How Do You Sell Pokemon Cards

Option #: A Mix Of Both

Obviously, this is an option, as it is just a mix of what is offered above. Doing this can be beneficial as it is a little taste of both worlds. Here are some reasons why doing a mix of both could be the best choice or what you end up going with.

• Sometimes buylists just have good prices on certain cards, which can be useful to make use of even if you are trying to maximize your payout by selling the cards yourself.
• This option allows you to get quick cash for certain cards, while allowing you to take your time selling others. This can mean being able to cover what you were looking to do with the money, while maximizing some other sales that would not have been made use of right away anyways.
• This is the pinnacle of customization, as doing it this way can allow you to pivot at any moment, decide not to sell, or continue with your plan.
• If you decide to go with a buylist, taking a quick scan of some online groups could allow you to sell some cards at a higher price, prior to dumping the rest for a quick sale.

Honestly, even if this is not your intended route headed into things, it is a good idea to keep your mind open and consider all the options you have. It requires minimal effort in most cases and can mean an easier or more profitable transaction.

When it comes to shipping your cards, you do have options to choose from, but the main things that effect this option are going to be value and size of order.

Other facts:

Should You Keep Your Pokmon Cards And Sell Them Later

The Pokémon TCG is only growing in popularity. As more sets start to become available and others start to decline in their availability, prices will increase over time due to the supply and demand nature of the card market.

Currently, the worth of cards has depreciated. Thus it is worth holding onto your cards until the value of Pokémon cards in general rises again.

It is likely with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s release at the end of the year that the Pokémon TCG will see a significant increase in value, especially within its Diamond, Pearl and Platinum sets.

How To Identify Pokmon Cards

Cards from The Pokémon Company International

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Are Pokemon Cards Easy To Sell

To sell your Pokemon cards with ease, follow these guidelines:

What Are The Most Valuable Pokmon Cards

The rarity and condition of a card will determine how much money you get from it. Cards in mint condition will fetch the most.

According to Heritage Auctions, cards with these features are particularly rare and/or valuable:

• 1st Edition mark: The hallmark is on the center left side of the Pokémon Card. 1 editions cards are the rarest and most valuable among the standard Pokémon cards.
• Shadowless: Cards that dont have a shadow also sell for a premium.
• Error: Cards that have misprints and errors also sell for a substantial premium.

Here are some examples of some of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold:

• In 2020, a Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $230,000.
• Rapper Logic purchased a mint condition Charizard card for more than $220,000.
• A Japanese No. 1 Trainer hologram card sold for $90,000.

Like I said above, you can use the handy tool from Card Mavin to determine the value of your Pokémon cards.

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Where Can I Sell My Pokemon Cards For Money

Where to Sell Pokémon Cards Near Me or Online eBay. eBay is a good place for selling Pokémon cards. Dave & Adams Store. Dave & Adams Store is looking to purchase Pokémon cards, particularly holographic ones. Cape Fear Games. CCG Castle. Craigslist. Sell2BBNovelties.com. 7. Facebook Groups. 8. Facebook Marketplace.

Find A Reputable Buyer

There are tons of people out there who sell Pokemon cards, but not everyone is a certified reseller OR is actively purchasing lots – especially if youre just looking to unload your bulk cards! Make sure that the people youre reaching out to are actively looking to buy lots, and remember that reputation goes a long way when picking who to work with. Do some research, check their eBay reviews, and make sure the resellers youre considering selling your Pokemon cards to are respected in the community! If theyre great to buy from, chances are theyll be great to sell to as well.

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Condition: Did You Take Good Care Of Your Cards

The second important factor in a cards value is the condition. If you do happen to have a first-edition, holographic base-set Charizard, youre not guaranteed thousands of dollars. The selling price depends on how well the card has been taken care of.

If you have a card that you expect is worth more than $100, Pratte recommends getting it graded by Professional Sports Authenticator .

Despite its name, the PSA grades all kinds of trading cards, including non-sports cards like Pokemon. PSAs 10-point grading scale is accepted as the industry standard, and the company also publishes price guides to help you determine a cards worth.

