How to Buy and Sell Pokemon Cards Online
You might be sitting on a goldmine if you still hold on to old toys. A lot of childhood paraphernalia sells at surprisingly high sums these days, including:
Mixed in among these surprisingly valuable childhood collectibles are Pokemon cards. Depending on the condition, quality, and rarity of your Pokemon cards, you might be able to sell them for a considerable amount.
All is well and good, but where and how do you buy and sell Pokemon cards online?
Where to Sell Pokemon Cards Online
Let’s start with where you can sell Pokemon cards online. There are various ways to do this; some will be more convenient. But when it comes to dusting off those old binders of Pokemon cards and making a dime or two off them, all of these are reliable ways to do that.
eBay
eBay is an excellent way to buy or sell Pokemon cards. One of the things we appreciate about it is that the seller can choose the price they want for their items. To help you do that, the site lets you look at the prices other sellers have set for the same or similar items.
That’s especially helpful if you have, for instance, a 1995 holographic Lapras Pokemon card but have no idea what it’s worth or what people will pay for it.
However, a fixed price isn’t necessary. While you can give users an option to buy an item immediately, setting a minimum amount and auctioning your Pokemon card off instead is possible. You’ll be able to set a time limit on bidding, and interested potential customers can set offers and hopefully drive the price up.
Another advantage of selling Pokemon cards through eBay is that the first 200 listings you set are free. This can be helpful to new sellers, especially if your Pokemon cards sell quickly. But if not, you can always relist them in the future.
However, you will have to pay the site approximately 10% of the final price as a sales fee. Additionally, shipping is paid, either by you or the customer, depending on what arrangements you make. Consequently, you want to take care with shipping to avoid disputes due to:
- Damages
- Delivery delays
Finally, if you discover you have a rare or unusual Pokemon card and want to sell it on eBay, consider having it professionally graded and authenticated. Professional grading helps establish buyer trust. It’s also an excellent way to pinpoint your Pokemon cards’ worth since their condition drastically affects their price.
But eBay isn’t the only way to sell Pokemon cards online. Here are some alternatives.
Facebook Marketplace
The immediate advantage of Facebook Marketplace is that, unlike eBay, there are no seller fees. So, if you manage to sell a Pokemon card for a surprising amount, you can rest assured that all that will come to you.
It’s also a popular way to buy and sell merchandise locally. Like eBay, it’s possible to see how much others are selling similar items for, and that can help you judge the price of the Pokemon cards you want to sell.
However, you do need to have or be willing to set up a Facebook account since prospective buyers will communicate with you through the platform, either through:
Mobile app
Website messaging service
Another advantage is that you can avoid shipping fees since Facebook Marketplace targets local buyers. Instead, you set up a pickup time with the buyer, and they come to collect their purchase.
If you’re uneasy about meeting strangers in the current climate, even to hand off merchandise, Facebook Marketplace now provides an option called a ‘porch pickup.’ All you need to do is agree on a safe place to leave the Pokemon card outside the house and a time for them to come and collect it.
They pick up the Pokemon card from the agreed-on place, leave the payment in exchange, and you maintain a safe distance.
Facebook Marketplace allows buyers to pay either in cash or by debit card. Knowing this is important since using a credit card naturally precludes leaving payment in a pre-arranged spot.
However, if a buyer does pay you for a Pokemon card via card, you can deposit the sum directly into a checking account.
TCGPlayer Marketplace
TCGPlayer Marketplace is an online marketplace designed to help people buy and sell Pokemon cards and other valuable, collectible trading cards.
Creating an account and listing Pokemon cards for sale are both cost-free interactions. Sellers won’t have to pay unless they make a sale. And, whereas eBay takes an obligatory 10% of your sale, TCGPlayer Marketplace varies its charges based on how much your Pokemon cards sell.
Seller fees range from 3% to 10.25%. You’ll have to give the TCGPlayer Marketplace significantly less money to sell an unremarkable Pokemon card than you would if selling a rare and coveted one.
Sellers should also be aware that because TCGPlayer Market conducts its transactions through PayPal, there’s a 3% charge from PayPal for putting the money on your PayPal balance. However, transferring money from PayPal to your bank is free of charge.
All these transactions may sound like they add up, especially if you want to sell a substantial Pokemon card collection online. However, regular sellers or sellers with many listings can upgrade to a Pro Seller account. Sellers who choose to do this pay reduced transaction fees.
Despite the fees, TCGPlayer Marketplace continues to be popular with Pokemon card sellers because, unlike the locally oriented Facebook Marketplace, it allows you to sell your Pokemon cards internationally and domestically. This gives you more prospective buyer options than limiting your sales to your region.
Troll and Toad
Another answer to the question of how to buy and sell Pokemon cards online is through Troll and Toad.
Selling your Pokemon cards through Troll and Toad is more involved than with other sites. First, you must mail your entire Pokemon card collection or as much as you hope to sell to Troll and Toad. They inspect your cards for:
- Value
- Quality
- Condition
Sellers typically receive payment five days after the inspection, although this varies.
