How To Sell Pokemon Cards Flipping Cards
Flipping Pokemon cards is similar to flipping houses. It means getting cards for cheap, and then selling them for more.
There are a few ways this can be done. To flip Pokemon cards, you either
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Have saved them for a long time and can now sell them.
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Bought singles for a low price and then resold them.
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Found valuable cards in booster packs and then sell them.
If you are interested in flipping Pokemon cards, I would highly recommend to stay away from the third point on this list. If it were worth more to sell Pokemon cards you get from packs than it was to just sell singles, the Pokemon company wouldnt be raking in millions if not billions of dollars in Pokemon card sales every year.
The odds that you will turn a profit from buying and opening Pokemon product is very slim if not impossible. It should not be the main source of any sort of income.
It is, however, possible to buy Pokemon cards for cheap and then sell them for a lot more.
Do Pawn Shops Buy Pokmon Cards
Many pawnshops will buy Pokémon cards. However, it can be difficult to get your moneys worth when selling to pawn shops because many do not know the value of Pokémon cards. If you want to sell Pokémon cards to a pawn shop, you will want to select a pawn shop with an owner who knows about the cards.
How To Sell Pokemon Cards A Journey
First of all, if you dont know much about me yet, Id advise you read a little bit about me in my about section. Now that thats done, lets talk about how I got into Pokemon. Well, I got into Pokemon the way most people of my generation got into Pokemon by trading cards on the playground when I was younger than your kids are now.
Of course, eventually I grew up. I sold my Pokemon games and cards to pay for dates in high school. Like Andy in Toy Story, I forgot about the things of childhood. But, then, I came across news about Pokemon cards once again gaining popularity. I started tearing through my possessions looking for my old cards. Unfortunately, I was surprised to find out that many of the cards that I had sold ten years before were now selling for 10x the price I had sold them for. I couldnt believe the increase in investment!
I happened to have some extra time on my hands for a few months and I wanted a hobby to keep myself busy with during this time so I figured Id give flipping Pokemon cards a try.
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The Pokmon Collecting Craze
Media Factory introduced Pokémon cards to the Japanese Market in 1996. It took three more years until their release in North America. From 1999 to 2003, Wizards of the Coast owned the license for the game. In mid-2003, they handed over the license to Pokémon Company International.
Pokémon cards boasted widespread popularity ever since their initial release. But in mid-2020, at the pandemics height, fans of the franchise used their free time to reengage with their childhood hobby. A massive surge in popularity followed, boosting the value of increasingly rare cards.
Because Wizards of the Coast only produced the cards between 1999 to 2003, these sets are limited. The most valuable of these early cards come from the 1st Edition Base Set, followed by Shadowless and Unlimited sets.
A few factors impact the actual amount of money you can make selling your old Pokémon cards. The most valuable cards are, of course, in pristine condition and come from an exclusive set. It helps if they have received an excellent grade from a professional third-party grading service. On top of that, you must have the business and marketing skills to connect with the right buyers, avoid scammers, and present your products professionally.
Well cover everything you need to know to turn Pokémon card flipping into a side hustle a little later on. First, lets fantasize about your earning potential by gaping at the top five most expensive Pokémon cards to date.
Option #: Doing It Yourself
Doing the work, yourself can be a more profitable way of selling cards if you do it right, so I will discuss the basics of doing so in this section. It might seem easy, but there is a fair amount that goes into it!
As stated above, this option is generally best for someone who is not in a rush, as selling cards yourself takes time, and some of the options below do not entail being paid out immediately. This downside does come with the upside of likely getting more money out of the ordeal, as you can sell cards for full price or close to it. There is more to that, though, as there are other fees associated with this route. Unfortunately, scams and lost packages are something to consider as well, as that is a risk you incur when you sell cards to another consumer.
As with any attempt to sell something on your own, this option does entail the most work. Additionally, no results are guaranteed, and everyones experience is different. Regardless of whether you think you will like this option your opinion could change once you get started. The nice thing, though, is that you can always change your mind and how you are going about selling your cards.
Now that I have covered the overall basics of selling your cards yourself, I do have more to say. There are several options when doing it this way, so it would be best to discuss the specifics of each individually.
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Where To Buy New Pokmon Cards
New Pokémon cards are among the easiest to buy, thanks to the enormous popularity of the trading card game.
Youll be able to buy new Pokémon cards in your local store by picking up the games latest expansion set. If no store nearby sells Pokémon cards, youll easily find the latest releases on major online retailers such as Amazon.
