Our Pokémon Pitch Black Pre-Order Experience: Hours in Line, No Order
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“I have been collecting Pokémon Cards for over 20 years, and I am ready for another 20.” – Jake Livingood
Our Experience Trying to Pre-Order Pokémon Pitch Black from Pokémon Center
Pokémon Center Pre-Order Frustrations: Our Pokémon Pitch Black Experience
My wife and I recently signed up for text alerts from Pokemoncenter.com to stay updated on new products and releases. Most of the notifications we've received have been for plushies, collectibles, and other fun Pokémon merchandise.
Last week, however, we finally received the notification we had been waiting for: the opportunity to join the queue for pre-orders of Pokémon Pitch Black.
Waiting in the Virtual Queue
When we first entered the queue, the estimated wait time was around seven hours. Surprisingly, the wait time began dropping rapidly. Within about an hour, our estimated wait was down to only ten minutes, and we were excited that we might actually have a chance to secure our pre-order.
Unfortunately, that's when things started to go wrong.
Website Issues and Multiple Queue Resets
As soon as it became our turn to access the site, Pokémon Center appeared to glitch and sent us back to the end of the line with another seven-hour wait.
We tried again.
And again.
And again.
After going through the process multiple times, we eventually managed to add a Pokémon Pitch Black Booster Box and an Elite Trainer Box (ETB) to our cart. At that point, we thought we were finally in the clear.
However, when we attempted to check out, the website would not process our order. Shortly afterward, the familiar Snorlax error screen appeared, letting us know the site was experiencing issues.
Sold Out Before Checkout
Several hours later, we checked back only to discover that the Pokémon Pitch Black products were no longer available for pre-order.
After spending hours in line and repeatedly being sent back to the queue, it was disappointing to come away empty-handed.
A Common Experience?
We love Pokémon and continue to enjoy collecting cards and products from Pokémon Center. However, this particular pre-order experience was far from ideal.
After sharing our story with other collectors online, it seems we weren't alone. Many fans reported similar issues, including queue errors, website crashes, checkout failures, and products selling out before orders could be completed.
Tips for Future Pokémon Center Pre-Orders
We're still learning the best strategies for navigating high-demand Pokémon Center releases. If you've had success securing pre-orders for products like Pokémon Pitch Black, we'd love to hear your advice.
Have any tips, tricks, or recommendations for future Pokémon Center launches? Let us know in the comments and help fellow collectors improve their chances during the next big release.
