Last updated: 07/08/26
At The TCG Group, we are committed to creating a fair and transparent system for distributing high-demand products.
Due to supply constraints and increased demand for certain products, we operate a tiered access system for selected releases. This system prioritises customers who actively support and participate in our gaming communities while allowing wider access over time wherever stock permits.
The tier system may apply to any Trading Card Game or other product considered to be in high demand.
TIER 1 – ACTIVE PLAYERS
Who qualifies:
Customers who regularly participate in our weekly organised play events for a particular game and are active members of that game’s community within our stores.
Only attendance at qualifying weekly organised play events counts towards Tier 1 eligibility. Attendance at special or one-off events—including pre-releases, release events, tournaments, challenges, cups and other occasional events—does not count towards Tier 1 eligibility unless management expressly states otherwise.
Where attendance can be monitored, Tier 1 status is assigned separately for each game. For example, a customer with Tier 1 – Pokémon status will not automatically receive Tier 1 access to a Lorcana release.
For games where weekly organised play attendance cannot yet be reliably monitored, management may grant Global Tier 1 status or use another appropriate method of determining eligibility.
Access may include:
Priority pre-order access once stock allocations are confirmed
Earlier access to selected products
Higher purchase limits
Access to products or allocations reserved for active players
Tier 1 access is not guaranteed for every release and remains subject to stock availability and any release-specific conditions.
TIER 2 – LOYALTY SCHEME CUSTOMERS
Who qualifies:
Customers who:
- Have held a registered loyalty account for more than two months; and
- Have completed at least three qualifying visits within the previous two months
These criteria may be amended at management’s discretion.
What counts as a qualifying visit:
A qualifying visit is normally recorded when a customer:
- Makes a purchase linked to their registered customer account; or
- Attends an organised play event using their registered customer account
Multiple transactions or event attendances on the same day may count as a single visit at management’s discretion.
Access may include:
- Purchasing selected products from the advertised Tier 2 release date
- Access to remaining products after applicable Tier 1 allocations
- Release-specific purchase limits
TIER 3 – GENERAL CUSTOMERS
Who qualifies:
All customers who do not meet the applicable Tier 1 or Tier 2 criteria.
Access may include:
- Purchasing products from a later advertised date
- Access subject to stock remaining after earlier tier allocations
- Release-specific purchase limits
PURCHASE LIMITS
Purchase limits will be set separately for each applicable product or release.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, limits apply per customer and across the company, not per store.
Where management reasonably believes customers are acting together to circumvent a limit, limits may also be applied collectively to a household, family or coordinated purchasing group.
Visiting multiple stores, placing separate orders or using different sales channels does not create an additional allowance.
CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS AND IDENTIFICATION
All purchases of products subject to tiered access or purchase limits must be linked to a valid customer account.
Customers must provide accurate information and must not create or use additional accounts to obtain further allocations.
We may request photographic identification or other reasonable evidence to confirm a customer’s identity, account details, address, household or eligibility.
FAILURE TO LINK A PURCHASE
It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure their account is correctly linked before a transaction is completed.
Purchases that are not linked to the correct account may not count towards tier eligibility, visit history or loyalty benefits.
We may be unable to add visits, tier eligibility or loyalty benefits retrospectively.
BREACHES AND ATTEMPTS TO CIRCUMVENT LIMITS
Attempting to circumvent a purchase limit will be treated as a breach regardless of whether the attempt is successful.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Creating or using multiple customer accounts
- Purchasing from more than one of our stores to exceed a company-wide limit
- Placing separate in-store, online or Click & Collect orders
- Asking another person to purchase on the customer’s behalf
- Coordinating purchases through a household, family or group
- Splitting purchases across multiple transactions
- Providing false or misleading customer information
- Using another customer’s tier status or loyalty account
- Attempting to conceal previous purchases from staff
Where a breach or attempted breach is identified, we may:
- Refuse, reduce or cancel an order
- Cancel associated or outstanding orders
- Require the return of products supplied in error, where appropriate
- Remove or suspend tier privileges
- Restrict access to future releases
- Temporarily or permanently restrict the purchase of sealed products
- Suspend or permanently remove associated customer or loyalty accounts
- Suspend access to organised play events
- Refuse service or access to our stores
Where a loyalty account is permanently removed due to a breach, all TCG-Tokens, rewards and benefits associated with that account will also be permanently forfeited. No cash payment, replacement points or other compensation will be provided for forfeited points or rewards.
We are not required to operate a strike system or issue a warning before applying restrictions. Deliberate, coordinated, fraudulent, serious or repeated breaches may result in an immediate company-wide restriction or ban.
The action taken will be determined by management based on the circumstances and seriousness of the incident.
STOCK AVAILABILITY
Tier status, eligibility or pre-order access does not guarantee that a product will be available.
All products remain subject to confirmed allocations and available stock. We may reduce purchase limits, adjust allocations or cancel orders if our expected supply changes.
COMMUNICATION
Release dates, tier access, purchase limits and product-specific conditions will normally be communicated through one or more of the following:
- Social media
- Discord
- Our website
- In-store notices
- Direct communication with eligible customers
Customers are responsible for reviewing the information published for each release.
MANAGEMENT DISCRETION
Tier eligibility, purchase limits and release arrangements are operated at management’s discretion.
We may amend eligibility requirements, access dates, limits or allocations where reasonably necessary to protect fair access or respond to changes in supply.
Nothing in this policy affects a customer’s statutory rights.
OUR COMMITMENT
This system has been introduced to:
- Reward active members of our gaming communities
- Provide fair access to high-demand products
- Reduce bulk buying and limit circumvention
- Prioritise genuine players and regular customers
- Distribute limited stock as widely and fairly as possible
We will continue to review and adjust the system to ensure that it remains fair and effective.
Customers with questions about their eligibility should speak to a member of staff or contact us directly.