It’s certainly no secret that the unprecedented explosion of the sports collectibles industry has dramatically impacted seemingly every conceivable part of the business, including manufacturing, distribution, fulfillment, protective supplies, grading services and, perhaps most strikingly, the mass retail marketplace.

Simply, current market conditions have created never-before-seen scenes that include release-day lines wrapped around stores, wild, seemingly uncontrollable crowding in trading card sections and, not long thereafter, barren shelves. Collectively, those situations have led to, among other things, policy changes by some stores, rampant speculation, and misinformation and hard feelings among many collectors. Today, Panini America officials aim to set the record straight with some simple facts.

• Target and Walmart continue to be Panini America retail partners and Panini America works closely with retail distributors to service those accounts.
• Panini America officials take feedback regarding alleged improprieties seriously and research credible complaints thoroughly. If action is required, Panini America takes it. That process will continue.
• Target has made some policy changes to ensure the safety of store guests: As of April 30, Target is selling trading cards only on Fridays and is limiting guests to only one-unit purchases.
• Please reach out to your local Target store to learn specifically how they are implementing the policy and how you can purchase Panini America product.

“We really are in uncharted waters right now; that’s a fact,” said D.J. Kazmierczak, Panini America’s Vice President of Sales and Product Development. “When it comes to the retail marketplace, we’re seeing things we’ve never seen before in this industry — most of it’s great, some of it’s not — and we’re doing everything we can to protect the short-term and long-term viability of the retail sector.”