Selling Pokemon Cards On Ebay

Where To Go From Here

I should probably clarify that I am by no means an expert. Perhaps an above-average informed enthusiast, at best. My biggest piece of advice is to guard yourself against overvaluing your cards and/or overvaluing a card youre interested in purchasing. This is seemingly rampant in the industry, and it doesnt factor in well to your bottom line when you try to flip cards that people dont value the same way you do especially when those people are professional card graders.

Fortunately, I found a money-making gig that not only helps pay the bills, it also extinguishes the urge to constantly rip open expensive packs with no way to recoup my entire paycheck. And at the end of the day, Ive still got a bunch of inventory to sell, so stay tuned to see where it goes from here.

If this is the first story youve read about Pokemons pandemic boom, I urge you to hop over to YouTube and dwell on the likes of Leonhart and PokeRev as they serenade you with memories of the Pokemon glory days. From daily pack openings, card gradings, and general goofing off, I thank them for hours of cool content over the past 6 months I got to enjoy while locked up at home.

What about you? Have you bought or sold Pokemon cards with some level of success? Let us know what other tips you have for snagging deals or getting the most out of your cards in the comments below.

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New York Collectors are paying record amounts of money for trading cards of top athletes, including LeBron James, Tom Brady and Mike Trout. They’re also trying to get their hands on all the Pokémon cards they can.

Get The Packaging Materials

To go-to place for most of what you need would be Amazon, or if you dont want to wait, a local stationary store such as your local games/hobby store.

Here is in my opinion on what you need depending on the value of the cards youre shipping. Ive provided links to each of the items.

For the firm cardboard, I tend to just find a box that Ive received something in lying around and cut or tear two pieces off to make do.

You may come across semi rigid card protectors, however, these are easier to bend. Its always best to play it safe and go for the less flexible option, especially if shipping Pokemon cards in a bubble mailer.

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Find The Set The Card Belongs To

If there is no logo on the right side, its Base. Every other set has an indicator.

When looking into what set a card belongs to, make sure to see if there is any logo on the right side, just underneath and to the right of the illustration. If there is no symbol, the likelihood is that its a Base set card.

There have been error cards that do not have a symbol, so make sure the year matches with the set.

How To Properly Ship Trading Cards As The Seller

If this doesnt belong and you happen to know a better place to ask this question, please let me know.

Im trying to sale some trading cards on e-bay, namely pokemon cards, but am confused on the shipping. I was planning to use bubble 6×9 envelopes to mail them in, but when trying to list the item it wont let me select envelope dimensions. I also have some video games that I was planning to ship in slightly larger bubble mailers.

What would be the best way to ship the trading cards? One of the problems is that some of them sell for so little that if I make any mistakes with shipping, Ill be out money instead of making it. Are bubble mailer envelopes ineligible to buy postage through ebay, and are they a good idea to use in the first place? Ive heard that the 6×9 bubble mailers can be mailed using special stamps for around $1.20-2.50? Is that anywhere near correct?

Im not used to selling much on e-bay and Im just trying to find the best and cheapest method to ship everything in. Again, the main thing Im confused on is using bubble mailers and the 2 things Im wanting to ship are trading cards & video games .

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Collecting The Pokemon Tcg

Even though there is a seemingly endless number of cards you can collect, you can learn the game and have hours of fun by picking up a few theme decks. Again if you are new to the Pokemon TCG and want to give it a try, we recommend grabbing a few of the newest theme decks, like these below.

Given the number of previously released cards, we also do not recommend trying to catch up by buying booster boxes from older sets. If there are older cards that catch your eye , you can buy individual cards from websites like TCGPlayer.com.

If you play the game and love it, the best way to expand your collection is by keeping up with future sets. Some players only buy a handful of packs when a new set releases and buy the rest of the cards they want as singles. Most, however, buy anywhere between one and three boosters boxes every time a new set is released. How many boxes you buy really depends on your budget and the experience you want to have.

Buying one booster box is enough to give you a variety of cards from a set. This will let you get a feel for the new cards and inform your decision to purchase more packs or buy specific singles. This is a great way to go, particularly if you only plan to play across the kitchen table or are really just looking to enjoy the game with friends and family.

What Influences Pokemon Card Prices

Before we get into the best places to sell Pokemon cards, we have to go over how Pokemon cards are valued and what makes expensive cards have such ridiculous price tags.

Generally, Pokemon cards are influenced by a few different factors:

Each of these 4 factors can have a dramatic effect on the pricing of the cards, with condition being the overarching factor that can obviously destroy your chances of ever selling a card.

