The Ultimate Guide To Selling Pokémon Cards
Listing your childhood toys online is a good idea if you want to make a pretty penny these days. Pokémon merch, for example, can make you thousands of dollars if you play your cards right. It turns out some fans still gotta catch ’em all.
Read: Protect Your Financial Future With Gold and Silver
Here’s all you need to know to offer your share of these nostalgia-inducing collectibles to the highest bidder.
How To Sell Your Pokémon Cards
You might not own any trophy-edition pieces unless you were an avid tournament participant. Still, your regular Pokémon cards can make you a fair amount of money if they have specific characteristics. Some collectors have earned hundreds of dollars — if not thousands — on a single Pokémon card exchange.
Determining if your card is worth money can be done by searching card-selling websites and trading forums. Keep in mind that the condition of your card will be a large factor in the final price. If you find that your card is valuable, you can then list it on a reliable digital marketplace like TCGplayer, eBay or CGC Castle. Make sure you are extremely detailed when you are crafting your listing and if you include a photo, it should show the card and its details clearly.
Which Pokémon Cards Are Worth Money?
The first step toward making your little fortune is dusting off your old Pokémon cards and picking out the right ones to sell. Here are the most valuable Pokémon cards you might actually have:
Card | Set | Market Price |
|---|---|---|
Charizard Star | Delta Species | $1,999.00 |
Rayquaza Star | Deoxys | $328.54 |
Blastoise Shadowless | Base Set | $400.00 |
Charizard | Plasma Storm | $513.38 |
Kyogre Star | Delta Species | $298.62 |
Information is accurate as of Jan. 24, 2023.
Who Buys Pokémon Cards These Days?
The Pokémon craze is real. In 2021, YouTuber Logan Paul purchased about $2 million worth of Pokémon cards, and the year before, former rapper Logic paid over $180,000 for a rare Charizard card during an auction. On the sales end of things, in Nov. 2022, NFL Linebacker Blake Martinez sold a rare Pokémon card for $672,000, which drove his decision to retire from NFL and start a new venture locating and flipping rare Pokémon cards.
Celebs and professional athletes aren’t the only ones interested in becoming the ultimate Pokémon masters. People all over the internet are excited to bid on these valuable pieces of memorabilia. If you’re new to selling Pokémon cards, the process might seem a little daunting, but before you give it a hard pass, think about the potential rewards.
How Can You Tell How Much Your Pokémon Cards Are Worth?
Some online card-selling sites feature databases that list card prices and other relevant information. Some even have automated systems to find the exact card you’re looking for.
When in doubt, search for specialized Pokémon trading forums. That’s the fastest way to ask your fellow sellers and collectors how much a card is worth.
What Factors Determine a Pokémon Card’s Worth?
Usually, newer cards are not worth much, since collectors can still easily find them on the market. The three main factors that determine the final sale value of your older Pokémon cards are:
Pokémon type
Scarcity
Condition
Pokémon cards from the original Base Set from 1999 are the oldest and rarest. A complete deck of the Base Set can sell for up to $10,000. This set includes 102 cards with beloved classic Pokémon like:
Pikachu
Charizard
Seel
Pidgey
Squirtle
Some Pokémon cards have special value, including:
Rarity Symbols on Pokémon Cards
All Pokémon cards have a symbol that indicates how uncommon they actually are. You can find it in the bottom right corner of the card. The three main rarity symbols are:
Circles: This symbol means the card is ordinary.
Diamonds: This symbol means the card is pretty uncommon.
Stars: This symbol means the card is rare and more valuable.
If your card’s collector number is higher than the actual number of cards in the deck, it’s probably a secret card, which means it will sell for more money.
Where Can You Sell Your Pokémon Cards?
You can sell your Pokémon cards on digital marketplaces or even pawn shops. If you choose to sell Pokémon cards on the digital marketplace, be highly descriptive in your listings. Make sure you don’t spare any detail, as an omission could make or break a sale.
What Is the Best Website for Selling Pokémon Cards?
Pokémon card-selling sites emerge on the internet by the minute, and some are more reliable than others. Don’t always trust the first website that pops up when you’re searching. Play it safe and try these options instead:
Do Pawn Shops Buy Pokémon Cards?
You’ll probably have a harder time getting pawn shops to take your common cards, but if you have some rare pieces, go for it! Make sure you know how much you want for your items beforehand, and run a quick Google search to find pawn shops that sell Pokémon cards near you.
Start Selling Your Valuable Pokémon Cards Today
Selling Pokémon cards shouldn’t cause you any unnecessary headaches. However, to make the most profit, you must always make informed decisions.
Whether you choose to trade your cards online or face-to-face, make sure you follow basic safety rules to avoid scams and other surprises.
Take the time to do your research, and don’t take the first offer. You’d be surprised how much your Pokémon cards can actually sell for.
FAQ
If you're still unsure whether your Pokémon cards are worth something, the following information may rid you of your doubts.
How do you spot a fake Pokémon card?
Counterfeit Pokémon cards have many elements that give them away, including spelling and grammatical errors. Before you try selling a suspicious-looking Pokémon card, check the quality of the card stock, the printing colors and effects, the shape and size of the text and the neatness of the card's borders. When in doubt, compare your card with others you own that are 100% original.
How do you get your Pokémon cards professionally valued?
Get your Pokémon cards graded by the Professional Sports Authenticator. It uses a 10-point scale that's widely accepted as the industry standard.
Is my Pokémon card worth money?
There are lots of Pokémon cards that are worth a good amount of money. You should conduct research by visiting online card-selling sites to get an idea of prices and to find out if your card is valuable.
Can you make money selling Pokémon cards?
Yes, you can make money selling Pokémon cards. Making it a successful side hustle will require a lot of time and dedication to researching, listing and frequently visiting yard sales and online marketplaces to locate cards to buy.
How do I sell my Pokémon cards in 2023?
After determining that you have a worthwhile card, you should list it on a reliable online marketplace like eBay, CGC Castle, Card Cavern or TCGPlayer.
Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.
Information is accurate as of Jan. 24, 2023.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Ultimate Guide To Selling Pokémon Cards
