Boba Hero LV UP

Very well maintained and pleasant. Very large number of stores. Easy access. Average Mall food area.

My mom and I recently picked up the hobby of Pokémon collecting again. She has a list of the card sets we’re looking for, including both Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet. While out to lunch with friends, she noticed a nearby store and decided to stop in to see if they had any of the cards on our list.

The store had some Fusion Strike and Lost Origin packs, which we were excited to find. My mom asked if they sold at MSRP. The store representative mentioned they try to stick close to MSRP for newer products but may charge more for older ones. With her limited knowledge of Pokémon cards (I usually handle purchases), my mom bought 25 Fusion Strike and 25 Lost Origin packs. Initially, she thought the price was $7.50 per pack. Later, she realized it might have been closer to $17.50 per pack. The total was a little over $700 for 50 packs and an Elite Trainer Box (ETB) for Stellar Crown.

The Stellar Crown ETB was an unexpected purchase. My mom isn’t familiar with the different sets and thought it was part of what we needed. I’ll take the blame for that, as Stellar Crown sounds similar to Crown Zenith, which we are collecting. However, it’s disappointing that the store sold Stellar Crown when it was clear my mom was shopping for Sword & Shield products.

After the purchase, my mom called me, excited about the cards she had found. She mentioned the shop name, and I looked it up. When I realized it was Boba Hero (connected to Anime TCG in Woodbridge), I was immediately concerned about the pricing. When she arrived at my home, we opened the packs. Out of 50 total packs, we pulled only one VSTAR card.

Afterward, I asked my mom about the price again, and she told me it was $700 for 50 packs and the Stellar Crown ETB ($60). I contacted the store to see if we could return the ETB, but they said returns weren’t allowed once the product leaves the store, though they did offer an exchange. I declined.

I’m sharing this to help other parents and collectors avoid the same experience. It feels like they take advantage of customers who may not know typical MSRP or market prices for trading cards.

As a collector and father who enjoys Pokémon, I want others to be aware of the potential for overpricing at stores like this. I won’t be visiting again, and it’s disappointing to feel like I need to protect my mom and others from this kind of experience.

Do better.

Love boba and they did so good here!

Cool game store.

They were so rude never going again

Fruit tea with popping bubbles is amazing. The owner, however, forces you to tip by asking you to ‘read the instructions on the pin pad’ multiple times! ?

Good variety

Great selection of anime related swag and more. The owner was super helpful. Good location too. The store was laid out nicely and everything was easy to find. I'm not sure if prices were high, low, or average. Show this place some love.

Enjoyed buying cards here. Look forward to more.

This place is great. Service staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I look forward to many more trips here.

Guy in the store was nice and helpful plus had the right paints :)

The Boba tea was fantastic and the staff was super friendly. They have some regular snacks but some interesting Japanese ones as well and you can take the flavored popping balls with you!!
Come support this place, it does need some help but overall I love it!!

I was lost looking for it and said it was open at 11:00, I checked at 12:30 sunday and was closed

Went in too window shop and had a fantastic experience, Devin was fantastic to talk to, super nice staff! Bought a pack of magic cards and I'm definitely coming back to play some magic!

Interesting shopping place