Infinite Questions
Real questions people bring to the counter, answered plainly. 364 of them, sorted by what they are about.
Fakes, scams & bad deals 7
The Same Card, Three Different ShiniesI have two cards with the same picture and number but different parts are shiny. Is one fake or did I accidentally…
Is This Card Fake?bought a cheap bundle and something feels off. Is there an easy fake test that doesnt involve me destroying a card?
That Old Sealed Pack Looks Funnyfound an older sealed pack but the wrapper looks a little off. Can you tell if something was resealed just from…
Same Art, Different Attack Texttwo cards share art but the words aren't exactly the same. Is that a fake giveaway?
Suspecting a Fake After DeliveryI think something I bought might be fake but I'm not totally sure. Do I accuse the seller right away?
The Giveaway Box Has Questionable Cardsfound some possibly fake cards in a donation pile. Okay to leave them since they're free?
The Fake Card a Kid Lovesa kid proudly showed me a novelty card they think is real. How do you explain without crushing them?
Grading & slabs 20
What Does Grading Mean?dumb question but what does getting a card graded actually mean? And why is it in a tiny plastic jail 😂
Should I Grade Everything Shiny?pulled 8 holos this weekend. Should I send em all in to get graded or is that overkill?
Can I Clean It Before Grading?old holo has scratches and a little gunk. Can I polish it up before sending it in or will that make it worse?- The Number Checked OutI looked up the number on a slab and it came up on the grading website. So that means its definitely legit right?
A Crack in the Holderfound a slab with a crack in the corner. Seller says the card is fine and its just cosmetic. Would that bother you?
Is That Scratch on the Card?how do you tell if a scratch is on the slab or on the actual card? photos are making my eyes cross
The Grade Became the Whole HobbyI used to like cards and now I mostly stare at the numbers on the slabs. Is that just what happens as you get more…- The Card Is Graded but the Price Isn'tI found my card's price but mine is in a slab. Can I just add the grading fee?
The Hypothetical Perfect Gradeseller priced a raw card like it's definitely going to grade perfectly. Is that normal?- The Grade I Would Still Be Happy Withbefore submitting a card, should I decide what result I'd actually be okay with?
- The Submission Form Feels Like HomeworkI want to send cards for grading but the forms are making me nervous. What's the first step?
Photos Before Gradingshould I photograph the cards before they go out for grading or is that unnecessary?
The Grading Bill Has Extrasis the advertised per-card grading price the WHOLE cost I should expect?
Someone Else Is Submitting for Mefriend offered to include my cards in their grading order. What should we agree on first?- The Return Date Keeps Movingmy grading order is taking longer than I expected. Should I start worrying?
Should I Keep Resubmitting?if I keep sending a card back, eventually it'll get a better grade right?
The Label Has a Typomy graded card's label seems to name the wrong version. Does the slab make that correct somehow?- Authentic Without a NumberI've seen holders that say authentic but don't show a numeric grade. What am I looking at?
- Graded Count Versus Total Supplyif the graded population is small, can I assume most copies have already been sent in?
The Certification Number in My Notesshould i record slab certification numbers or just the card and grade?
What is it worth? 51
- The Binder in the Closetfound my old pokemon binder at my mom's. Some are shiny, some look like they went through the washer lol. How do I…
- Should I Keep a Box Sealed?got a booster box for my birthday. Everyone says dont open it because it'll be worth a fortune. Is that actually a…
What Do I Do with All the Extras?I have approximately a million commons taking over my dining room. Is bulk worth anything or do I now live in a…
How Do I Collect with My Kid?my daughter loves opening packs and I keep checking prices before she even gets to enjoy them. Think I'm doing this…- Rare Doesn't Always Mean Expensivemy friend says this is a rarer pull than another card but the other one costs more. How does that make any sense?
- The Photo Isn't the Actual Cardlisting just has the perfect product picture. Is asking for actual photos annoying when it's not a super expensive card?
One Sold for Way MoreI found five sold listings around the same amount and one that's WAY higher. Can I use the high one to price mine?- Why Do the Two Markets Disagree?TCGplayer and Cardmarket show different numbers. Isn't a card worth the same everywhere?
- No Price Doesn't Mean No Valuecan't find a price for one of my cards in the app. Does that mean its worthless or did I win the lottery
Making an Offer Without Being That Guyis it rude to offer less than the price on a card? I don't wanna be the person everybody groans at- The Card I'll Never Sellmy first good pull isn't worth much but I wouldn't sell it for ten times that. Is that stupid from a collecting…
- Ten Little Cards for One Big OneI offered ten cards that add up to the same value as one card and the person wasn't interested. Isn't equal value a…
- The Mystery Box Temptationmystery box says somebody can get a huge chase card. Looks fun but how do you decide if it's worth trying?
