In case you’ve been living under a rock, the initial release of Disney Lorcana, the new TCG by Ravensburger, is shaping up to be a hot mess. Gaming stores that would typically receives hundreds of boxes on release day (August 15th) are instead getting single digits. You can try your chances at getting it at big box retail stores like Target or Walmart on September 1st, but you’ll be lucky to beat fellow players or scalpers who are also on the hunt.
However, all hope is not lost.
The odds are definitely slim, but you can do a few things to increase them, even if it’s only just a little bit. I have a collector mentality, and I collect way too many things (just ask my wife). Even worse, I tend to become interested in getting my hands on something when circumstances have made it harder to obtain than usual. Whether it’s a new game line or a new toyline, I tend to have better luck than most when on the hunt for something both desirable and hard to find, mostly because I’ve learned a few tips and tricks along the way.
At this point, I’m likely to pursue Lorcana when it’s more abundant, but if I were intending to get my hands on it in August or September, these would be the strategies I’d employ for each of the different venues of purchase. Please note that this article is geared toward a US audience. It appears that countries in the EU may have easier access to product.
Option 1: Gencon (August 3rd-6th)
I’d love to attend GenCon, but one thing or another has prevented me from attending over the past fifteen years. Despite that, there have been numerous occasions where something either debuted at GenCon or a convention exclusive was released and I’ve wanted it.
If you have a friend attending, you can beg them to try to grab product from Ravensburger at MSRP. There is a strong possibility that they’d have to get in line VERY early and/or remain in line for a very long time. Unless someone owes you a favor, that’s a pretty big ask.
The other option is to try to convince a random stranger to get it for you, usually by offering them additional payment for their time/effort. There are a few downsides to this approach. First, you need to find someone trustworthy who is willing to get it for you and then ship it to you. Second, they’re likely to find out that they could sell it online for significantly more money than you’d like to pay. Third, they may just bail when they see a long line.
Likelihood of success: extremely low.
*Note: if you are attending GenCon, your chances are probably much better, but you need to pay close attention to how Ravensburger is running the sales booth. Keep an eye on social media and talk to other people at the con to see what their procedures are and how they might change as the con goes on and they troubleshoot logistical problems.
Option 2: Friendly Local Game Store (August 18th)
Your best bet is to have product preordered from an FLGS that you’re familiar with and that has confirmed allocation numbers (although please keep in mind that nothing is guaranteed until orders arrive at the store from their distributor). If you haven’t already done this, you’re probably out of luck, but it’s still worth trying. Reach out to any local stores to see if they’re accepting preorders and if they’re sure about their numbers.
Please note that there’s a possibility that they may be charging more than the cost of MSRP. It’s ultimately up to you to decide how much of a mark-up you’re willing to accept to get the product now.
A dicier possibility is to order from an online store. Ravensburger has apparently gently suggested that stores wait until September 1st to sell product online, but compliance for this is voluntary. Please realize that some stores might be listing inventory that isn’t confirmed to be arriving on August 18th, so it would be prudent to reach out to them to check for confirmation and to also know their refund policy.
If you’re patient, you can also search on Google for something like “Lorcana first chapter booster box” and similar variations (ie. substitute “1st” for “first”). A lot of the initial results will be from larger online retail stores (or at least stores with better search engine optimization). If you’re willing to dig deeper, you can find smaller stores with inventory available because others aren’t willing to dig through three dozen pages of search results and weeding through a lot of chaff.
If you’re patient and willing to pay a lot of money for shipping, you can attempt to find stores in other countries that are willing to ship to the US. Have Google Translate ready, be willing to check currency conversion rates, and be prepared for shipping rates to be bonkers (but probably less bonkers than domestic scalper prices).
Likelihood of success: variable (heavily dependent upon location and interest level in the game locally).
Option 3: Big Box Retail Stores (September 1st)
In the United States, you will (in theory) be able to find some sort of Lorcana product at the following big box retailers: Target, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Gamestop, Best Buy, FYE, Hot Topic, and Disney stores. A few cautionary notes:
- It’s not clear exactly what type of products will be available at retail. It is a bit less likely that you’ll be able to find booster boxes and booster packs (but still possible).
- Sometimes store employees are very aware of products that can be scalped. They’ll either buy it themselves or put it aside for someone they know.
- There will be some stores for each of these chains that probably won’t receive any product at all.
- Although there will likely be warnings on the boxes and even in the checkout system to not sell these items before September 1st, it will still happen (although it will likely be very rare). Some stores may put product on shelves before September 1st.
- Conversely, some stores will not have product on the shelves on September 1st, despite the fact that the product is in-store. In some cases, you may be able to ask an employee to check for you.
- You may be able to ask an employee if they’ll have any product to sell on September 1st, and if you’re lucky, you may even be able to ask them to put it aside at the customer service desk for you.
- September 1st is the Friday of Labor Day weekend. This means a lot of people will be off from work. It also means that stores may be understaffed. Both of those things make the reality of walking out of the store with Lorcana products more difficult.
If any of these stores make product available on their website, it will sell out quickly. Make sure you already have an account and a form of payment in their system. Check to ensure your shipping address is up-to-date. If you see product available, check out right away without searching for other items. If you manage to make multiple orders, contact customer service to see if they can combine shipping (make sure they don’t cancel the order first as they attempt to do this). If you’re willing to stay up or set alarms, check their sites at 12am, 3am, and 6am for product. Keep checking throughout the day because they will sometimes release inventory in batches.
Some of these stores (Gamestop will probably be the most likely) may offer an online preorder. If they do, it will sell quickly, so jump on it if available.
Also note that some of these stores (Gamestop, FYE, Hot Topic, Disney Store) are typically found inside of malls, which often have stores open a little bit later than usual (10am is pretty standard). The other stores can often be found near malls, so you can maximize your chances of finding product by hitting places like Target and Walmart beforehand, which usually open between 6am-9am.
Likelihood of success: low.
Again, I’d like to emphasize that it’s going to be extremely difficult to get your hands on Lorcana in August and September. Hopefully, these strategies can tip the odds in your favor a bit.
Wreck 'N Rule 