Best Place to Sell Pokemon Cards

Some may be surprised to learn that Pokemon is the biggest media franchise ever created.

The size of it is bigger than Mickey Mouse, Star Wars, Mario, and Harry Potter, and it doesn’t even come close. Since 1974, when The Pokemon Company last reported earnings figures, Pokemon was a cool $20 billion ahead of Hello Kitty ($88.5 billion in revenue).

In addition, this does not take into account The Pokemon Company’s relentless printing of cards since the pandemic hit in March of 2020, as demand has reached dizzying heights. An iconic 1st Edition Base Set Charizard card sold for $420,000, while a Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $5,275,000.

In light of all of this, ask yourself: Could you be sitting on a childhood treasure tucked away in a closet for nearly twenty years?

It’s unlikely you have anything worth that much, but there are dozens of vintage and modern cards worth hundreds of dollars, even in poor condition.

Whether you’re new to the hobby or have been out for a little while, I’ll tell you where to sell your Pokemon cards for cash, how to spot the rare ones, and how to get the most money.

Online Pokemon Card Stores You Can Trust

Even though Pokemon cards can be sold in person, the best (and most profitable) places to sell them are online. Due to their wide reach and greater potential for finding deeper pockets, online marketplaces offer a better opportunity to find deep pockets.

Here are the best picks:

• eBay: Best Overall
• Mercari: Best Promotional Tools
• TCGplayer: Best Research Tools
• Facebook Groups: Best for Low Fees
• Troll and Toad: Best for Quickly Selling a Collection

eBay

eBay, one of the world’s most well-known online marketplaces, has intentionally sought to position itself as the best place to sell Pokemon cards. The dominance of eBay in the Pokemon TCG space continues to expand as the platform now sells millions of cards each year, with sales increasing 574% YoY.

We offer sellers more listing and safety features and better access to relevant buyers than anywhere else on the planet, so they can rest assured that their precious possessions will be offloaded in the best way possible.

Pros:

• Potential buyers from all over the world (domestic and international).
• The gold standard for determining the fair market value of a card is to use recent eBay comps – also known as comparison prices.
• Cards can be photographed, described, and listed in an organized fashion through a listing interface.
• Enhance listing visibility with promoted listing options.
• In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of days sellers have had to return items (3 days).
• We are the only platform to offer 50% or more total value protection against false or abusive claims from buyers.
• For cards valued at $250 or more, there is an authenticity guarantee.
• High-volume sellers will find these tools and templates helpful.

Cons:

• When compared to alternative platforms, fees tend to be on the higher side; around 15% of the sale price.
• The competition for organic visibility in the selling space is fierce between smaller and larger brands.
• The process of creating listings can be time-consuming.

Almost all Pokemon card sellers follow a “buyer-friendly” stance, meaning that, in cases of disputes, they try to protect the buyer. eBay, however, takes a more neutral stance, and in some cases will even side with the seller.

Mercari

Mercari is another great website for selling your Pokemon cards online if you’re looking for another place to sell them.

It is only through Mercari that sellers are able to get top dollar for their collection, thanks to unique promotional tools.

Put a price on your collection that you think is slightly higher than the market value of your cards, then let Mercari incrementally lower it until you find a buyer.

With the promotional setup, your listing gets an algorithmic boost whenever the price is dropped to attract fresh new viewers.

If your collection sells at a price that you’re unhappy with, their floor price feature protects you from the downside.

If you reach the floor point of your listing and don’t get any sales or leads, simply delete it, reassess the market value of the cards, and recreate it for a fresh algorithmic boost.

Pros:

• The best promotional tools available (“Promote to Everyone” and “Offer to Likers”).
• A simple user interface for sellers (snap pictures, describe, and list).
• The seller has modest shipping protections (up to $200).
• The final sale value is often a bit higher than the market value/competing selling platforms.
• Commercial selling enterprises cannot compete with each other.

Cons:

• Transacting over $2,000 is difficult (it is difficult to sell a valuable collection in one go).
• On high-value items, shipping protection of only $200 can leave sellers exposed.
• There are no bulk listing tools available. Ideally suited for selling entire collections or single cards at once.
• Only domestic shipping is available (no international sales).

TCGplayer

A number of apps exist for flipping everything from clothes and jewelry to tech gear and golf clubs – but there are also trading card apps.

In that case, TCGplayer comes in handy.

