“Yes, we’ll check the supervision again,” Budi told CNBC Indonesia when met at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Jakarta, on Wednesday (22/4/2026).
He stated that the supervision will be carried out through the Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Order (PKTN) of the Ministry of Trade.
“Yes, yes, through PKTN. We’ll… I’ll have a meeting with the team about this,” he said.
Although he has not detailed the technical steps the government will take, Budi emphasised that his side will follow up on the phenomenon.
“We’ll still check it,” he asserted.
This phenomenon has arisen alongside the return of the Pokémon card collecting trend domestically. After fading following the boom of the Pokémon GO game in 2016-2017, interest in collectible cards has now risen again, particularly in 2026.
This surge has been triggered by various factors, from the celebration of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary to promotions by artists and influencers. As a result, buying and selling activities for Pokémon cards have become bustling again, both in physical stores, community events, and marketplaces.
Card prices have also risen significantly. At several collector events, rare cards can even be priced up to Rp1.5 billion per set. Meanwhile, on e-commerce platforms, some special edition cards are offered for hundreds of millions of rupiah.
One collector, Kevin, mentioned that the anniversary celebration momentum is the main driver of the interest surge.
“So indeed the hype is rising, and the timing this year coincides with Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, so people are hunting Pokémon cards again,” said Kevin.
Besides the momentum, scarcity is the main determinant of price. Cards with limited production and popular characters like Pikachu or Charizard are sought after by collectors, causing their value to skyrocket continuously.
“As it’s rare, the number of cards is definitely not many, very limited. That’s what makes them valued so highly,” he explained.
The price surge is also influenced by the grading or assessment system, the physical condition of the cards, and the year of production. Cards with high grading values from institutions like PSA can have much higher prices than ordinary cards.
On the other hand, the high transaction values also open opportunities for fraudulent practices, especially in online trading. This is now the government’s focus for further examination.