Is Target Requiring Circle 360 Memberships for Pokemon Drops?

Last night, Target listed several new Pokemon products scheduled for a January 25 drop. Many of them were labeled as Circle 360 exclusive, which came as a shock to buyers because Target did not officially announce this policy. Even weirder, they appear to have rolled back the change in less than a day, again with no official announcement. What’s going on?

Target hasn’t officially announced any policy changes. The company hasn’t commented on whether this was an intentional rollout, a technical glitch, or a limited test. The inconsistent implementation and complete lack of official communication has left everyone guessing.

Last night, several of the newly added products suddenly displayed a notice that only Target Circle 360 members could purchase them. This only applied to the most popular and expensive products like the Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra-Premium Collection and Elite Trainer Boxes.

The fact that the restrictions were quietly removed from some products without any official announcement suggests Target either wasn’t ready to implement this or decided against it after seeing the community reaction.

Adding to the confusion, a screenshot of what appears to be a Target email announcing specific membership requirements has been circulating on social media. The supposed email claims only Circle 360 accounts created before May 7, 2025 would qualify and mentions specific early access dates.

This is bogus. First, “[email protected]” is not Target’s customer service email; “[email protected]” is. Second, the language in this email contradicts reality, as the restriction only applied to a handful of Pokemon products on Target’s webstore, not all Pokemon products.

Third, let’s think about this logically. Why would Target implement a restriction like this? To sell Circle 360 memberships. By restricting eligibility to established accounts, it completely defeats the purpose of buying a new membership.

This email has been been passed around and reported by word of mouth enough that some users are posting that Target’s customer service agents are repeating the same information during chats. If that’s even true it’s likely a case of AI hallucination, with Target’s chatbots picking up bogus info and repeating it as fact.

To be clear, there’s two main sources of information for the current snafu: Target’s website showing the requirement on drop day then getting rolled back, and the fake email that’s been circulating online. We can more or less disregard the second, but we should seriously consider the first.

If Target actually implements this policy permanently, it complicates the situation for resellers. A Circle 360 membership is $99 yearly, which would immediately eat into profits. For established resellers with existing Target accounts, any membership requirement could reduce competition and improve chances at scoring limited releases, but any serious reseller or botter would have no issue putting up the scratch for a membership.

And things get even more shaken up if the (extremely unlikely) May 7, 2025 policy is enacted. This would open up the market for established Circle 360 members and shut out many, many others.

The Pokemon reselling and collecting communities erupted when the restrictions appeared. Reddit threads filled with confusion, speculation, and panic. Some users reported being unable to purchase products they’d been planning to flip. Others noticed the restrictions vanishing from their carts mid-checkout.

This isn’t the first time Target has spooked the Pokemon community with surprise restrictions. In 2024, Target experimented with releasing certain Pokemon products exclusively in stores rather than online, then reversed that decision after a few months. Last year, they raised prices to nearly match what resellers were asking before dropping them back to MSRP.

Each time, the community panicked, speculated about permanent changes, then watched as Target quietly walked things back.

Based on the facts and what’s happened in the past, we believe that Target will not be requiring Circle 360 memberships for future Pokemon drops, at least regularly. We think what happened last night was an experimental decision, or maybe even a mistake.

It’s possible that we may see a Circle 360 requirement on certain high-profile releases, but not everything. The lack of official communication is the most telling part. If Target wanted to implement a major policy change affecting one of their most sought-after product categories, you’d expect an announcement. The stealth appearance and immediate reversal suggests either this wasn’t ready for implementation or Target decided against it after gauging community reaction.

If you have an established Target Circle 360 account, you might have an advantage if Target implements membership requirements in the future. Keep that account active and watch for future Pokemon drops.

If you don’t have Circle 360, don’t panic yet. We don’t actually know if this policy is happening, and even if it does, it likely won’t apply to most drops. The rumored account age requirements are probably bogus anyways, and you can join Circle 360 on a monthly basis for $11.

For immediate drops, assume normal rules apply unless you see specific Circle 360 requirements listed on product pages. Don’t miss out on opportunities because you’re assuming restrictions that might not exist.

Based on the information we’ve seen, it would be smart to be prepared for a large Pokemon drop on Target’s website on January 25. It’s possible that Circle 360 members will have early access too.

Is Target implementing permanent Circle 360 restrictions for Pokemon products? Probably not. The fact that restrictions appeared at all suggests internal discussions are happening. But the immediate reversal and complete lack of official communication suggests Target either wasn’t ready or decided against it.

For now, treat this as a warning that Target is experimenting with access restrictions. If you’re serious about flipping Pokemon products through Target, allocating an extra $99 for a Circle 360 account might be in your future. But don’t make decisions based on unconfirmed claims about specific dates and requirements.