Shares of Japanese online marketplace Mercari rose more than 4% on Friday, extending a rebound after a selloff triggered by restrictions on listings for Pokémon’s 30th anniversary products. The company announced the measures on Tuesday.
Mercari said the restrictions will stay in place for as long as it believes a safe and secure trading environment cannot be ensured.
The stock closed 6.4% lower on Wednesday, when the curbs took effect, before recovering to end Thursday up 1.4%. On Friday morning, the shares were also outperforming the Nikkei 225, which was up about 1%.
According to the company, the temporary listing ban was introduced because a surge in transactions after the anniversary product release could lead to disputes between traders as well as harassment of users involved in transactions.
Citibank said Wednesday’s drop of more than 6% was driven by Mercari’s announcement on Pokémon card listing restrictions. The bank said the recent weakness in the share price had pushed the stock to “overly pessimistic levels,” describing the shares as “oversold” and the pullback as an investment opportunity.
Citi added that growth in the value of goods sold on Mercari’s marketplace in the second half of fiscal 2026 beat expectations, while a recovery across several categories could support double-digit growth. At the same time, the bank said the halt in trading for certain products was negative for Mercari, but not significant enough to warrant a change in its forecasts.
The measures come amid a global boom in Pokémon cards. eBay said “Pokémon” was searched more than six million times on its U.K. site in July, underlining continued strong demand for trading cards.
CNBC previously reported that Pokémon card prices have climbed 1,350% since 2020, according to an index compiled by Collectors, which owns card grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator. In February, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for more than $16 million after buying it in 2021 for just over $5 million. New cards can sell out within minutes, with buyers coordinating on X and Discord to track where products are available.
A post on X this month claimed that a Pokémon card sold for $2.7 million at auction, setting a record.
Mercari signed an agreement with The Pokémon Company in 2023 to promote safer trading of Pokémon products on its marketplace, and in 2025 introduced a policy allowing it to restrict listings when fraud, transaction disputes or extreme price swings threaten marketplace safety.