- A Bundle with “hundreds in Value”someone's selling a whole bundle and says the cards individually add up to way more. Is that automatically a good deal?
- A Friend Wants a Friend Pricefriend wants one of my cards cheaper because we're friends. I don't mind a little but now it feels awkward
- When Should I Check Prices?I check my collection value like 12 times a day now. Starting to feel like a second job lol
- The Last Few Cards Cost More Than the Restnearly done with a set but the last few cards are brutal. Is finishing even worth it at that point?
- The Stamp Is the Only Differencemine has a little stamp and the online picture doesn't. Is that worth anything extra?
- The Old Price Stickerthe binder has price stickers from years ago. Should I use those until I figure everything out?
- The Price Was for Four Cardsthought I found a huge price jump, then the listing said x4. Am I supposed to divide that by four?
- The Checkout Price GrewI budgeted for the listed price and then checkout added a bunch. Is that just part of this?
- One Copy Left Onlineseller says it's the last available copy so their price has to be right?? Does that follow?
- The Chart Jumped on One Salecan one big sale make a price chart look hotter than things really are?
- The Price Has Too Many Decimalsapp says a really exact number. Should I price my trade to the cent?
- Three Reasonable PricesI found several fair-looking prices. How do I pick one instead of arguing about the average forever?
- The Auction Hasn't Endedthere's an auction at $20 right now. Can I use that as a comp for mine?
The Monthly Number That Matterswhat's one number you'd suggest a beginner keep track of besides collection value?- Great Reviews for Unrelated Itemsseller has loads of good reviews but none for cards. How much does that matter?
- The Price Dropped the Next Dayseller lowered another copy after I bought mine. do i ask for money back?
- The Card Arrived Better Than Expectedis it worth messaging a seller when everything goes right, or do people only bother when stuff goes wrong?
- The Artist Collection Got Expensivefollowing an artist was affordable until I found their famous cards. Do I have to get those to count as a collector?
Unsolicited Price Checksevery time I show a favorite someone announces what it's worth. How do I steer that somewhere else?
The Offer Changed Mid-conversationwe agreed on a trade, then they checked a new price and wanted more. Nothing's exchanged yet. What now?- Pricing Every Penny CardI'm trying to individually price thousands of cheap cards. Is there a point where this is just silly?
- The Price Tag Is Out of Datemy trade binder has old price stickers. do i peel them all off before an event?
- Minimum Order Sizeshipping a single tiny-value card takes forever. Is it reasonable to sell small cards in groups?
- The Buyer Wants Extra Free Cardssomeone asked if I can throw in a bunch of extras after we already agreed on price. am i supposed to?
- The Drive Eats the Dealsomeone will pay a little more if I drive across town. How do you decide if it's worth it?
- Admitting a Pricing MistakeI gave someone the wrong reference price by accident. How do I correct it without looking shady?
- The Offer I Declined Was FairI turned down an offer even though the price was reasonable. Is that bad business?
- The Sell Price I Never PickedI bought a card to eventually sell but never decided what eventually means. How do you plan that?
- The Price Target from a Videoa video says a card will hit a specific price next year. How seriously do you take that?
- The Fast Exit Testbefore buying an expensive card, should I ask how I'd sell it quickly if plans changed?
The Market Breakis it okay to take a month off following prices if I own some valuable cards?- The Kid Picked the Cheap Carda kid in our family picked a cheap card over the expensive one I thought they'd love. Did I buy badly?
- Explaining Value Without Ruining the Funhow do you teach kids some cards are valuable without making every pack a money lesson?
- The Family Thinks Every Old Card Is a Fortunerelatives keep telling me a inherited binder must be worth a ton. How do I bring expectations back down kindly?
- The Expensive Trade with a Younger Collectora younger collector wants a bigger trade with me. Anything you'd handle differently?
- One Weird Price Is Moving My Whole Totalone card's number suddenly looks ridiculous and makes my total jump. How do I treat that?
- The Purchase Record Without a PriceI know I bought a card but can't find what I paid. Do I just use today's value?
What Counted as a Good Collecting Year?is a good year about the collection being worth more, or is that too narrow?
Condition & damage 17
- One Little Creasecard looks awesome except for one tiny crease. Can I call it lightly played since the rest is basically perfect?
- Those Little White Dotswhat do people mean by whitening? mine has a few little white spots around the blue edge on the back
- My Holo Is Curlingthis holo has a curve to it but no crease. Do I put a stack of books on it or what?
