Pokemon Center UK delays 30th Celebration ETB orders by two months on release

Pokemon Center UK has delayed some Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration orders until November, with customers receiving the news on the same day the highly anticipated anniversary set officially launched.

Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration released worldwide on September 16, bringing a new anniversary expansion filled with foil cards, 30 different Pikachu illustrations, and the mysterious RGB Mew cards. The Pokemon Center Elite Trainer Box was originally among the products scheduled to arrive alongside the set's launch.

Pokemon Center's own estimated preorder schedule was still listing the 30th Celebration Pokemon Center Elite Trainer Box and several other launch products for a mid-September shipment when the page was updated on September 15.

However, customers in the UK are now being told they could be waiting another two months.

A notice sent to a Dexerto employee regarding delayed 30th Anniversary products

Pokemon Center pushes 30th Celebration orders into November

In an email received by a Dexerto employee on September 16, Pokemon Center said that "some products related to your order are taking longer than expected to produce."

"The new estimated ship date for your order will be mid to late November," the email continued.

Pokemon Center also provided a one-time 10% discount code for a future order as a goodwill gesture, valid through December 31, 2026.

The delay is particularly significant for customers who combined multiple launch-day products in the same order. In the Dexerto employee's case, Pokemon Center moved the estimated shipping date for the order itself to November, meaning other products ordered alongside the delayed item are also being held.

https://twitter.com/pokemondealsuk/status/2100251950545531375

Collectors have reported seeing the same mid-to-late November estimate appear on the UK Pokemon Center ETB product page. Reaction on the Pokemon TCG UK subreddit has focused heavily on the timing, with several customers criticizing Pokemon Center for revealing the delay around release day rather than providing more warning.

That new window puts the affected September 16 orders behind products from later 30th Celebration waves. Pokemon Center currently lists Booster Bundles and Mini Tins for early October, for example.

It could even mean some customers receive their 30th Celebration launch orders after the next full Pokemon TCG expansion. Mega Evolution: Delta Reign launches on November 6, several weeks before the later end of Pokemon Center's new shipping estimate.

Pokemon Center UK had already acknowledged that some orders were experiencing processing and shipping delays, but its support page does not give a specific reason for the 30th Celebration ETB delay.