Weekly Shonen Jump Sells Out in Japan as One Piece Card Scalpers Target Blue Box Finale
The 33rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump sold out at bookstores and convenience stores across Japan after scalpers targeted its bonus One Piece Card Game promotional card, leaving many readers unable to purchase the magazine. Publisher Shueisha had increased the print run by 500,000 copies ahead of release in response to demand for the card, but the extra supply was quickly exhausted as resellers bought multiple copies. The shortage particularly frustrated fans of Blue Box, as the issue contained the manga's final chapter after a five-year serialization. While the chapter is available digitally, many readers wanted a physical copy as a keepsake. In an interview with Oricon, a university student admitted buying about 25 copies of the magazine within an hour, reselling the promotional cards for 800 to 1,000 yen each and earning roughly 18,000 yen in profit. When asked about the impact on other readers, he said, "You can read it digitally anyway. I understand why people want the physical copy, but I don't feel like I've done anything wrong." Convenience store employees described the release day rush as unusually intense, with one clerk telling Oricon that customers grabbed copies the moment they were placed on shelves, calling the atmosphere "a little scary."