- Raw Sounds Worse Than It Isseller says the card is raw. Does that mean it was never sleeved or is damaged?
- My Card Arrived with a Bent Cornercard came in and there's a bent corner that wasn't in the listing. I don't wanna start drama but I'm bummed
- Haggling Over Conditionseller calls it near mint, I think it's more worn. How do you talk about that without sounding like you're trashing…
- The Border Color Changedsome cards have yellow edges and some silver. Is one color automatically the good version?
- The Insert Is Pressing on the Promopromo is still in the original tray but a corner looks wedged. Leave it alone for authenticity?
- The Seller Answers Everything Except Conditionthey reply fast about payment but keep skipping my question about a dent. What now?
- Mixed Conditions in One Sethalf my set is really clean and half is played. Does that ruin it as a collection?
- The Played Copy I Can Affordthere's a worn copy of a dream card in my budget. Would you hold out for a cleaner one?
- Collector Trying the GameI've collected forever but never played. is it embarassing to ask someone to teach me from zero?
- The Condition Changed After I Listed Itnoticed a dent I missed after posting a card. Nobody's bought it yet. Just add another photo?
- The Photo Hides a Dentone lighting angle makes a dent invisible. Should I use the prettier picture as the main one?
- Sealed Doesn't Mean Condition-freedoes condition matter for sealed boxes if nobody's buying them to admire the cardboard?
- The Boxes Are Taking Over My HobbyI started because I liked cards and now mostly worry about sealed boxes getting damaged. Time to change something?
- Gift Receipts and Exchangesa gift arrived damaged and I have a gift receipt. Do I involve the giver or handle it myself?
Sets, numbers & symbols 13
- Why Do Reprints Matter?people keep freaking out about a reprint. Does that mean the cards everyone bought are worthless now?
- What Counts as a Master Set?I thought I finished a set and my buddy says I need all the reverse holos too. Who made these rules 😭
- Is a Promo a Real Card?got a card in a box and it says promo. Is that like a sample version or does it count the same as cards from packs?
- Too Many Rarity NamesIR, SIR, full art, secret rare... every time I learn a word somebody adds three more. Do I need to memorize all this?
- When a Kid's Trade Goes Wrongmy kid traded away a favorite and regrets it. Do I go ask the other parent to reverse it or let it be a lesson?
- The Same Number in Two SetsI typed in the number and a completely different pokemon came up. Did someone misprint mine?
- The Card in the Tiny Sealed Baga promo came in clear plastic. should i open it so I can sleeve it properly?
- The Shiny Pattern Movesthere's a little swirl in the shine. My friend says that's a whole different rarity. Is it?
- Someone Called It a Reversewhen people say reverse, do they mean the back of the card is shiny? Because mine definitely isn't
- The Card Isn't in My Checklistthe checklist says I'm done but this other version exists. Do I need a different checklist?
- The Misprint Claimseller says this weird ink spot is a super rare error. How do you know if that's real?
- The Promo Is the Only Thing I WantI love a box's promo but don't care about the rest. Do I have to buy the whole box?
- The Completion Percentage Trapmy checklist says 90 percent complete but I'm nowhere near affording the rest. Is that number misleading?
Sealed product & packs 14
- But It Came Straight from a Packhow can a brand new card NOT be a 10? I literally put it straight into a sleeve
- Packs or the One Card I Want?I only want this one gengar but I keep buying packs trying to get it. At what point am I being ridiculous lol
Sending My First Card in the Mailsold my first card. How do I pack it so it doesn't arrive looking like it fought a lawn mower?- How Do I Stop Chasing a Bad Night?opened a bunch of packs, got nothing I wanted, and now I wanna buy more to fix it. I know how that sounds
- A Card Fell Out of the Holderdropped a top loader and the sleeved card slid out. Should it have been sealed somehow?
- Pack Money Versus Collection Moneyshould I have separate budgets for packs and cards I deliberately want?
- The Bigger Box Must Be Bettertwo products are different sizes but I mostly want packs. Is the bigger one usually the better buy?
- The Tin with Surprise Contentssaw a video of someone opening a tin. Can I assume the one I buy has those same packs?
- The Pack Art I Likecan I collect sealed packs because of the pictures on the wrappers, or is that missing the point?
- The Sealed Case Questionsomeone says a case is better than buying boxes separately. Better how exactly?
- The Box That Needs Five Years of Spacesealed collecting sounds easy until I think about storing boxes for years. How do you factor that in?
