What should you look for when buying Pokémon cards?
In this blog, we are going to give you tips for when buying Pokémon cards. What do you all need to look out for? What could go wrong? How do you recognize a good salesperson? What are the best platforms to purchase tickets? In fact, there are a lot of things involved when you go to buy Pokémon cards. There are many fake cards in circulation these days, but as a beginner it is also very difficult to find your way through this full forest of stores and vendors. We give you some tips, please read on!
Tip 1: Don’t overpay for your cards
It is unfortunately common for some vendors to charge very high prices for certain Pokémon cards and elite trainer boxes, booster boxes, theme decks, tins, single boosters and Pokémon boxes. Always do your research first, especially when visiting a Pokemon store for the first time or doing business with an individual for the first time. You can look at Cardmarket, for example, for current prices, but you can also get an indication of last sells on Ebay. Of course, you can always check out our special Pokémon Cardchecker, which we developed specifically so everyone can see what their Pokémon cards are worth.
Tip #2: Is the condition of the card or product correct?
Sales frequently occur where the condition of a card or the photos are not carefully examined. Then you think you have bought a very nice card, only to find it has a big wrinkle on arrival. Or the back is all scratched, which is not good for the condition of your card. Especially if you still want to grade it or resell it later. Always review an ad carefully, contact the seller and ask for additional images. This could include videos of the card in good sunlight, but could also include photos of the card when it is on a black background. The black background is there to see the whitening of the card!
Tip 3: Don’t buy fake Pokémon cards
Some websites can be found offering Pokémon products far too cheaply. This is because these are counterfeit products that come from China. These are then fake Pokémon cards, they are not worth anything at all. When something is too good to be true, it often turns out to be so in practice. There are websites that offer, for example, a whole booster box for 30 euros, that does not exist anno 2023 with real Pokémon cards. So pay close attention to this, otherwise you will be stuck with fake cards that no one wants and that are worth nothing. You can check the average prices online, should anything be extremely off. If so, always consult someone on one of the Pokémon Facebook groups, there are very many people there who will be happy to help you.
Tip 4: Check out a store’s reviews
It is common for people to be conned on the Internet. Then you buy something from a store, and then it doesn’t come in! Therefore, always look carefully at the reviews of a shop before you make a purchase there. You can go to Trustpilot and look at a company’s reviews there. Check out Pokemart’s score below, you can see that the company has already received 652 reviews and scores a 4.8 on a scale of 5! An excellent score, then, you can place an order there with a good feeling. Should the company not be on Trustpilot, you can always look on Facebook or Google. Is there nothing there either? Then type in “Company name + reviews” on Google and see what the results are. For example, type in ”Pokemart Reviews” on Google and see the excellent scores!
Tip 5: Don’t buy single tickets for a release
In recent years, we see it over and over again. A new set comes out, even before the release someone offers a ticket for, say, 500 euros. Four weeks after release, this ticket is suddenly worth only 100 to 200 euros. This is a great waste of money, as you don’t have to be the first in the Netherlands to get the tickets. Sit out the ride for a while, wait for a set to be released. Also, give the other collectors quiet time to open packs and offer their cards. When the set has been out for a few weeks, only then start looking for the fun cards you still need. Please note that we do not give financial advice, this is purely from our own experience. The prices of single Pokémon cards fluctuate wildly, especially upon release, so pay attention to this. After all, it can also turn out wrong because a ticket is very cheap now and suddenly becomes a lot more expensive later. But generally can talk about the above situation, where the cards are a lot more expensive before release than a few weeks after.
Closing Tips on Buying Pokémon Cards
We hope to have thus informed you a bit more about purchasing Pokémon cards. The cards are very popular these days and there are sometimes some less friendly sellers among them. So read the tips carefully and also check out our other Pokémon blogs that are full of tips, tricks, information and many more useful things you can use!