According to its current valuations, first-edition cards in perfect condition are valued at a minimum of $40. Those arent rarer, holographic cards either. A first-edition holo in mint condition can rake in between $1,000 and $24,000.

So why Prattes $100 limit? Well, the number isnt a hard-and-fast rule, but the card-grading services offered by PSA will cost $20 or more per card, meaning a lower-value card doesnt always merit the cost to get it authenticated.

Its a process, says PSA spokesperson Terry Melia. But its something that could reap big rewards in the end.

In addition to grading the condition of the card, PSA ensures the card isnt a forgery by using high-powered lights and magnifying equipment to check for tampering.

There are a lot of forgeries and bogus merchandise out there, says Melia.

Especially so online.

What Are The Most Valuable Pokemon Cards

Some of the most valuable cards come from the Pokemon Base Set. This set was the first expansion pack and was released in English in 1999.

A Charizard Shadowless Holo from the base set is estimated at $2,032. A Blastoise Shadowless Holo comes in at $797.99. These are just some examples of the valuable cards you might come across.

Pokemonprices.com is helpful for learning about other prized cards.

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Pokmon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9

A legendary Pokémon on a legendarily rare Pokémon card

Sold for $144,300 in May 2021

Lugia is one of the most iconic and popular Pokémon in the entire series, having starred on the front of early Game Boy game Pokémon Silver and its Nintendo DS remake SoulSilver. A legendary bird Pokémon from Gen II, Lugia is one of the most powerful and hard-to-find Pokémon that players can catch in the video games – so its only fitting that its Pokémon card is also extremely rare.

The Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 Pokémon card is described by auction house PWCC as one of the most difficult Pokémon cards to grade, as the result of a number of errors and misprints that were included in the early runs of the Neo Genesis set for the Pokémon TCG. Later print runs were corrected, but many of the cards from the expansion remain more common in their earlier uncorrected forms.

As of May 2021, PWCC claims that only 41 Gem Mint 10 condition Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 cards have ever been graded by PSA, with just three earning the maximum BGS 10 Pristine rating from grading company Beckett Grading Services. The Lugias rarity means that it ranks almost as highly as the legendary first-edition Charizard when it comes to the most valuable Pokémon cards.

The Future Of Pokmon Cards

Given this is vintage, the original high graded cards, sealed boxes and packs are scarce. The probability for further profits is strong. Due to demand, desire and drive, the Pokémon Game appears to be safe. Over $10 Billion in card sales since 1996 is staggering.

Long term investing has paid off in a short term for collectors in 2020. So far, the only people losing are the ones who sell too soon. Its a winning proposition due to Pokémon culture being bigger than any competing market. They flat out win. Television, video games, cards, it’s still going strong. The children collecting today know all about the original cards and they covet them. Can you name the top 10 sports cards to own pre-1980? The children collecting today can name the top Pokémon Cards from 1999.

During this recession, prices have only gone up. That was bound to happen regardless, but the speed at which prices have soared is impressive. The only concern moving forward is liquidity drying up, but that would impact the entire card market and more.

The first generation of collectors is dropping record money on these cards because all the indicators show Pokémon is still wildly undervalued. The new investors who research and make rational decisions should see major profits moving forward. If you are selling, make sure you pay close attention to detail.

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Look For Rare Pokemon Cards

Some cards could be worth more than others because they have unique features like holofoil or a special symbol. Other cards may not have many copies.

Heres how to identify rare Pokemon cards.

Rarity Symbols

To determine how common or uncommon a card is, you can look for rarity symbols.

Most Pokemon cards have one of three rarity symbols:

• Stars: Rare
• Diamonds: Semi-rare
• Circles: Common

Cards with a star icon on the back are the rarest and can be worth the most money. You will want to pay closer attention to these rare cards and look for additional special features that add value.

Holofoil

If you collected Pokemon cards as a kid, you likely got excited when a pack of cards contained a holofoil card. They just looked cooler than all the other cards.

Now theres another reason to be excited about holofoil cards. These cards are more valuable than a standard card thats ink-only. The entire Pokemon image may be holographic or only the reverse side.

Rare Letters

Certain card series have rare letters stamped on the front.