- The Storage Cost I IgnoredI'm paying for extra storage mostly because of sealed stuff. Should that count against what I make later?
- Packs as a Rewardthinking of using packs as rewards for family chores. Any way to keep expectations reasonable?
- The Unopened Gift I Want to Savegot sealed product as a gift and actually want to keep it sealed. Is that disappointing for the person who gave it?
Japanese & other languages 3
- Japanese or English?found the japanese version way cheaper. Same art, so is that basically a bargain or am I missing something?
- The Language Was in Small Printalmost bought the wrong language because I only looked at the artwork. How do I catch that earlier?
- Trading Across Languageswe want to trade English for Japanese cards. Do we just compare the artwork and call it even?
Storage, binders & sleeves 39
- How Do I Actually Sell a Few Cards?wanna sell a few cards to fund a new binder. What's the least overwhelming way to start?
- Am I Too New to Walk into a Shop?honestly I wanna come in but I know like 4 pokemon and dont wanna ask something everybody already knows. Is it weird…
- Your Binder Doesn't Need to Impress Anybodyfinally moved the old cards into a new binder. Do people put these in some official order or can I just put the cool…
- The Binder Came Without Its OwnerMy uncle gave me a binder but knows nothing about it. Where do I start when I don't even recognize half the cards?
- Why Is This Card Huge?got a giant card with a collection. Is it supposed to go in a normal binder somehow lol
- Is This a Sticker?found something pokemon-shaped in the binder but it's thinner and the back looks peelable. Is that a card?
- Sort First or Sleeve First?big box of loose cards arrived. Do I sort the whole thing first or protect the good ones as I go?
- The Note on the Binder Pagethere's a handwritten note about who gave me a card. Should I throw those out when I clean up?
- The Sleeve Fits Too Wellthis sleeve is so tight I'm scared to push the card in. Is snug supposed to be good?
- Two Cards in One Pocketcan I put cards back to back in each binder pocket to save room?
- The Zipper Barely Closesmy binder closes if I lean on it a little. Is that a sign I need a bigger one lol
- Rings Near the Cardsmy old binder has metal rings right beside the first page. Should I be concerned?
- The Floor Seemed Convenientquick question, is keeping card boxes on the basement floor a bad idea even if the boxes have lids?
- My Car Is Basically a Storage UnitI keep my trade binder in the car so I always have it. Bad habit?
- The Sunny Display Shelfmy favorite cards look amazing by the window. Is that okay if they're in hard cases?
- The Outer Case Is Filthybought a protected card but the top loader is gross. Is swapping it risky?
- The Sleeve Has a Cloudy Patchthought my card was scuffed but maybe it's just the sleeve. How do I check?
- Can I Write on the Sleeve?I wanna put purchase dates on sleeves so I remember. Is that okay?
- Boxes with Too Much Empty Spacecards fall sideways in my storage box because it isn't full. Do I just add more cards?
- My Pet Wants to Helpcat keeps laying on the binder while I sort. Adorable but probably not part of the process?
- The Little Kids Want to Flip Pagesfamily keeps wanting to look through my good binder. How do I let them enjoy it without hovering?
- Should I Double-sleeve Everything?I saw somebody put every single card in two sleeves. Do I need to do that now too?
- The Display Needs Dustinghow do I clean around displayed cards without getting cleaner on them?
- The Hotel Room Questiontaking a binder on a trip. Should I bring the whole collection so I have options?
- The Backpack Is Jammedmy binder shares a backpack with my laptop and charger. Is the hard cover enough?
- Supplies Cost More Than I Expectedspent my card budget and forgot I needed sleeves and a binder. How do you budget for the boring stuff?
- The Storage Check I Never Doonce cards are stored safely, do you ever need to check on them?
- The Perfect Storage System Can WaitI keep researching binders instead of sorting anything. How do I stop making this such a project?
- The Personal Binder at Trade Nightcan I bring a binder just to show people even if none of it is for trade?
- The Person Who Never Brought a Binderfriend comes to trade night but just watches. Should we push them to bring something next time?
- The Card Belongs to Someone Elsemy friend gave me their binder to bring. Can I make a good trade for them if I know they'd probably like it?
- The Digital Card Isn't in My Bindermy game account has a card I love. Does owning that mean I own any physical version too?
- Fancy Sleeves at an Eventcan I use any cool sleeves I want when playing, or are there rules about that too?
- Starting a Child's First Binderputting together a first binder for a kid. Should I load it up or leave space for them to collect?
- Our Shared Bindermy partner and I collect together. Should we track who owns what, or is that making it too formal?