Condition is determined by a few things such as scratches, creases, wear, tear, and liquid damage. You can view a more detailed guide here.

Rarity is determined by the symbols and numbers displayed on the bottom right corner of the card or the bottom right corner of the picture .

Circles or diamonds arent worth much, while stars and first edition symbols can be very rare.

Edition is determined by special types of cards that were made as part of a unique set. First edition cards are amongst the rarest Pokemon cards in the world.

Overall demand is pretty self-explanatory. If there is an abundance of a specific card, then it obviously wont be worth much. This somewhat ties in with the rarity of the card.

Ultimately, the goal is to find Pokemon cards that are first edition, rare, and have the highest grade possible: PSA 10 Mint, which basically means its a card that went straight from pack opening into a protective sleeve and has never been handled.

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Will Pokemon Cards Go Up In Value

Pokemon cards will increase in value over time. 1st edition Pokemon trading cards are the most desirable to collectors, though in order to sell for anywhere close to thousands of dollars they must be officially graded in mint condition. The price of almost any Pokemon card will increase somewhat over time.

How Much Can You Sell Pokmon Cards For

Once you have decided where to sell your Pokémon cards and have sorted every set-out, the next question is, how much can you sell your cards for? Some of the error cards are worth a lot of money. The prices range anywhere from $3.00 to $11,000 on eBay.

Some base card sets can be worth up to $200,000. If they are the first edition, you may have found a top seller because it is limited.

The Pikachu trainer trophy cards are worth up to $100,000. These are hard to find. The Holographic Shadowless First Edition Charizard is one of the top-selling cards worth up to $11,999.

If you think you have a top dollar card, do some research and have it graded.

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Selling Pokemon Cards On Ebay Final Thoughts

Selling Pokemon cards is just another example of yard sale arbitrage. You win some and you lose some The pic on the left below is of the box of Pokemon cards my wife bought for $5. The pic below on the right are all the cards Im hoping to sell for $1 $2 each .

Box o Pokemon Cards Whole box for $5

Hope to Sell these for ~$1-$2 each

What Makes Pokmon Cards Valuable

Several factors determine valuable cards. These include the cards condition, including the rarity of the cardthe edition of each card and the overall demand of the cards. Several factors can have a significant effect on how much a card is worth.

The condition of your cards is the top factor for the price. The cards state includes scratches, creases, any wear and tear, and any other damage.

You want to find a rare or first edition card in your collection. These are worth more money and should be a goal to have. However, you want to get your card graded by a professional sports authenticator if possible.

You may think a card is in mint condition, but a professional can give you an accurate grade. Once you have gotten your collection graded, you can list the cards to sell online.

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How Do I Store My Collection

To preserve the value of your collection, proper storage is imperative. You can store your collection in a sleeved folder or in sleeves within a cardboard box, though the latter is typically the preferred method.

• Sleeved Folders: Sleeved folders protect your collection against damage and allow for optimal viewing of the cards. You should avoid storing your collection in extreme heat, as temperature changes within a sleeved folder can cause your collection to warp.
• Individual Sleeves: Those collecting for the value that the single cards hold should consider storing their collection in individual sleeves. It is also important to note that the clarity and quality of sleeves vary between manufacturers.

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How To Ship Pokemon Booster Packs

Shipping a Pokemon Booster Pack is kind of similar to shipping Pokemon Cards.

What with booster pack tampering being a hot topic in the Pokemon Trading Card Game community at the moment, its wise to actively try and avoid any physical damage occurring to the booster pack to prevent suspicions being raised .

To safely and securely ship a Pokemon Booster Pack, place it on a semi-rigid protector, and then place enter it into a protective bag to hold the protector and the Pokemon Booster Pack in place.

The image below displays this method. In more detail, simply place the Pokemon Booster Pack against the rigid card protector and then place them both in the protective bag.

If you want to purchase the rigid card protector and protective bags I am using in the image above, follow the links below:

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Graded Card Tracking Tools

An alternative option when selling your Pokemon cards is to grade them first.

Ive written extensively on the topic, so you might find these articles useful if youre new to the grading process.

Ultimately, by grading them you can potentially add value to the cards and sell them for more in the long-term.

Note: Grading cards takes a long time. Because there was such an increase in popularity, grading companies have a large backlog to work through. If you want to sell your cards imminently, this probably isnt for you. However, if youre willing to wait, this has the potential to make a greater return further down the line.

