Best Buy Bans Ghost Chairs, But It’s Not Stopping Pokémon 30th Celebration Collectors

Best Buy has a clear rule for people lining up for limited releases: unattended “ghost chairs” do not count as a place in line.

Pokémon collectors apparently did not all get the message. With the Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration release scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, photos and videos are already circulating on social media showing folding chairs lined up outside Best Buy stores days before the doors open.

One Instagram post shared Monday showed a row of chairs outside a store with nobody sitting in them. “My flabber is ghasted! Somebody come take these chairs away,” the poster wrote, adding that setting up the night before might be understandable, but doing it two days early was “pretty ridiculous.”

A separate post from Reselling News on X reported that “scalpers are already placing ghost chairs outside Best Buy for the Pokémon 30th Anniversary drop on Wednesday.”

The problem is that Best Buy’s own release-day rules specifically say that does not fly. Under its official in-store release guidelines, Best Buy says lines are first come, first served and that customers cannot hold or reserve places for other people. The policy goes a step further by stating that “ghost chairs” or unattended placeholders are not permitted.

Best Buy does allow actual customers to bring chairs. In fact, a small folding chair appears on the company’s suggested release-day checklist. The difference is that the person is supposed to be there with it.

The retailer also says someone who needs to briefly leave the line, such as for a restroom break, should coordinate with the people immediately around them. An extended absence can result in losing the spot entirely.

Best Buy has plenty of reason to expect crowds this week. The retailer has confirmed that Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration products will begin arriving in stores September 16, with the launch being handled as an in-store-only release in limited quantities while supplies last.

Among the products scheduled for release are the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, Poster Collection, Tech Sticker Collection, Knock Out Collection and Sylveon ex or Greninja ex boxes. Best Buy has already labeled several of the products as high-demand items expected to sell out quickly.

The Elite Trainer Box is listed at $49.99 and contains nine 30th Celebration booster packs along with a full-art Nidorina promo, card sleeves, foil Basic Energy cards and other accessories.

Best Buy has also put other restrictions in place for limited releases. Customers must be physically present to purchase, product limits can vary by release, and the company says vendors and resellers are not permitted. Best Buy also does not publish real-time inventory numbers for limited-release products.

None of that appears to have stopped people from trying to get an early advantage. Pokémon releases have regularly produced long lines at major retailers, but the 30th anniversary set is creating an unusual level of attention. Every booster pack contains one of 30 different Pikachu cards, and early openings have added even more excitement around the set.