With its easy-to-use app and price guide that helps novices and experts alike value their card collections, TCGplayer is the largest niche card marketplace in the world. The price guide and seller tools on TCGplayer are well integrated, much like eBay’s.

However, even though the user interface is a bit cluttered and can lead to information overload, the platform remains an excellent way for sellers to reach millions of potential buyers. In addition to offering buyers a one-stop shop for millions of cards, TCGplayer Direct offers free shipping on orders over $35 and an Amazon-like experience.

Pros:

• The world’s largest marketplace exclusively for trading cards.
• Enhanced visibility for trusted sellers due to their excellent track record (like Amazon).
• Sellers can price their cards quickly using a proprietary price guide.
• In order to spot emerging price trends, research tools display historical price data.
• There are options for selling domestically and internationally.

Cons:

• It is possible for high-value cards to have stale sales data.
• It relies on accurate seller descriptions and stock photos rather than actual product images (which can lead to buyer dissatisfaction if the card received does not match the buyer’s mental image).
• It can be overwhelming to use the buy and sell interface. There is a bit of a learning curve compared to other selling platforms.

Pokemon Facebook Groups

It’s undeniable that Pokemon-oriented Facebook Groups are a great place to sell Pokemon cards online, thanks to low seller fees and high purchase intent.

The purpose of these groups is for collectors to get together and share their collections, chat, and, of course, buy and sell Pokémon cards. You must be careful to strictly follow the rules – every group will differ – or else you will be permanently removed from the community. There are a lot of acronyms and seller lingo, so don’t be surprised if it all seems a bit confusing at first.

Frequently used terms include:

• FS/NFS: For Sale/Not for Sale
• FT/NFT: For Trade/Not for Trade
• OBO: Or best offer
• G&S: Short for PayPal Goods & Services (the preferred and safest method when paying for cards).
• Pop: Short for population (the number of graded cards in existence).
• ISO/WTB: “In search” of or “want to buy”
• HP, MP, LP, NM, M: Heavy, moderate, or light play; near mint or mint (more on determining card condition below).

One of the biggest advantages here is the personal element. Card sales or trades can be quickly arranged in comment sections and direct messaging that don’t appear on the larger exchanges.

Pros:

• Nearly every other platform charges nearly 15% in G&S fees, a far cry from PayPal’s 3.5%.
• By facilitating real-time conversations, confusion is reduced and information is easily exchanged (including additional images of cards).
• All group members are prospective customers with high buyer intent.
• It is generally understood that market value is the value of the arrangement unless otherwise noted.

Cons:

• There are fewer protections for sellers, especially if they accept payment methods other than PayPal G&S.
• It can be tedious and labor-intensive to list individual cards, but it can be even more so for high-volume sellers.
• There is a greater risk of beginners getting scammed.

Troll and Toad

Would you be willing to accept a little less money to avoid the hassle of photographing, describing, and listing individual cards or entire lots on the major selling platforms? If so, you’ll enjoy Troll and Toad.

Troll and Toad is one of the more recognizable names in the industry, allowing sellers to build a “Buylist” of their cards. A cash offer price will be given based on the condition and quantity of a particular card Troll and Toad are looking for.

In order to ensure your cards arrive at their headquarters in good condition and quantity, you must send them to their headquarters after completing your card list. Cash payment will be issued within 5 business days if everything checks out. There will be a decrease in payout if there is a discrepancy or an overstated condition on the card. As Troll and Toad are not out to nickel and dime people on subjective card condition determinations, there is some leeway here.

As a bonus, Troll and Toad offer sellers a 25% payout boost if they choose to receive store credit instead of cash. Get a sizeable discount on your future purchase if you’re looking for a holy grail to add to your collection.

Pros:

• With no research required, you can sell an entire collection for just below market value.
• Cashout option available with +25 % store credit sales.
• Cards do not need to be photographed or described.
• Once shipping is complete, it is done.
• In about a week, you will have cash in hand.

Cons:

• You won’t get top dollar for your collection or card.
• The prices are fixed and cannot be negotiated.
• Shipping and handling costs are the responsibility of the customer.

Facebook Marketplace

Selling Pokemon cards at local locations is easy with Facebook Marketplace, an online/in-person medium.

One of the biggest benefits? An in-person transaction does not involve any listing or selling fees.