Once youre cards have returned, again you can look at eBay last sold prices, but theres another tool Im very fond of too.

PokemonPrice.com allows you to see how much particular PSA graded cards sold for, and it tracks the sales over time.

For example, here are the recent sales for a 1st Edition Base Set Alakazam Holo card.

Note the PSA grade in column two, and the sold price in column 3.

In my opinion, this is an incredibly useful tool for getting an idea of how much your cards might be worth if graded. The only caveat is that the Pokemon card market fluctuates, and just because cards sell for this price now, it doesnt mean they will when you finally get your cards back.

However, if youve got cards that match 2 or 3 of the criteria below, I would probably get it graded. Personal opinion of course!

Shadowless First Edition Charizard

Another misprint in early Pokémon cards is that Charizard didnt shadow some of the earlier prints. These cards vary in value based on their condition, but the average price is around $1,200.

In October of 2020, controversial YouTuber Logan Paul started showing an interest in buying and selling Pokémon cards.

He purchased a shadowless first edition Charizard, in all of its holographic glory, for $150,000.

The Pokémon card selling and buying markets went haywire, with thousands of more people getting into the game of buying and selling.

Because of this, the price of some cards is highly inflated right now.

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Sell Pokmon Cards On Ebay

eBay is usually seen as risky and, at most times, a market full of inferior quality products. However, this online market is perhaps one of the best ways to sell rare cards.

eBay offers a range of buying and selling options for cards. eBay’s bidding option is probably the best way to sell your cards, with eBay giving you the option to set a minimum price threshold for bids.

Although selling cards with the websites buy it now function is also an effective way of selling, rarer cards are better suited to auctions. Collectors in their droves use eBay to fill out their collections therefore, the online market is a collectors paradise. Thus, getting a high sell on your beloved cards should not be a problem under bidding rules.

Similarly, it is also recommended to use eBay if you are selling your cards in bulk, as the website makes it simple to sell a large number of cards in a cost-effective and streamlined way.

Notable examples of cards sold on eBay include a first edition shadowless Charizard, which sold for over $300,000, with other graded rare first edition cards selling for over $1000.

Do Your Research To Determine Your Pricing

Do your research on the pricing of Pokémon cards before you try to sell your own. When you sign up with some selling platforms like TCG Player, you can get some suggestions on pricing. Sites like Pokémon Prices, where you enter the name of a card and find what it is currently sold for on the market, can help you come up with prices.

You may also benefit from looking at other online platforms that sell cards to see what the prices look like for certain cards. It helps to scope out the competitors who are also selling and gives you an idea of what you may want to charge.

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What Are The Top 10 Rarest Pokmon Cards

• Ex Deoxys GOLD STAR HOLO Rayquaza #107.
• Ex Deoxys GOLD STAR HOLO Rayquaza #107.
• 1999 Japanese Tropical Mega Battle NO.
• 1999 Japanese Tropical Mega Battle NO.
• EX Dragon Frontiers GOLD STAR HOLO Charizard #100.
• EX Dragon Frontiers GOLD STAR HOLO Charizard #100.
• Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind PROMO card.

Should You Sell Them In Sets

Another option many consider when selling is whether or not they should put the Pokémon into matching sets before selling them. This could mean selling a collection of the evolutions or selling a set of each printing of Goldeen.

If you think you can increase your value and your likelihood of selling by doing this, try it! Its just vital that you do your research on these sets first before looking at where to sell Pokémon cards.

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Research Bulk Pokemon Card Pricing So You Know What To Expect

If youre selling a bulk set of cards to a reseller you should be prepared to get bulk pricing for those cards, which is typically a fixed-rate based on the type of card . Its important to understand that bulk rates are always going to be much lower than the market value for that card, and for good reason! When you sell to a reseller theyre turning around and putting in the time, money, and effort to sell those cards individually for a profit , and in order for that to be worth it they have to be able to mark those cards up significantly. Bulk Pokemon card rates can vary by company, but for most places youll see prices in the following ranges:Vintage Commons – 5 cents to 10 cents per cardVintage Uncommons – 10 cents to 25 cents per cardVintage Rares – 50 cents to $1 per cardModern Commons/Uncommons – 1 cent to 4 cents per cardModern Rares – 2 cents to 5 cents per cardModern Holos/Reverse holos – 10 cents to 20 cents per cardKeep in mind that card condition plays a big factor in which side of that range your cards will fall in – for example, a LP rare may be valued at 50 cents, while that same card in NM condition would be valued closer to $1.