If youre after specific new Pokémon cards, specialist trading card sites and stores will quickly see individual cards go on sale shortly after a sets release. However, bear in mind that youll likely have to pay more for rarer cards as demand surges – the same cards you might discover by opening a booster pack. Nothings guaranteed when it comes to what you pull, so sometimes a good price on a new Pokémon card you really want can be the way to go.
Image: Sarah Jarvis
The Best Places To Sell Pokmon Cards For Cash
You can sell Pokémon cards online or in person. Its usually better to sell them on the digital marketplace because you have a longer reach and more competitive pricing. You want to be very descriptive with your listings and dont spare any details. Cape Fear Games is a great place to sell for cash, too, if you have a decent amount of cards for sale.
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Best Places To Sell Pokemon Cards Near Me
While selling your collection online will likely net you the most money, selling your Pokemon cards in person offers the shortest route between you and a paycheck. There may be bit of face-to-face negotiation involved, so a little bit of homework ahead of time can help you set a walkaway point before talks ever start.
Pay Attention To Fees
Nothing crushes your potential selling profits faster than fees. Its why a number of experienced sellers avoid some of the bigger platforms in favor of niche selling on Facebook once theyve learned the ropes and built a database of fellow collectors over the years. As a beginner seller, or someone who just wants to quickly offload a collection, eBay or Mercari may be your best bet, but it still doesnt hurt to be cautionary about listing upsells.
Bold font. Second category listing. Subtitles. Disproportional promotion campaigns . Theyre all upsells some of the larger companies will offer to pad their bottom line. In some select circumstances, it may be beneficial to use them, but by and large, youre better off passing on all of it and focusing on a great listing with superb photos and a clean, keyword-rich card description.
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Know What Your Cards Are Worth
Of course, knowing what your cards are worth is really important. You want to make sure that the price youre offered for your cards is fair.
Have a look on eBay to see what people are listing their cards for.
The best thing you can do though is to use this tool from Card Mavin to determine the value of your Pokémon cards.
What Are The Most Valuable Pokmon Cards
The rarity and condition of a card will determine how much money you get from it. Cards in mint condition will fetch the most.
According to Heritage Auctions, cards with these features are particularly rare and/or valuable:
- 1st Edition mark: The hallmark is on the center left side of the Pokémon Card. 1 editions cards are the rarest and most valuable among the standard Pokémon cards.
- Shadowless: Cards that dont have a shadow also sell for a premium.
- Error: Cards that have misprints and errors also sell for a substantial premium.
Here are some examples of some of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold:
- In 2020, a Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $230,000.
- Rapper Logic purchased a mint condition Charizard card for more than $220,000.
- A Japanese No. 1 Trainer hologram card sold for $90,000.
Like I said above, you can use the handy tool from Card Mavin to determine the value of your Pokémon cards.
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Pokmon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Holo Venusaur
A very rare Pokémon card made ever more valuable by its artists autograph
Sold for $55,000 in November 2021
Image: PWCC
Many of the rarest Pokémon cards date from the trading card games early days, with first edition cards released in the 1990s ranking as among the most valuable Pokémon cards today.
While the first edition stamp on cards is highly sought-after in the English edition of the Pokémon card game, the rarest Japanese Pokémon cards are instead identified by their lack of a stamp. Specifically, a missing black star in the bottom-right of a Japanese-language card is whats known as No Rarity meaning that the card is missing the common symbol used to signify a Pokémon cards rarity.
No Rarity Pokémon cards are among the rarest Pokémon cards in existence, and few come rarer than the Venusaur Pokémon card from the games first print run in 1996. Just five copies of the Bulbasaur evolution famous for appearing on the original video game Pokémon Green have been graded at a perfect Gem-Mint 10 by PSA, making a flawless copy of the card extremely rare.
While a No Rarity Venusaur card commands a high price by itself, a copy sold in November 2021 set a new record for the rare Pokémon card by fetching $55,000 at auction. Helping the record sum was the signature of the cards illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita the legendary artist behind many Pokémon cards from the last 20-plus years on the cards case, making the already rare Pokémon card truly one-of-a-kind.
Sell Pokemon Cards On The Go
These days, we do everything on the goincluding shopping and even selling. So, weve created the Ecwid Mobile App , which allows you to sell your pokemon cards online and run your business from the palm of your hand. Manage orders, add new pokemon cards, modify inventory, accept payments, and more from a single control panel.