The most effective way of selling Pokemon cards online through Troll and Toad is by establishing a buy list. You can compile this by going through the various Pokemon card series listed on the website and matching them to the cards you want to sell. Selecting these will tell you how much Troll and Toad is prepared to pay for specific cards and help you estimate how much your cards are worth.
Importantly, if you want to sell Pokemon cards online through Troll and Toad, it helps to know that if you request payment via check or PayPal, your Pokemon card lot must be worth at least $30.
Lots worth less than $30 can still be sold but will only receive store credit. This can be helpful if you want to buy Pokemon cards online but not if you want to top up your bank account. Orders worth store credit are ineligible for the 35% payout bonus you can earn when selling larger or more valuable Pokemon cards through Troll and Toad.
This 35% payout bonus applies to orders where:
- Seller requests Website credit instead of alternative payment
- Orders are not in bulk
- Order exceeds $30 value
Customers opting for website credit for bulk orders will not qualify for the 35% bonus.
Additionally, if you sell Pokemon cards online to Troll and Toad, you are responsible for paying the following:
- Shipping fees
- Customs fees
If you don’t, or if Troll and Toad must pay part of the customs or shipping fee, they deduct the amount from your eventual payment.
Finally, since you must ship your Pokemon cards to Troll and Toad for assessment and subsequent purchase, you must allow the requisite business days for your parcel to reach them before they can value your order.
Cape Fear Games
Another way to tackle the problem of buying and selling Pokemon cards online is through Cape Fear Games.
Depending on where you live, you can ship or hand-deliver your cards to Cape Fear Games for purchase. While this saves you shipping expenses, hand delivery requires you to be in the area.
Like other online sites for buying and selling Pokemon cards online, Cape Fear Games provides prospective sellers with a buy list to gauge the worth of their Pokemon cards. It gives you references that reflect the price of your card depending on its professional grading, current condition, and overall value.
However, not all cards are equally valuable, and with that in mind, Cape Fear Games limits the kinds of Pokemon cards it buys from moment to moment. To help you know if you have cards that Cape Fear Games is interested in buying, they also provide you with a list of cards they are open to purchasing at the time.
If you do have Pokemon cards they decide to buy, you can opt to receive payment either through:
- PayPal
- Check
- In-store credit
- MTGOTraders.com store credit
Accepting in-store credit gives the seller a 30% bonus, while MTGOTraders.com store credit comes with a 20% purchase bonus.
It’s also worth remembering that PayPal transactions may incur a fee ranging from 3% to 5%. Your Pokemon cards must be worth a minimum of $10 for a check to be shipped to you.
Dave and Adam’s
Another answer to the question of how to buy and sell Pokemon cards online is through Dave and Adam’s Card World. This website trades in Pokemon and sports cards.
You can sell your Pokemon cards through this website in several ways. However you proceed, you start by contacting their office and providing them with details of the Pokemon cards you want to sell online.
You can then mail your Pokemon cards to Dave and Adam’s. Once they arrive, you should receive a payment within 48 hours.
Alternatively, and depending on where you are, it may be possible for someone to come and collect the Pokemon cards in person. While this saves on shipping, you will receive 95% of the cards’ value if you opt to sell your cards this way.
But because of the possibility for in-person sales, it is possible to sell your Pokemon cards for cash this way, which may appeal to some sellers.
Other payment options include checks and PayPal transactions.
Finally, Dave and Adam’s may not choose to buy all your Pokemon cards. If so, they will return the rejects, and you won’t have to pay the return shipping fee. Free return shipping is unique to this website and one of the reasons people choose to sell their Pokemon cards online through this website.
CCGCastle
CCGCastle is another excellent website for people who are wondering how to buy and sell Pokemon cards online.
It buys a range of trading card series and allows buyers and sellers to browse the catalog to see what they wish to buy or sell.
The website is easy to navigate and includes a buy list for sellers, including the current buyback price of a Pokemon card. Clicking on ‘Sell us Yours’ lets you add items to your cat and set up an order.
When you do this, it will indicate how many of your cards CCGCastle will want to buy. This is particularly helpful if you have duplicates of a card.
You do have to pay shipping fees when selling your Pokemon cards online to CCGCastle. However, its payment options include PayPal and in-store credit, which you can use online.
Finally, if you use the store credit to buy Pokemon cards online through CCGCastle, you enter a rewards program that helps you accrue points you can deduct from future purchases.
Check More than One Source
We’ve talked primarily about how to sell Pokemon cards online, but it’s worth stressing that all of the websites that allow you to sell Pokemon cards will also let you buy them. Some even offer an online or store credit option that you can deduct from the cost of future orders.
If you sell Pokemon cards online, consider having them graded and authenticated. It helps forge trust, and it’s what you, as a buyer, would want other sellers to do.
The bottom line is that various options are available, whether you are buying or selling Pokemon cards online. Find one you feel comfortable with and start looking for that Pokemon card you always wanted or selling your old cards to the highest bidder.