'I sold all my Pokémon merchandise and you won't guess what it paid off'

There are all kinds of merchandise available for consumers to buy from their favourite brands, celebrities and retailers. This can include T-shirts, hoodies, bags and collectibles, like action figures and plush toys, to promote a certain brand.

Pokémon is a huge Japanese media franchise that is known worldwide. It is made up of video games, animated series and films and trading cards that can be valuable if they’re rare. A Pokémon fan from the UK sold all their merchandise by the brand and has now been left with an unbelievable sum. Posting on Reddit, the person revealed they have around £130,000 in cash after selling their large personal collection of Pokemon items.

The anonymous fan explained in a post to the r/UKPersonalFinance subreddit that they had been gradually selling off their Pokémon products over time and many buyers paid in cash.

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The sales ranged from £100 to £1,000 and because the amounts seemed relatively small at the time they never questioned the legality or practicality of accepting cash payments.

However, after realising they had accumulated £30,000 in cash, the Redditor began to grow concerned.

They said: "Got to around £30,000 in cash and realised how much of an issue this is. Now I'm £130,000 deep.

“Any advice? Anyone done the same? Do I need an accountant or an advisor? Please help.”

They added they want to use the money to buy a house but large cash deposits, especially when undocumented, can raise red flags for financial institutions.

Under anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, UK banks are required to report suspicious activity, including large or unexplained cash deposits.

The Pokémon fan’s Reddit post has garnered 1,300 upvotes and more than 500 comments.

One stunned user asked: “What on Earth did you have that's gotten you up to £130,000? Ungraded? That's like... £500 base set Charizards.”

Another questioned: “What Pokémon items are these that fetch so much? Wow.” A third user commented: “You started realising at £30,000 you needed to think about it, and waited for another £100,000 of sales before thinking about it again?”

They added: “If you call the bank and explain you have a large sum of cash to deposit from personal sales, you should be able to go in and deposit it.

“But you will be questioned on it so I would be bringing as much evidence as possible. Adverts, messages with customers etc.

“Fingers crossed they accept it. You haven't done anything wrong, but the more info you have the easier it will be.”

Someone else suggested: “Get yourself an accountant and dredge up all information relating to the sales. Banks will want a paper trail for such a large deposit.”

In response to one comment, the Pokémon fan revealed that most of their collection was more than 20 years old as the items were mostly gifted to them when they were a child.

According to HMRC, anyone who has sold a single personal item or collection for more than £6,000 has to tell them as they might have to pay Capital Gains Tax.

This is a tax on the profit when you sell or dispose of something that has increased in value.

An accountant can help small businesses and individuals whose financial affairs are complex and can provide financial advice.