Guide
EU distribution is closed. Here are your real options.
By Rohan — Founder, RSC · Updated August 21, 2026 · 8 min read
European distribution has closed to new Pokémon accounts. Here's every real option for EU card shops — official, secondary, and transatlantic — honestly compared.
The lockout, plainly
European Pokémon distribution runs through a single consolidated channel that has, for extended periods, simply not accepted new accounts. Established shops keep their allocation; new and growing shops have no official lane to join. Waiting is a strategy only if your rent is patient.
Option 1: wait-and-build
Register interest, re-apply on every window, and build purchase history with adjacent product lines the distributor will sell you. Slow, but it compounds — and pairs with any other option below.
Option 2: intra-EU secondary supply
European wholesalers resell allocated product within the EU. Advantages: no import steps. Watch: thin depth on chase sets (their allocation is rationed too) and pricing that often exceeds transatlantic landed cost.
Option 3: transatlantic wholesale
US secondary wholesalers ship EU-bound sealed product at 0% duty (HS 9504.40) with import VAT reclaimable for registered businesses — postponable at the border in NL, BE, and FR. With shipping covered by the supplier, landed cost is simply the invoice price.
RSC is in this lane: live US stock, EUR-indicative pricing pegged below TCGplayer market, free FedEx Express to the EU, full commercial invoices, applications reviewed in 24 hours. We exist in part because of this lockout — judge us on the vetting framework any supplier should pass.
Frequently asked
›Is importing from the US legal for resale?
Yes — genuine goods move freely; you handle import VAT (reclaimable if registered) and 0% duty applies to trading cards.
›Won't US product have English cards?
Yes — and English sealed sells strongly across the EU. For local-language product, intra-EU secondary supply remains the lane.
›What about warranty/authenticity across borders?
Buy factory-sealed with chain-of-custody and invoice provenance — RSC guarantees authenticity with free replacement on any verified issue.
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Lumination Ltd Co · DBA RSC · Frisco, TX · support@rs-chain.com. Pokémon is a trademark of its respective owners; RSC is an independent wholesale distributor and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, or Game Freak.