Throughout the years, we’ve seen hundreds of Pokemon come into existence. Naturally, this means that there are even more Pokemon TCG cards out there, just waiting for you to get your hands on them. While the simplest way to buy Pokemon cards is to head to the store and buy them, you can also get them online.
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As with buying anything online, there are some things (such as scammers) that you’ll need to look out for. Thankfully, we’re here to help if you’ve never bought Pokemon cards online before. Here, you can find some tips to safely buy real cards without a hassle.
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Verify The Website/Shop
While there are tons of legit shops out there that sell Pokemon cards, there are also several websites that aren’t as legit. These types of sites may sell fake Pokemon cards, or even just never send you what you paid for.
Most people can spot these fake websites after looking at the title or layout, but if you are ever stumped when looking at a page, do some research. Consider googling the name of the shop and seeing if anyone is talking about it on Reddit.
By shop, we mean resellers on websites like eBay and Etsy. Some people offer Pokemon cards on marketplaces like this, so you’ll need to verify that they are real.
This holds true for shopping pretty much everywhere, but before you start your search for Pokemon cards, consider making a list of some priorities. Do you really want an exclusive Mew card with gorgeous artwork? Or are you looking to complete a collection and just need one little Sunkern?
Whatever you need, it’s important to set some goals. This lets you browse with intention, rather than just scrolling through all the options. If you just go to a website and scroll until you see someone you want, you may not see certain Pokemon that you had in mind.
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Research Average Selling & Buying Prices
While the price that you pay for a Pokemon card ultimately comes down to what you value it as, there are still average buying and selling prices for each card. On PriceCharting, you’ll be able to see the prices of certain Pokemon cards, with a helpful graph showing the price over time.
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For example, an ungraded Sunkern from the Neo Destiny series was recently sold for $1.42 USD (at the time of this publication). If you are seeking an ungraded Neo Destiny Sunkern and see it priced way above this, it may not be worth it.
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Learn About Pokemon Card Grading
Pokemon cards can be graded, which essentially indicates what condition they are in. The scale goes from one to ten, with one being poor condition and ten being mint condition. As expected, cards with a higher grade will cost more.
You can buy ungraded cards, like the Sunkern mentioned above, but you’ll also see a variety of prices based on the grade. Thankfully, PriceCharting displays this information as well. For example, Charizard Ex (from Scarlet and Violet – 151) was recently sold ungraded for $232 USD, but a grade ten sold for a whopping $860 USD.
You can see grade ten listed as “PSA 10” from time to time. This means Professional Sports Authenticator. This is a company that professional grades cards and memorabilia (including autographs and sports memorabilia). Some sellers can pay this company to professionally grade cards.
So, a Charizard Ex with a PSA 10 means that the seller paid to have it graded, and it’s confirmed to be in mint condition.
People around the world are always looking to get their hands on some Pokemon cards. As such, Reddit is a wonderful source of information. The Pokemon TCG subreddit is filled with people asking questions and showing off their cards.
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While making a post to ask about a specific card’s worth isn’t allowed, you can participate in the weekly thread for anything related to buying, selling, pricing, and grading. It’s also worth scrolling through this thread to see what others are asking; you may have the same question!
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Learn How To Spot A Fake
Unfortunately, it’s just a fact that there are people out there who try and sell fake Pokemon cards. First and foremost, compare the Pokemon card to a real one. Buying online means that you won’t be able to hold the cards until you buy them, but there may be visual differences.
You can see the official art of a cart on the PriceCharting page, so if there are any differences here, then the card you are looking at may be fake. Beyond this, there are other indicators of a fake card. We highly suggest looking at this guide from AshetoAhes7 on Reddit, which fully goes over how to spot fakes (with example images).
If a card is PSA 10, then it’s official!
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Buying In Bulk
Buying individual cards is fine, but what if you want to buy in bulk? Generally, buying in bulk costs less than buying individual cards. Rather than spending your money on one card, the same money can be used to buy dozens of other cards. By doing this, you can’t guarantee that they will be valuable, but it’s a great way to build up our collection.
While it’s possible to buy in bulk from websites and marketplaces, we also suggest checking out your local community. We checked out a local Facebook group, and there were several people selling bulk Pokemon cards. Facebook Marketplace also has people selling cards that they may just want to get rid of.
Who knows, you may even find a mom just trying to sell old cards from a kid. If you have the time and patience, you can sift through these and potentially even find something amazing.
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