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Where To Sell Pokemon Cards Near Me
Pawn Shops
A card collection can still be sold without having to go through all the trouble of selling it on eBay or Craigslist. In fact, there are many places near you that purchase Pokemon cards.
This makes it an easy process to transform your cards into cash. Just remember to double-check the value of your prized cards before selling them to avoid being taken advantage of.
Anyway, here are a few shops in your area where you may buy Pokemon cards.
If you live near a pawn shop, theres a good possibility theyll take Pokemon cards or at least consider them, especially if you have any rare cards and the manager is knowledgeable about the game.
For those who are certain of the value of their cards and who are skilled negotiators, the process is relatively simple.
A quick Google search for Pokemon cards pawnshops will almost certainly turn up a number of businesses in your area that accepts/offer card trading and exchange.
If I were you, I wouldnt go to any pawn shops that dont mention selling cards. They rarely purchase cards since they are unfamiliar with them.
At the absolute least, call around to see if any businesses in your neighbourhood buy Pokemon cards, and then go there with your book of cards to start bartering!
Comic book stores
Comic bookstores are a great choice for finding places to get Pokemon cards near you.
Almost all comic book shops sell their own cards. Local gamers benefit from buying cards from them because it allows them to grow their inventory.
Better In Single Card Sleeves
Pokémon cards are printed on cardstock with a shiny surface, and therefore very susceptible to damage from bending, water, and scratches.
If youre trying to figure out how to sell Pokémon cards for high margins, you must purchase card sleeves to hold them.
You can purchase a 100 pack of card sleeves for less than ten dollars, and theyll protect what youre selling and make it look more professional.
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Getting Your Pokemon Cards Graded
In the course of researching the market value of your card, you may have come across graded cards that seem to be fetching large premiums over cards in seemingly mint condition. This is no fluke.
Over the past 30 years, a number of third-party grading services have popped up to authenticate and grade trading and sports cards. Pokemon cards are certainly no exception. In fact, the multi-six and seven-figure cited examples in the opening paragraph of this article were PSA graded cards that scored GEM MINT 10 on a condition scale of 1 to 10.
Popular Pokemon Card Grading Services Include:
The paid professional grading insight and card authentication service can cost anywhere from $15 to $500 or more for a single card, but the added value can be well worth it when it comes to sale time.
For example, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard in mint but ungraded condition would likely have fetched somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000 to $40,000 on eBay, assuming HD photos highlighted every nook and cranny of the card. The verified authenticity and gem mint status sent the sales price soaring past $400,000, making it only 1 of 121 known cards in existence to have achieved that grade.
That said, card grading requires a small to moderate learning curve, and it may be wise to consult an experienced submitter, check out a YouTube tutorial, or even ask questions in a Pokemon Facebook group before submitting a card to a service.
Organize Cards By Set
Pokemon has been around for over 20 years. In the United States, there are more than 70 sets from the 1990s until now.
Its best to organize your cards by set and then numerical order. This organization lets potential buyers quickly inspect cards and can help you earn more money since the store doesnt spend time cataloging the cards.
You can find a complete setlist on sites like Pokellector. Creating a free account lets you build a checklist to quickly see which cards you have and the ones youre missing.
There are other apps and websites you can use as well. The best catalogs display the current sales price, letting you estimate how much money you can make by selling the full collection.
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Sending It To A Card Grading Service
Suppose you want to get a professional opinion on the value of your card. In that case, you can send it to a third-party grading service. Take a look at the list of the most valuable Pokémon cards above. Youll see that they received excellent grades from agencies like PSA and SGC . An exceptional rate from a grading service can increase the value dramatically.
However, these services are expensive. Depending on the value of the card and the grading service you choose, the prices can range from fifty to five-hundred dollars. So when selecting the cards you want to send for authentication, tread carefully.
Brick & Mortar Specialty Stores
There was a time when people actually used Pokémon cards to play games in person. That may not be the primary focus of the cards anymore, but there are still brick and mortar shops where you can go down the Pokémon rabbit hole. Tabletop game shops, gaming cafes, and comic book stores are all great places to not only sell your Pokémon cards, but also join a community of people who share your hobby.
Its likely that at least some of the staff at those kinds of establishments will know about Pokémon cards and be able to guide you through the selling process. Chances are they know other people in the community who are looking to buy, too, which will be a more satisfying experience for people who really want to connect above and beyond making a sale. Pawn shops are another solid brick and mortar option, although youll need to find one that knows enough about Pokémon cards to understand their value and give you a fair price.
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