Some examples include these stamped letters:

• GX
• LEGEND
• LV.X

These letter stampings can be for recent releases with the United States version of the Sun & Moon set launching in 2016.

Secret Numbers

Some cards may have a secret number that is higher than the actual number. For example, you might have card number 123 of 100 printed cards.

It can be worth your time to have a professional card grader verify the authenticity and condition of rare cards.

Organize Cards By Set

Pokemon has been around for over 20 years. In the United States, there are more than 70 sets from the 1990s until now.

Its best to organize your cards by set and then numerical order. This organization lets potential buyers quickly inspect cards and can help you earn more money since the store doesnt spend time cataloging the cards.

You can find a complete setlist on sites like Pokellector. Creating a free account lets you build a checklist to quickly see which cards you have and the ones youre missing.

There are other apps and websites you can use as well. The best catalogs display the current sales price, letting you estimate how much money you can make by selling the full collection.

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Top Tips In This Article

Scott Pratte, our expert card trader and collector, provided lots of tips to make money selling Pokemon cards. Here is his best advice:

• First edition or New Edition? All kidding aside, we know that you know New Edition is a boy band from the 70s and 80s. Still, you need to know what you have in that box of Pokemon cards. In other words, which are the rare cards and which are not. Do you have one of the original holographic cards? Cha-ching.
• Whats the condition of your cards? If theyve been under the bed in a box so light didnt fade them or the dog didnt get to them, you may be in good shape. Never taken out of the wrapper? More cha-ching. That is whats called mint. All cards in good condition are likely worth more than what you paid for them.
• The best place to sell Pokemon cards? Its eBay all the way. It would be great to sell one card for oodles of money and eBay has facilitated some of that. But if you want a big audience and buyers willing to shell out $30 a pop for your cards, you can rack up sales.
• Think youve got something valuable? Consult the Professional Sports Authenticator and get an estimate. This will put you in a good position to haggle with a buyer, which you should expect to do.

First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4

A very valuable version of a classic fan-favourite

Sold for $369,000 in December 2020

Shiny Charizard has been one of the Pokémon card games most popular cards since it first released in 1999, so theres no surprise that 20-plus years later, it remains one of the most sought-after cards for collectors and fans alike.

While a number of first-edition cards from the Pokémon TCGs early days are worth some money – assuming theyre still in good nick – due to their limited availability and age, this specific version of the holographic Charizard absolutely stands out as one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards ever released.

A PSA 10 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard just sold at auction with an ending bid of $183,812.00 via . Including the 20% buyer’s premium, the total transaction value exceeds $220k. As of now, this is the highest known sale of the card.

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Organize Your Pokemon Cards

To sell cards individually, start by separating them into sets, such as Jungle or Gym Heroes. If you have any complete sets, you can sell them for a higher price, but its okay if you dont.

To determine a cards set, look for the symbol, usually in the lower right-hand corner. There are a ton of different symbols, but there are several websites that will tell you what they mean. For now, sort the cards into sets with matching symbols.

If youre selling a collection, consider organizing the cards based on type: Pokemon, trainer, energy, or miscellaneous.

Check For Valuable Characteristics

Not all cards with the rare symbol are equally rare, with some rare cards being rarer than others.

Other characteristics of a card such as whether its a holofoil or non-holofoil card or if its a card with special abilities, can make it rarer and more valuable.

An easy way to find valuable Pokémon cards is to look for holo cards.

Sometimes these are called:

There are a few different types of Holo Pokémon cards:

• Holo: The Pokémon image is holofoil
• Reverse Holo: The frame around is holofoil, but the Pokémon image itself is not.
• Full Art Holo: The entire card is covered in holofoil graphics.

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Pokemon Card Set Symbols

Use this handy guide to look up Pokemon card set symbols, set names, and set years.

The most common way to organize Pokemon cards is by set. To identify the set, look for a little symbol at the bottom of the card, next to the card number. There are a bunch of these set symbols 5-6 sets are released every year, each with a different set symbol, and theyve been printing cards since 1999!

The following table is a complete list of Pokemon card sets, sorted by date the newest sets are at the top the oldest are at the bottom. If I missed something, let me know if the comments! I want this to be THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR POKEMON CARD SETS!