- The Card I Want to Display at WorkI'd like a favorite on my desk but people handle everything here. Any sensible setup?
- When Handling Cards Is DifficultI love collecting but getting cards into tight sleeves is frustrating for me. Any way to make this easier?
- The Year-end Binder CheckI want to do one proper check of my collection before the year ends. What would you actually check?
- The Photos Are Two Binders Behindmy collection photos are really out of date. Do I need individual shots of everything?
Kids & family collections 3
- Does Old Automatically Mean Valuable?these are from when I was in elementary school so they gotta be rare by now right? please say yes lol
- The Card Fund in an EnvelopeI put aside a little cash each week for a favorite. Is that too old school?
- Collecting with a Parentmy dad recognizes the old pokemon and I like newer ones. How do we build something together?
Collecting & keeping track 36
- Where Do I Start with Thirty Bucks?got like $30 to mess with. Is that even enough to start collecting anything decent?
- Does My Collection Total Mean Cash Today?if my collection says $1,000 does that mean I could sell it for a thousand this weekend? trying to understand the number
- A Collection with a ThemeI like the cards where pokemon are just doing regular stuff. Sleeping, eating, hanging out. Is that a collection or…
- The Wishlist That Keeps Growingmy wishlist went from 6 cards to about 70. How do you pick what to buy first without just buying whatever catches your…
- What Did This Collection Actually Cost?I know what my collection is estimated at but I have no clue what I've spent. Kinda afraid to add that up honestly
- The Best Card Is Hiding Behind the Othersonline collection photo has cards overlapping everywhere. Seller says they're all clean. Do I just trust that?
- The Regular Version Is Prettier to MeI actually like the cheap regular version better than the fancy one everyone wants. Am I missing the point of…
- A Card with My Favorite in the Backgroundmy favorite pokemon is in the background of someone else's card. Does that belong in its collection?
- The Collection Has Two Ownersmy brother and I mixed our old cards together. Any way to untangle whose are whose without a fight?
- The Box Smells Like Smokecollection came from a smoker's house. Can I spray something in the box to fix the smell?
- Moving House with a Collectionwere moving and I really don't want my cards packed under the dishes. How would you handle it?
- Mixing Up Two Identical Cardssending two copies of the same card. How do I keep track of which one is which?
- Collecting the Whole Evolution FamilyI started with one favorite and now want its whole evolution line. Is there a sensible way to organize that?
- The Group Needs a Simple Trade Rulestarting a little collecting group. What's one trading rule you'd put front and center?
- Showing a Collection to a Buyersomeone wants to look at my collection. What information should I have ready so we're not there all afternoon?
- Tracking Hasn't Movedtracking is stuck and the buyer is asking every day. What do you say without making stuff up?
- The Package Says Deliveredtracking says delivered but the buyer says nothing arrived. Does that mean somebody's lying?
- Selling on Someone Else's Behalfa relative wants me to sell their collection. What do we agree on before I start?
- The Collection Became an Investment After It DroppedI bought something for fun, it dropped, and now I say I'm holding it as an investment. sound familiar?
- The Anniversary Argumentsomeone says an anniversary guarantees cards will go up. Is that a real collecting rule?
- The Gift List That Spoils the Surprisemy family wants a card wishlist but I don't want to turn gifts into a shopping assignment. Any middle ground?
- The Allowance Purchasea younger collector wants to spend several weeks of saved allowance on one card. How would you help them think it…
- The Adult Who Feels Too OldI want to start collecting but feel weird being older than most people I see posting. Too late?
- The Boxes in Shared Spacemy collection is spreading into common areas and it's annoying everyone. How do I set a fair boundary?
- The Collection After a Lossa loved one left me cards and I can't decide whether to keep or sell them. Where would you start?
- The Group's Donation Projectour collecting group wants to make starter bundles. What makes them thoughtful instead of random leftovers?
- Thanking the Person Who Helped Mea collector spent time explaining stuff and wouldn't take anything. What's a good way to thank them?
- Backing Up the Collection Recordmy whole collection list lives on one device. Should I keep another copy somewhere?
- Showing Off Without Showing EverythingI want to post collection photos but not broadcast my whole setup. Any simple habit you'd suggest?
- Helping Family Understand the Collectionif I couldn't explain my collection for a while, my family would have no clue what any of it is. What notes help?
- The Collection Total Changed After CleanupI corrected a bunch of entries and my estimated total dropped. Did I somehow make the collection worse?
- The Goal I Don't Care About AnymoreI started a collection challenge and now I'm just not excited about it. Is quitting it a waste?
