In recent months, Amazon’s invite-only system for Pokémon cards has become a bit of a ritual for collectors, and pretty much the only way of getting cards at RRP. If you’re wondering, Amazon invites for high-demand sets like 151, Destined Rivals and Mega Evolution unofficially drop around 9PM BST each time stock is available if you’re in the UK, though it can also be at random times. Worldwide, it’s a bit more random.
The system is meant to level the playing field. Instead of battling scalper bots or lightning-fast restocks, customers can request an invitation directly from the product page. If chosen, they’ll receive an email or app notification offering a limited window, usually 24 hours, to purchase the item.
Some people receive an invite within days, while others wait weeks and never hear back. There’s no transparency about how Amazon decides who gets picked, though speculation ranges from order history and Prime membership to sheer random luck. We’re pretty big buyers here and we don’t honestly get that many invites.
For UK collectors, 9PM BST has become the key time to refresh the inbox. Multiple Reddit threads and Discord groups have noted patterns of emails arriving at that exact hour. Amazon never confirms these timings, and it’d be nuts if they did, but the pattern has been consistent enough that it seems to be the case.
Ultimately, if you’ve requested an invite, patience is the name of the game. There’s no guaranteed window, no secret trick to improve your odds, and no real warning when the next batch will go live. All you can do is keep your eyes open, stay logged in, and hope the RNG gods smile upon you before the bots find a new loophole.
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