Report empty shelves

An empty shelf check says when you looked and found nothing, without claiming a drop happened or sold out. Other collectors see these times on the store page, so they can avoid checking right after someone else and plan when to look again.

Checks are sent from the store. Add a photo of the empty shelf to show it as verified. Without one, it shows as an unconfirmed tip. Sending without a photo needs the latest app version.

The photo is taken with the in-app camera at the store, like any verification photo: faces are blurred on your phone, it stays private, and it’s deleted after 7 days. At a Pokémon vending machine, a close-up of its screen showing it sold out works too. If camera access is off, you can still send your check without a photo.

1. At the store, open its store page and tap Empty shelves. You can also tap + and choose Empty shelves, or tap Shelves empty? in Report a drop.
2. Choose the collectibles whose shelves you checked. One photo covers them all.
3. Optional: tap Add a photo and step back so the shelf tags or sign and the empty space are in one shot.
4. Tap Send shelf check. If you added a photo, send within a minute of taking it.

The photo needs to show where that collectible is sold, not just any empty shelf. Readable shelf tags, price labels, a trading card or brand sign, the card display or locked case, or a leftover pack all help. A close-up of one bare shelf or peg, a blurry or dark photo, or a shelf elsewhere in the store can’t be confirmed.

If the shelves weren’t empty, tap Saw stock? Report a drop instead and report what you see.

Checks are anonymous: other members see the collectible, the time and whether it was verified, never your name. A verified check means the photo showed the empty section. A check sent from the store without a photo shows as an unconfirmed tip, and so does one whose photo couldn’t confirm it. A collectible the photo showed with product isn’t shown, even when other collectibles in the same check were empty. A photo that wasn’t taken at the store or with the Drop Radar camera, or looked edited, isn’t shown. If the photo check itself can’t run, the check shows as an unconfirmed tip within about two hours.

When a newer drop of that collectible starts at the store, the check reads Restocked since. A check is not a drop and doesn’t send drop alerts, but it can end a live drop that’s no longer on the shelf.

A verified check counts toward your reputation like showing up at the store, within the same daily limits, and toward some Style studio unlocks (each store counts once a day). A check without a photo doesn’t earn points, count toward unlocks or send alerts.

After you send a check you can tap Done and leave, or withdraw it right away; the photo keeps sending on its own. For five minutes after sending you can withdraw a check from its sent screen or from My reports. Its result appears in My reports and as an alert when the photo check finishes.

The photo retries in the background for up to 15 minutes, even if your signal drops. If it can’t get through in time, retrying stops and your check stays an unconfirmed tip. If your phone is offline or has paused the app, the waiting photo is removed when the app or its background task can run again. Signing out also removes it. Check photo status shows how a slow check is doing. Tap Send within a minute of taking the photo, or you’ll be asked to retake it. If the check itself didn’t send, retry the same check rather than starting a new one.

Turn on Empty shelf checks in Settings → Notifications to hear when someone’s photo shows empty shelves at one of My Stores. It’s off unless you turn it on.