- The Wishlist Cleanoutmy wishlist has stuff I only wanted because everyone else did. do you delete those or keep them for someday?
- The Biggest Lesson from a MistakeI made a dumb collecting purchase this year. How do I learn from it without replaying it forever?
- Smaller Collection Better Collection?I'm thinking about owning fewer cards but liking every page more. Is that a reasonable goal?
- One Card a Week Sounds Simplethinking of a one-card-a-week goal. is that a good way to control spending?
Buying, selling & trading 76
- What Even Is Pokénomics?ok I keep hearing pokenomics. Is that just a fancy way of saying buying pokemon cards and hoping they go up?
- What Makes a Good Card Investment?if I want to buy a card to hold for a few years, what should I actually look for besides somebody on youtube yelling…
- Everybody Says It's About to Explodethis card doubled and my group chat says its going way higher. Do I buy now before I miss it??
- How Do We Make a Fair Trade?going to my first trade night and I dont wanna get taken or accidentally rip somebody off. How do people agree what's…
- It Dropped. Do I Sell?my favorite card dropped after I bought it. Should I sell before it gets worse or just pretend I didnt see it
- Does “low Pop” Mean Rare?seller keeps saying low pop like that settles everything. Does it mean there arent many of that card in existence?
- Taking Photos That Actually Helptrying to sell one card and every photo either has glare or looks like I took it inside a cave. Any tricks?
- Yesterday's Screenshotguy wants to trade using a screenshot from a few months ago because that's what he paid. How do I say that seems off…
- Adding a Little Cash to a Tradewe both want the trade but one side is a little higher. Is adding cash normal or does that make it weird?
- The Card I Keep Buying Againbought a card this weekend, got home, already had it. That's twice now. Please tell me there is a system for people…
- Selling for More Isn't Always Profitbought for $40 and sold for $50 so I made ten bucks... except after everything I feel like I made lunch money. What do…
- Why Won't This Rare Card Sell?card is supposedly rare but nobody's biting. I thought rare stuff was easy to sell?
- The Deal Needs an Answer Right Nowseller keeps saying somebody else wants it and I need to pay immediately. I like the card but now I'm stressed
- Proving What I Shippeddo you take pics before shipping a card or is that overthinking it?
- The Buyer Wants to Pay Somewhere Elsebuyer asked me to leave the selling app to save fees. Sounds good but also kinda sketchy?
- Changing Your Mind at the Trade TableI said maybe on a trade and now I don't want to do it. They already pulled all their cards out. Am I stuck?
- Selling Part of a SetI need to thin things out but hate the idea of breaking up a set I worked on. How do you pick what goes?
- What if I Need the Money Back?I've been buying cards thinking I could just sell them if I needed cash. Starting to realize that might not be instant
- The Tiny Flaw I Can't Unseebought a card I loved and now all I notice is one little edge spot. How do you know when to upgrade versus just chill…
- A Gift for Someone Who Knows More Than Mewant to get my partner a pokemon gift but they know way more than I do. How do I not buy the completely wrong thing?
- The Name Is Hard to Readthere's glare right across the name in the seller's picture. Can you identify a card just by the number?
- Shipping Changes the Comparisonone card is $8 with $6 shipping and another is $12 shipped. Which number do you use?
- The Low Sale Had Terrible Photosone sold really cheap but the listing was blurry. Should that drag down what I ask?
- The Offer Is Only Good as a Groupshop offered one amount for everything but I only want to sell half now. Can I expect exactly half the offer?
- Selling Doesn't Require Buying Againwhenever I sell a card, I immediately buy another. Is that just how collections grow?
- The Listing Has Two Product Namestitle says one thing and the description says another. which one should I assume I'll get?
- The Free Shipping ThresholdI'm $15 short of free shipping and keep adding cards I barely want. Am I saving money here?
- Combining Orders Sensiblydoes buying several cards from one seller usually make sense for small stuff?
- A Gift Card Is Still Moneygot store credit as a gift and suddenly everything seems free. How do you avoid blowing it?
- The Seller Wants a Depositsomeone will hold a card if I send a deposit. What should I ask before doing that?
- The Photo Has Somebody Else's Nameseller sent a timestamp photo but the handwritten username doesn't match theirs. Should I ask?
- The Video Looked Convincingif a seller sends a video holding the card, does that prove they're safe to buy from?
- The Friend of a Friendsomeone in my group says they know the seller. Is that enough of a reference?
- The Return Terms Are Vaguelisting says returns are complicated. Should I ask for details before buying or am I being difficult?
- Using a Shop as a Meeting Placecan we just meet at a card shop to do a private sale?
