Retailers Roll Out Pre-Black Friday Pokémon Deals

Black Friday starts even earlier for Pokémon fans, with price cuts at major retailers on trading cards, Nintendo Switch games, Squishmallows, Funko collectibles, and buildable sets and toys. We’ve scoured dozens of live offers, examined recent price history, and compiled a list of 30-plus standouts that offer genuine value beyond the hype.

Why it matters: Demand for Pokémon remains strong. For a number of years, the Circana market has consistently regarded popular Pokémon products as among the hottest-performing toy/TCG properties out there, and reprints of sealed products have made supply available without totally ruining collector interest. That combination tends to be when you get the sweet spot of holiday savings — that is, the best bundles and sets starting to dip below what are usually good-enough street prices.

Best Early Pokémon TCG Deals to Buy Before Black Friday

Sealed TCG products are fronted by Elite Trainer Boxes and multi-booster packages. Scarlet & Violet ETBs rarely fail to eke into the 10–25% off band in recent years, and retailer-exclusive bundles that include sleeves, dice, promos, etc. can break even lower if only for a narrow window of time. Fan-favorite evolutions and jumbo-promo premium collections are also moving below MSRP as stores compete for early traffic.

How to stress-test a card deal: compare the sale price of a card or card style to that product’s MSRP, then cross-reference against TCGplayer’s sealed market index and recently sold prices from trusted sellers on major marketplaces as applicable. If the discount is less than 10%, find a value add-on (bonus packs, a tin, or a guaranteed full-art promo). Look out for third-party sellers with jacked-up shipping; early Black Friday brings out the profiteers.

Best Deals on Nintendo Switch Pokémon Games

Mainline entries and spin-offs are getting rarer discounts, with a few usually hitting 15–33% off in opening salvos. Adventure-driven episodes and open-area experiments are the first to shift en masse in physical form, opening the door for double packs and box editions as loss leaders when that same sale finally goes live.

Pro insight: First-party and Pokémon-published titles often remain resellable for years, so any double-digit markdown packs a punch. And if you’d rather have an actual cart to sell or lend later, don’t wait; in a shortage, retailers favor digital codes.

Top Pokémon Collectibles and Plush Drops to Watch

Funko’s Pokémon Advent Calendars are still a holiday sleeper hit, and we’re already seeing some small discounts early that will likely become even deeper as the peak of the rush approaches.

Single Pop figures (flocked variants included) as well as the oversized starter sets are popping up at up to 40% off in limited-time windows — especially when smaller collectibles are included with the package.

For cuddling, the jumbo Pokémon Squishmallows from Jazwares are now getting some real deals. Beloved characters such as Eevee, Snorlax, and Gengar are showing up with substantial discounts, and “Sleeping” plush lines for the Kanto starters are going up with tamer but still valuable promotions. Check authenticity by looking at the maker’s tags, stitching quality, and official character tags.

Best Buildable Pokémon Sets and Toys for the Season

The Black Friday crowd-pleaser continues to be Mattel’s Mega Pokémon lineup. Motion-enabled display pieces are the headliners. Large builds with poseable wings or articulated poses are getting into the double-digit discounts, while some smaller character kits are being grouped together for even better value per piece. As a point of reference, the tentpole motion dragon set comprises over 1,600 pieces; anything at or above 15–20% off is a significant grab.

Action figure multipacks, trainer-versus battles, and 8-pack assortments are similarly being chased down — sometimes to the tune of 40–50% off — by retailers looking to free up some shelf space. If you’re gift shopping, multipacks give the most bang (or rather, diversity of character) for your buck.

How We Selected 30+ Picks for Genuine Value Deals

We compared sale prices to their manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), recent 30–90 day averages, and historical Black Friday lows for previous years. We focused on listings sold and shipped by the store or brand in order to minimize the risk of counterfeits, and we filtered out bundles with low-value filler. In TCG’s case, we compared to the TCGplayer sealed index; and for toys and collectibles, we tapped into Circana category trends to see where discounts tend to land historically.

Pro Tips to Max Out Savings on Pokémon Purchases

Stack store coupons with cardholder promos if possible, and look for limited-time “clip” coupons to quietly knock an extra 5–10% off. Price-match with a retailer if a competitor undercuts while within the return window. Stay away from third-party sellers who sell collectibles and offer no returns. And for TCG, don’t overspend in the first wave — a lot of sets have a restock that puts prices down again before the main event.

Editor Shortlist of Standout Pokémon Buys to Watch

Early winners are the ones with the motion-enabled, do-it-yourself Mega Charizard display build; the Pokémon Funko Advent Calendar; the gigantic Eevee Squishmallow all-in-one plushie; the 8-pack battle figure set of fan-favorite ghosts; the sleeping Kanto starter plush trio; recent Elite Trainer Boxes based on Scarlet & Violet–era expansions; and the open-area, region-wide Switch adventure that redefined the series.

If you see one of these go into the high-teens or low-20s off, that’s your buy signal.

Bottom line: The early wave is already strong in TCG, games, and collectibles, and the best of the items are moving fast. If you see an offer hit your target price and ship from an authorized retailer, grab it — Pokémon moves fast, and the second wave doesn’t always have a better number.