The Pokémon franchise has been around for over twenty years. During that period, Pokémon cards have become collectibles with quite promising value. However, many people have a hard time selling their Pokémon cards. If you want to be a successful Pokémon card dealer, you'll need a strategy for maximizing profits.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Selling Pokémon Cards Online
Step 1. Use ebay
Upload your card photo to ebay. You need photos to show the items for sale to potential buyers. Make sure the uploaded photo also includes a picture of the damaged part of the card so buyers know. Make sure the photo shows the front and back of your card. Offer free shipping to provide additional incentives.
- Online sales are booming when shipping is free.
- When you offer free shipping options on ebay, you will automatically get a five star shipping rating.
Step 2. Find a website that is willing to buy Pokémon cards
There are many websites that specifically sell Pokémon cards. Most of these sites have price lists for certain cards. These sites can save you time by buying your card right away, but they usually offer a lower purchase price.
Know the condition of your card. Some websites, such as professor-oak.com, only accept cards in brand new condition
Step 3. Sell cards individually
Never sell a deck of cards at once. You can earn more money by selling each card separately, selling them as a whole set, or selling a set of two rare cards and some common cards.
Step 4. Provide detailed information
Make sure you include all important information related to the card being sold. For example, if you just wrote "Pokémon Charizard Card," the ad won't get much attention. Some of the things that should be included in the ad are:
- Card rarity.
- Is the card a solid color or is it a hologram?
- Card condition. Has the card been used, is in good condition, or is it new?
- The set number on the card. For example, the Charizard card includes “base set 4/102” information.
Step 5. Start a price war
You can charge cards that sell for a low price at the start. Try placing an offer at IDR 10,000 to attract buyers. After several people make offers, they will "war" by raising the offer so that your profits increase.
This strategy can work against you if the cards being sold are very valuable. For very rare cards, you must place an initial bid at the price you want to sell them
Step 6. Use packing tape to mail your card
Be sure to put a transparent packing tape on the package you send to the buyer's address, then include your address. The tape will protect the writing on the package from fading when exposed to water. If both addresses on the package are unreadable, you may lose the card, the sales profit, as well as the seller rating on ebay.
Method 2 of 4: Selling Pokémon Cards Directly
Step 1. Come to the store
Look for a specialty store that sells card games. Bring the card you want to sell and pay attention to the price offered. Make sure you know the value of the card, as well as the selling price you want before accepting an offer.
Call the store by phone in advance to make sure they accept Pokémon cards
Step 2. Sell your card at a card trade event
Card buying and selling events will be filled with collectors and sellers who may be willing to buy your card. Approach a few vendors to find out which one is willing to buy a Pokémon card.
Do an online search for a list of card trading events in your area
Step 3. Go to a Pokémon fan club
There are many public groups that meet to play Pokémon cards. The players may be willing to pay you if any cards are needed to complete the deck.
Card players usually don't dare to bid as high on rare cards as collectors because they plan to play them
Step 4. Build business connections
Write down the contact information of Pokémon card sellers and collectors. Email them when you find a rare or unique card that might interest them.
Those connections might recommend you to people looking for rare cards
Method 3 of 4: Collecting Pokémon Cards
Step 1. Purchase a Pokémon card
Look for reasonably priced Pokémon cards that can be resold. You have a better chance of finding it at a thrift store or online. For example, a booster box of 36 new Pokémon cards sells for about $1.4 million at a toy store, but you can buy one for just $800 on websites like yuckygamers.com.
- Buy in bulk. Look for a seller who wants to remove the rest of the card and offers a low price.
- When buying an old Pokémon card, make sure it's in good condition as minor damage to the card can drastically lower its selling price.
Step 2. Learn how to spot fake Pokémon cards
Counterfeit cards have no value at all and are prohibited from being traded. Sometimes, it can be really hard to tell a genuine Pokémon card from a fake, but there are some pretty obvious signs.
- The outline on the back of the original card is clearly visible. However, the lines will appear faded on fake cards.
- On the face of a fake card, there's usually no accent mark above the "e" in Pokémon.
Step 3. Look for rare cards
The rarer a card is, the more expensive it is. There will be a small number in the lower right corner of the card to indicate the number of the card in the set. Next to it, there was a small sign indicating the rarity of the card.
- Circles are used to mark common cards which are usually sold at low prices.
- Diamonds are used to mark unusual cards.
- Stars are used to mark rare cards.
- If there are no markings or there are different illustrations, the card is part of the promotional set. Promotional cards can be considered rare or ordinary, depending on the type of promotion.
Step 4. Look for special cards
There are several unique card designs and markings that can make your card more expensive. Make sure you know the rarity of the card in order to determine a fair price.
- If there is a black circle with the number one on it and the words “edition” near the Pokémon description, the card is the first edition of the Pokémon card.
- If your card has a shiny layer around the image, you have a "holographic" card. If the holographic design is all over the front of the card, the item is a higher-value “inverted hologram” card.
- If there is a copyright sign with the numbers “95, 96, 98, 99” at the base of the card and no shadow at the end of the image, you have a rare solid color card.
Method 4 of 4: Tidying Up Pokémon Cards
Step 1. Protect the Pokémon cards
You must make sure that no damage appears on the card before selling it. You can buy plastic covers in bulk to protect the card from scratches.
Buy a high value card toploader. The toploader is stiffer than plastic and can prevent the card from folding
Step 2. Determine the quality of your card
Examine the card carefully to check its condition. Look for creases, faded spots, tears, and bent corners. Separate your cards into three categories: cards in great condition, cards in good condition, and cards in poor condition. Separating the cards can make it easier for you to determine the selling price.
Step 3. Have a very valuable card check professionally
There are several Pokémon cards that are valued at tens of millions if they are still in good condition. If you find a card that is extremely rare and is in perfect condition, you can send it to PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) via psa.com to confirm its value. Having proof that your card is in tip-top condition will drastically increase its selling price.
- Make sure the card sent is in the best condition. This process can be costly.
- PSA uses a rating scale from 10 for cards that are in like new condition to 1 for cards that are bad. Small smudges or scratches can change the card's status from “new” to “good” condition so that its resale value drops dramatically.
- There are only 5 Charizard cards with new conditions from the first edition in circulation, so the price has soared to tens of millions per sheet.
Step 4. Insert the cards into the set
Collectors are always looking for items that are sold in a set. You will also find it easier to sell cards in a set. You can find out the set of cards by observing the small numbers in the lower right corner that are written like fractions. The first number indicates the order of the cards in the set and the second number indicates the total number of cards in the set.
- The basic set consists of 102 cards.
- The jungle set consists of 64 cards.
- The fossil set consists of 62 cards.
- The rocket team's set consists of 83 cards.
- You can also group cards in holographic sets, solid color sets, or rare card sets.
Tips
- Buy a deck of cards at once, but sell each card separately to maximize profit.
- Be honest about the condition of your card. If you lie and sell cards in bad condition, you may get low ratings from angry buyers on ebay.
- Sell cards at the right time to get the best profit. The popularity of Pokémon cards has varied over time. The demand for Pokémon cards usually increases rapidly when a new Pokémon movie or game introduces a new generation of the Pokémon world.
Warning
- Limit touches to your cards as much as possible. A direct touch to a card can cause its price to drop drastically.
- Think logically. You may not be able to sell the card at its original value.
