Poké-Nomics: Where to Sell Pokémon Cards for Profit

Pokémon cards are making a comeback. There is no better time than now to evaluate your collection to grow or downsize. Plenty of buyers are out there waiting for the optimal deal to fulfill their ISO lists. We know you don’t want cards littering your house forever — learn where to sell Pokémon cards quickly with the greatest return on your investment? In short, it depends on what you want out of the deal, because every avenue has its pros and cons.

A Few Important Notes

Before taking photos of your cards on the first website to appear in Google, review these key tips. Pricing your cards for an enticing sale depends on a few factors.

Condition and Type Matters

The first is the condition. It might sound obvious, but it is worth noting a scratch, fold or dent will reduce the card’s value drastically. Other aesthetic alterations, such as an artist’s signature or a custom art alter will also reduce the card’s resale value.

The cards also have an assigned rarity and type. Circles, diamonds and stars denote ordinary, uncommon and rare cards, respectively. Here are other keywords you’ll want to consider with pricing:

• Full-art
• Holographic
• Shining
• First-edition
• Signed

Understand the Meta

Whether you’re a card-collecting veteran or inherited a bundle you know nothing about, here are a few details about the Pokémon card-selling climate that also influences price. Expert sellers know the meta and behaviors of card prices like Wall Street pros know the stock market. 

When is the right time to sell? Is the card going to get reprinted anytime soon? Is the card valuable in current competitive play? Answering these questions will provide you more guidance on when to list your cards and for what price.

Get it Graded

If you don’t want to bother with doing extensive research, you can send your cards to be professionally graded. Outsourcing this requires payment, meaning the money you get back when you finally sell the cards will be less. We recommend saving professional grading services for rare or limited cards so you don’t go into the negatives.

Now that you know a few influences on price, where should you post your collection for some extra cash?

eBay

This is the first and most reliable place to look. There are countless international and local buyers on eBay. The major benefit is the eBay comps, which helps you determine the best price for the product without having to do hours of research. 

There are more niche platforms to sell cards, but the giant megaseller has its benefits, such as unparalleled insurances, such as authenticity guarantees and fraudulent buyer protection. Unfortunately, the benefits come with a price tag of around 15% of the sale going to eBay.

Facebook Buy-Sell-Trade Groups or Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace or groups are highly active places to push unwanted TCG products. The benefit of using social media is you can usually talk to the person beforehand or get some info on their group activity and trust levels before solidifying an agreement. You set your own price and get the most of the sale without fees playing a huge part of it. Using Marketplace has a 5% transaction fee.

Reddit r/pkmntcgtrades and r/pokemontcg

Similar to Facebook groups, Reddit has a popping community of Pokémon card traders. These two subreddits are great places to start. The sale likelihoods demand on demand. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure you follow all moderator rules for each post, otherwise you might get banned.

Mercari

You won’t get as large of an audience as eBay, but Mercari’s users are nothing to scoff at — though they only offer domestic shipping, which limits buyers. There are adequate seller protections through Mercari, which is more than you’ll get on social media but not as much as outlets like eBay. The interface is wildly easy to use, making multiple postings a breeze, even though you can’t post a bunch of listings in bulk.

Troll and Toad

Though the site looks like something from the early 2000s, it is still one of the best places to go. The listings are minimal with no photographs in sight. Fewer shoppers may go here for that reason alone, because they can’t get their eyes on the card before committing. However, many trust the site enough to be returning patrons. 

For sellers, you get the benefit of quick payouts and a 25% bonus if you choose Troll and Toad credit over cash. This is perfect for sellers looking to add new cards to their collection while getting rid of old clutter, maybe alongside a rewatch of Detective Pikachu.

TCGplayer

Even though we said eBay was the largest and most prominent seller, TCGplayer is the most well-known card-selling platform. Instead of competing for buyers with other interests, you know the people shopping here want cards. Because it is the site’s niche, it has plenty of helpful resources for price-tracking even the rarest cards — though they might be a little out of date, depending on the single. 

Safari Zone

Safari Zone works differently than other sites listed here, because they have a flat rate depending on the type of card you want to sell to them. However, you can sell it immediately instead of waiting for a posting to gain traction. Their bulk submissions sometimes close, so you may have to wait if you have a lot of cards to move. Rates range from two cents for commons to $2.50 for Rainbow Rares.

Know Where to Sell Pokémon Cards? When in Doubt, Go to a Local Shop

If you don’t want to use online resources, a local hobby or pawn shop will serve you. You may not get as much bang for your buck depending on their policies, but if you want to offload lots of bulk or sell a few pricey cards quickly, this might be the best option.

In the age of e-commerce, there is no shortage of places to sell Pokémon cards. You may have to juggle several posting guidelines or seller fees, but you can rest assured there are many reputable outlets for collectors and buyers alike.