How to Sell Pokémon Cards on eBay: Fees, Photos and Shipping

Write a title buyers search for

eBay recommends relevant keywords in a logical, readable order. For collectible card games that means the franchise, the edition or set, the card name, grading details and any special features. eBay's listing tips also suggest using all 80 characters.

Add the card number too, since many cards share a name. A title built this way might read: Pokémon Base Set Shadowless Charizard 4/102 Holo Rare PSA 8.

Then fill in the item specifics. eBay says buyers use them to filter search results, and a listing only appears in those filtered results if it has the matching specific. Required specifics must be completed on every new or revised listing.

Photos and condition

• Include at least one photo that is 500 pixels or more on its longest side. eBay allows up to 24 photos and recommends 1600 by 1600 pixels.
• For trading cards, eBay suggests showing the front, the back, any significant blemishes and any grading label.
• Shoot on a white or neutral background in soft, diffused light, with the flash off to avoid glare.
• Photograph the actual card. eBay does not allow stock photos for used items, added borders, added text or watermarks.

Single cards are listed as Graded or Ungraded. For a graded card, add the grader and the numerical grade, and eBay recommends adding the certification number. An ungraded Pokémon card is listed as Near Mint or Better, Lightly Played (Excellent), Moderately Played (Very Good) or Heavily Played (Poor).

eBay says the most significant flaw anchors a card's condition and encourages sellers to be conservative. Overstating condition can also cost you: sellers whose rate of item not as described return requests is rated Very High in a category are charged an additional 5% on final value fees there the following month.

Price from sold listings, then count the fees

Base your price on what copies actually sold for, not on other sellers' asking prices. In eBay Advanced Search, tick Sold items and compare only sales that match your card's printing, condition and grade. Completed listings cover the previous 90 days, while Product research in Seller Hub goes back 3 years and shows the real price when a Best Offer was accepted. For raw cards, TCGplayer Market Price, which is based on recent TCGplayer sales, is a useful second opinion.

eBay's final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale plus a per order fee. The total includes the item price, any shipping and handling charged to the buyer, and sales tax.

For example, a card that sells for $50 with $5 shipping and $3.30 sales tax has a total of $58.30. The final value fee is 13.25% of that, about $7.72, plus $0.40, so roughly $8.12.

Shipping cards

Standard envelope is only offered in eligible categories, and the label is printed through eBay Labels. Whatever the service, pack the card in a sleeve and a rigid holder so it cannot bend in the mail.

Listing straight from Cardmatic

If your cards are already saved in Cardmatic, connect your eBay account once and create a fixed price or auction listing from any card. The title, item specifics, photos and Store categories come from the card you saved, graded cards carry their grading details and certification number, and you review everything before it goes live. Publishing is protected against accidental duplicate listings.

On Pro and up, pricing rules keep sale stock near the market, and paid orders land in one shipping queue with pick lists and tracking numbers. You buy postage yourself, and there is no commission on your sales on top of eBay's fees.