Facebook’s own Messenger system will facilitate communication between you and interested buyers once you create a listing, upload pictures, and set a price and all the relevant details. Be firm with your asking price, or shoot a little high knowing buyers are likely to look for deals. Once a price has been agreed upon, set up a safe meeting spot and complete the transaction as soon as possible.

Alternatively, you can set up Facebook Shop and add payment details, gaining access to millions of potential buyers. Each item shipped from your shop will be charged a 5% transaction fee, which is significantly lower than the nearly 15% charged by eBay, Mercari, and similar digital marketplaces.

A small benefit of selling this way is that your listing is algorithmically pushed to potentially interested parties for free (Facebook harvests the most interest-based data in the world, so this is a big plus). To gain listing visibility over your competitors, you don’t have to “pay to play,” as you might on other platforms.

Local Card Store

Although you may not get the best price on single cards at a local card store (LCS), there are other benefits beyond just the dollar amount. Additionally, your LCS may be able to provide you with insider information about stock dates, a friendly phone call when a card of interest hits the shelves, or even a store credit bonus on sold goods if you plan on making a purchase there in the future.

Owners of LCSs are typically resellers themselves, and will naturally need to make money on any acquisitions they make. Do not be offended if they aren’t interested in your bulk cards or your entire collection if you don’t receive offers between 50-70% of the true market value.

In the end, no one has your best interests in mind but yourself, so don’t hesitate to come back later on in the week after you’ve contemplated an offer for a while.

Pawn Shop

When you’re in a pinch, you might need to make money fast.

The next most realistic way to sell Pokemon cards in person is at a local pawn shop if you don’t have access to a local LCS.

It is reasonable to expect offers here at 30% to 60% of market value, and generally only for higher-end cards. Since pawn shops don’t have as targeted a clientele as an LCS, they tend to accept more popular cards in order to keep them off the shelves.

Safari Zone

In modern sets, it takes many more opened packs to pick up the rarest cards because “hit” rates were skewed across a wide range of rarities.

The result is that you end up with hundreds, if not thousands, of newly acquired, low-value Pokemon cards sitting on your desk. When you do not collect master sets of cards, or if you find yourself with dozens of duplicates, you’re probably wondering how you can sell them all while getting a fraction of what you paid for them.

Safari Zone can help you with that.

You can sell them just about any modern card (from 2003 or later) for PayPal cash or store credit fairly quickly.

Pay Rates (at time of writing):

• Any Common/Uncommon: $0.02 each
• Any Rare: $0.08 each
• Any Holo: $0.12 each
• Any Basic Energy: $0.01 each
• Any GX: $1.75 each
• Any V: $1.00 each
• VMAX: $1.75 each
• Any Full Art Trainer: $1.00 each
• Any Rainbow Rare: $2.50 each
• Any Gold Rare: $1.50 each

There is a requirement that the cards must be in near-mint condition and correctly sorted by the categories listed above. It’s then just a matter of packaging them up and mailing them in bulk to their submission center.

To get started, fill out their bulk submission form.

Sell2BBNovelties

Sell2BBNovelties is one of the few places that accept vintage Wizards of the Coast set bulk (sets from mid-2003 and earlier) while Safari Zone offers some of the most competitive prices on modern Pokemon card bulk.

The standards are somewhat high, as they’re looking for mint cards, but it eliminates the hassle of selling small-time cards for $0.50 on eBay and packing them up, and shipping them out one by one. Furthermore, they’re able to handle any volume you have, and they’ll process your order and vet your card quickly.

Selling Requirements:

• Mint condition is required (“No bends, creases, scratches, marks, white edges, folds, etc.”)
• Foreign or fake cards are not allowed (English only)

Pay Rates (at time of writing):

• Holos: $0.15 each
• Reverse Holos: $0.05 each
• Rares: $0.04 each
• Commons/Uncommons: $0.03 each
• Energy Cards: $0.005 each (2 cards for $0.01)

Selling your collection is easy at their shop.

The Beginner’s Guide to Selling Pokemon cards

When it comes to selling Pokemon cards, you may have a few questions beyond just where to sell them if you’ve never sold one before. Listed below are several tips for sorting, pricing, and selling your cards for maximum profit.

Organize Your Cards by Set

Starting by sorting your cards by set will help you understand how to sell Pokemon cards online for cash.

A good friend you can always turn to if you are unsure what set a particular card comes from is Google.

Type in the card’s name and append the corresponding set number, which is usually found near the bottom right or left border of the card.