- The Receipt Says Miscellaneousbought a valuable card and the receipt is super vague. Should I ask for something more specific?
- The Purchase I Can't RememberI found a card in my bag and can't remember which table I bought it from. Bad sign?
- Keeping the Purchase Excitementsometimes all the fun is buying and then the card just disappears into a box. Any way to change that?
- Leaving with Nothingwent to a shop and didn't buy anything because nothing really grabbed me. Why do I feel guilty?
- Famous Card or Favorite Art?I can buy a recognizable card or one I actually like more that nobody talks about. Which would you pick?
- The Wrong Copy Ended Up in the TradeI meant to trade my duplicate but accidentally handed over the nicer copy. Can I ask to swap them?
- Trading Two Copies of the Same Cardwe both have the same card but want to swap because we prefer each other's centering. Is that ridiculous?
- Buying Cards for a DeckI found a deck list online. Can I just buy those cards and enter an event?
- Two Versions in One ListingI have several versions of a card. Can I use one listing and send whichever one is handy?
- The Card Sold in Two PlacesI listed the same card in two spots. How do people stop it selling twice?
- Reserved Isn't Very Specificbuyer said they'll probably pay Friday. Do I mark the card sold now?
- Updating the Trade RecordI keep forgetting to remove cards from my list after trades. What's an easy habit to build?
- Reusing Last Month's Photoscan I reuse photos from an identical card I sold before if this one looks about the same?
- The Purchase Is a Presentbuyer says a card is a gift. Anything different you'd do when packing it?
- The Buyer Sent a Payment ScreenshotI got a screenshot saying payment went through but I don't see it in my account. Ship or wait?
- The Address Changed in a Messagebuyer wants me to ship somewhere different from the order. Is that a simple edit?
- My First International Buyersomeone overseas wants my card. What should I understand before saying yes?
- The Shipping Deadline I PickedI promised next-day shipping and now work is crazy. How do you keep that from becoming a habit?
- The Partial Refund Requestbuyer wants a partial refund for wear I already showed. Do I just pay to end the conversation?
- Canceling Before Shipmentbuyer changed their mind right after paying. Is canceling always a bad thing?
- Answering the Same Buyer Questionpeople keep asking a detail I thought was obvious in my listing. Are they just not reading?
- The Work Hiding Behind a SaleI enjoy selling but sorting, photos, and packing take forever 😅. Is that just me being slow?
- The Best Buyer Experiencewhat makes somebody want to buy from the same person again besides getting a deal?
- The Seller Owns a Lot of the Carda creator says a card is a great investment, then mentions owning a TON of copies. Does that matter?
- The Sold-out Screenshoteveryone's sharing a sold-out screenshot like it proves a product is a winner. Does it?
- The Already-popular Cardis buying something popular automatically safer than buying a weird niche card?
- The Niche Card I UnderstandI know a lot about a small niche. Is that an advantage when buying to resell?
- Buying a Card Because It Used to Cost Moreit's half its old high. Does that make it a bargain by definition?
- One Big Buy Versus Several Small OnesI saved enough for one major card or several smaller favorites. How do you compare that?
- The Card Keeps Rising After I Sellsold for a result I was happy with, then it climbed again. How do you not obsess over that?
- Collectibles with Borrowed Moneyeveryone's buying a release and I could put it on money I don't really have yet. Bad idea?
- The Next Big Thing Questionwhat's the next card everyone is going to wish they bought? I know you get asked this constantly 😂
- Keeping Notes About Why I Boughtwould writing one sentence about each bigger purchase actually help later?
- Still Liking It if It Never Risesis “I'd still like owning it” enough of a reason to buy a card?
- The Duplicate GiftI received a card I already own. Is trading it away ungrateful?
- Finding a Quieter Way to Join Inbig trade nights are a lot for me. Is there a less intense way to meet collectors?
- The Card My List Says I Still Ownmy list includes cards I sold months ago. Do I need to redo the whole inventory?
- The Holiday Delivery PromiseI'm selling a card that's intended as a holiday gift. Can I promise it'll arrive in time if I ship fast?
- Letting Go Below What I PaidI want to sell something I don't enjoy but keep waiting to get my original money back. What would you consider?
- The New-year Release HypeI'm already hearing that next year is going to be huge. Should I buy more now to get ahead?
- More Learning Less BuyingI want to spend less next year without losing interest. What can I do in the hobby that isn't shopping?