Immediately after searching, you will be able to see which set the card belongs to.

As an example, a search for “Bulbasaur 44/102” reveals this card was printed as part of the original 1999 Pokemon Base Set. There are 102 cards in this set, and this is card 44.

With an estimated 3 billion cards produced, the 1999 Pokemon Base Set Unlimited print run was the largest and most widely recognized trading card set ever made.

To get an idea of what your cards might be worth, sort your cards by sets to make it easier to use price guides and online sources.

Sort Your Cards According to The Rarity

The next step is to sort your cards by their printed rarity symbols once you’ve sorted them by set. In close proximity to the card and set number are the symbols.

The age of your Pokemon cards won’t matter here, since old and new cards follow the same system.

Unfortunately, the symbols can be quite small and are often hard to see, so it may be easier to reference the chart below.

A Guide to Valuing Your Pokemon Cards

It’s tempting to offload your collection for thousands of dollars, but sellers must be realistic about their collection’s condition and what they’re sitting on. In order to sell your beloved cards for the most money, you must learn how to assess card condition and pair that with price data that is readily available.

Evaluation Of the Card’s Condition

It is an essential skill that one must become proficient at to accurately determine a card’s condition.

There can be deep dissatisfaction, refund requests, and nasty feedback on public profiles when the seller’s stated condition does not match the buyer’s assessment.

When looking at a card’s condition, Christian at TheGamer highlights the types of damage to look for.

Identifying objective types of damage makes it easier to determine the overall condition once you have a fairly good idea of how to do so.

Card Condition Guide

• Near Mint to Mint (NM-Mint) = Few to zero easily detectible imperfections such as nicks on edges, corner whitening, or light surface scratching. For holographic cards, it is generally acceptable to have minor imperfections such as superficial scratching, print lines, or clouding.
• Light Play (LP) = A card in this condition will have several minor imperfections such as nicks, minor scuffing, edge wear, clouding, and/or light scratches.
• Moderate Play (MP) = A card in this condition has significant wear including diffuse edge wear, nicks, scratches, clouding, or scuffs.
• Heavy Play (HP) = A card in this condition is defaced in a way that could make it unplayable in tournaments, even in a sleeve. This damage will include heavy wear such as creases, dents, scratches, bends, scuffs, ink, water damage, clouding, and/or other types of damage.
• Damaged (DMG) = A damaged card is altered in a way that it is most likely unplayable in tournaments, even in a sleeve. This damage may include heavy wear, creases, dents, scratches, bends, scuffs, tears, inking, water stains, and/or other types of damage.

Assess The Market Value of A Property Using Third-Party Websites

It becomes much easier to forecast an accurate market value for what you’re trying to sell after you determine the condition of individual cards – or the overall condition of an entire set.

There is a great set-by-set price guide on TCGplayer that you can use to get a rough idea of the card’s current market value. To change sets, use the drop-down box. In the case of exceedingly rare cards, there may be little to no price information based on their own marketplace sales history.

Consider checking eBay comps to see if a similar card has sold in the past three months if you believe your card fits that category. Take an average of the recently sold listings and try to factor in the direction the market is moving in by taking the average of the recently sold listings.

Prices have been trending upward recently, and it might be a good idea to adjust prices by 5 to 10% in response to scarcity or demand. It may be necessary to choose a lower price when determining a sale price if prices are trending downward, and you’re motivated to sell.

The seller overestimates the condition of the card in order to increase its sale value in an optimistic manner. The Sold Venusaur listing above may be a good example of a condition “range.” A conservative estimate and an optimistic estimate are provided in the listing title, alleviating the perceived condition mismatch between buyer and seller. The seller states the card is in LP-NM condition (light play to near mint).

Your Pokemon Cards Should Get Graded

You might have encountered “graded” cards that seem to fetch large premiums over cards in seemingly mint condition when researching the market value of your card. A fluke like this does not happen often.

Trading and sports cards have been authenticated and graded by third-party grading services in the last 30 years. There is certainly no exception when it comes to Pokemon cards. PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) graded cards cited in the opening paragraph of this article rated GEM MINT 10 on a condition scale of 1 to 10 were in fact multi-six and seven-figure examples.

The following are some of the most popular Pokemon card grading services:

• PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)
• BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
• CGC (Certified Guaranty Company)
• SGC (Sportscard Guaranty Corporation)

For a single card, professional grading insight and card authentication can cost anywhere from $15 to $500, but the added value can be well worth it when it comes to sale time.

Considering HD photos were used to highlight every nook and cranny of the card, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard is in mint but the ungraded condition would have likely fetched somewhere from $25,000 to $40,000. It is one of just 121 cards in existence with gem mint status and verified authenticity, driving the sales price past $400,000.

It is recommended to consult an experienced submitter, watch a YouTube tutorial, or ask questions in a Pokemon Facebook group before submitting cards to the service. Card grading requires a small to moderate learning curve.

Sales Listing Best Practices

In any of the places to sell Pokemon cards online, there are certain tactics you can use to almost always get at or even above market value. By doing a little preparation and paying attention to detail, you can consistently beat out other sellers for access to buyers and make the most money on your cards, collections, sealed packs, and other memorabilia.

Keep Your Cards Clean

This might seem silly, but it’s very important, especially when selling vintage Wizards of the Coast singles that may be dirty and dusty. The backs of Pokemon cards are notorious for accumulating little dark dirt circles over time.

Using a very lightly damp cloth, wipe away dirt and deposits in a circular motion with a microfiber cloth. Make sure you distinguish between dirt and damage before wiping, as you may further exacerbate damage if it already exists. Moisture will eventually warp the card’s surface, so dry it immediately.

Take Great Photos

Uploading garbage images is perhaps the most common error in the entire seller universe. Don’t forget to prepare a quality camera and adequate lighting for taking decent photos. The cameras on most modern smartphones are good enough to take excellent photos. In as much as natural light or even artificial light/flash is sufficient, damage on a card should not be intentionally or unintentionally obscured or hidden.

It’s not necessary to draw attention to every single flaw. Still, crisp, sharp images from numerous angles that accurately represent the card’s condition are essential to a successful buy-sell transaction.

Become Familiar with SEO

Essentially, each selling platform is a search engine. The goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is to optimize how many users are able to find your product or card. Your listing will surface more frequently in search on nearly every platform if your title and description contain keywords relevant to the potential buyer. You can apply the advice from this simple eBay SEO guide to pretty much any other platform you use.

Make Sure You Pay Attention to Fees

Fees crush your potential sales profits faster than anything else. After they’ve learned the ropes and built up a database of fellow collectors over the years, some experienced sellers opt to sell niche items on Facebook instead of some of the bigger platforms. eBay or Mercari may be your best bet if you’re a beginner seller, or if you’re just looking to sell a collection quickly. However, you should remain cautious about listing upsells.

Printed in bold. The second category listing. The subtitles. Promo campaigns that are disproportional to the final sale price. These are all upsells some larger companies offer to pad their bottom line. You may benefit from using them under certain circumstances, but by and large, it’s best to focus on a great listing with superb photos and keyword-rich card descriptions instead.

How to Avoid Getting Scammed

The selling industry is full of ways in which you may find yourself out of luck as a seller. To prevent it from happening to you, follow these tips.

• Payments must be made using official methods only. It is important to note that every single place where you can sell Pokemon cards for money has its own rules/accepted methods of payment. You will pay for flouting those rules if you do so frequently. Most of the time, this happens on the buyer’s side, but sellers aren’t immune either. Fraudulent checks, chargebacks, and gift card schemes are just some of the ways rogue buyers try to get your money.
• A safe space should be chosen for the meeting. It’s best to conduct high-dollar transactions in police station parking lots or bank lobbies (whatever that means to you).
• In the world of business, cash is king. When it comes to in-person transactions, cold hard cash is second to none. Neither fake checks nor chargebacks, neither falsified returns nor swapped cards will be accepted.
• Make sure everything is documented. Without a written record (or a photograph), it never happened. If you sell anything (including packaging or shipping), take great pictures and document everything. Once you get burned for hundreds of dollars, you won’t make the same mistake again.
• Always strive to be the consummate professional. Most selling platforms are pro-buyer when it comes to disputes, but appeals and/or case reviews are often handled by subject experts who have varying levels of discretion. Your chances of winning a closely-contested case are reduced if your online chat history shows abusive or accusatory behavior. eBay/Mercari representatives have scrutinized chat history several times before making a ruling, and anything you can do to tip the scales in your favor is a smart move.

At the end of the day, common sense is really the best policy. Move on if there are more red flags than you can shake a stick at, or if something seems off. Chasing a few more dollars isn’t worth getting burned.