Getting started 85
- Why Is My Charizard Five Dollars?someone has a charizard online for like $900 and mine says $5. It's the same pokemon?? what am I missing
- Nm, Lp… Am I Ordering Tires?what are NM and LP? everybody uses these abbreviations like we got a handbook at birth
- How Do I Keep These Nice?my good cards are currently in a sandwich bag. I'm guessing thats not the system 😬 what do I actually need?
- Why Is the Shop Offer Lower?my cards add up to $200 in the app but a shop offered less. Is that normal or am I getting lowballed?
- I Think I Overpaidpaid $80 and now im seeing the same card around $45. Feeling pretty stupid about it tbh
- How Is Card 215 in a Set of 198?this card says 215/198. I was never great at math but that seems illegal 😂
- Why Would Anyone Want Four Copies?someone was looking for a bunch of the same boring-looking card. Why would you collect duplicates on purpose?
- The Cards Without Pokémon on ThemI've been setting all the trainer and energy cards aside because I thought nobody collected those. Was that a bad…
- Please Show Me the Backwhy does everybody ask for a picture of the back when the artwork is on the front?
- What Is Centering?I keep hearing a card is off center. Are they talking about the pokemon not being in the middle of the picture?
- Is Every Ten the Same?if two different companies both give a card a 10, are those basically interchangeable?
- Preordering Without PanickingI want to preorder something but there's so much pressure to lock it in now. What do you check first?
- Getting Ready for a Card Showfirst card show coming up. Besides money I apparently shouldn't spend all at once, what do I bring?
- Keeping Every Single DuplicateI keep thinking every duplicate might be useful someday. At this rate I'm going to need a second house
- Three Months Inbeen at this a few months and still feel like a beginner. Everybody else seems to know everything already
- The Picture Search Found Six Matchessearched the artwork and got six cards that look identical. How do I narrow this down without losing my mind lol?
- A Number Without a Slashmy card just has letters and numbers, no 14/100 thing. Did I find something unofficial?
- The Copyright Year Confused Methe little date doesn't match the year someone told me this card released. Which one do I believe?
- The Card Name Has Extra LettersI thought ex and EX were just people typing differently. Are those actually different things?
- An Artist I Keep NoticingI keep picking cards by the same artist without realizing it. Can I collect just their stuff?
- Where Is the Artist's Name?how are people identifying the artist? Is there a signature hiding in the picture somewhere?
- This One Looks Like Claysome artwork looks like little clay figures instead of a drawing. Are those official too?
- The Back Is Differenta foreign card has a different back from my English ones. Should I be worried?
- The Gold Card from a Party Baggot a gold-looking card in a party favor. How can I tell if it's a real release or a novelty?
- The Photo of a Trophy Cardsomebody showed me a photo of an amazing trophy card and now I want one. Do normal shops carry stuff like that?
- The Scan Got the Version Wronga scan found the right pokemon but picked the wrong shiny version. Should I just leave it?
- Is an Autograph Part of the Card?got a signed card secondhand. Should I just list it as signed and assume people know who it is?
- The Kitchen Table Is Also DinnerI sort cards where we eat. Any trick besides telling everyone to stop existing for an hour?
- Do I Need White Gloves?people wear gloves in videos. Am I being careless using clean hands?
- The Card Got Stuckone card won't come out of a pocket. Do I pull harder or cut the page?
- The Rubber Band Systemfound a stack held together with a rubber band. What's the safest way to deal with that?
- Something Looks Like Moldthere are strange specks on old cards from a damp box. Do I wipe them off?
- Keeping the Original Boxdo I need to keep every box after opening a product? It's becoming a cardboard museum
- The Card Already Has Damageif a card is already beat up, is protecting it kind of pointless?
- In Person Versus Onlinea local copy costs a little more than the one online. Am I silly for wanting to inspect it first?
- I Don't Understand the Resultmy card came back lower than I expected and I can't see why. What would you do first?
- The Budget Is Averaging Itself AwayI say I spend $50 a week but skip one week and spend $200 the next. Is averaging okay?
- The Cheap Deal I Don't Wantfound a great deal on something I don't collect. Is passing it up wasting an opportunity?
- The Coupon That Expires Tonightgot a coupon and now I'm shopping for something to use it on. Thats backwards, isn't it?
- Asking a Shop to Hold Somethingis it rude to ask a shop to hold a card until I get there?
- Asking to See a Card Out of the Caseis it okay to ask someone to take a raw card out of its holder so I can inspect it?
- Inspecting Before Local Paymentmeeting someone for a card. Is it awkward to check it properly before handing over money?
- The Cash Count Feels AwkwardI hate counting money in front of people. How do you do that without seeming suspicious?
- Bringing a More Experienced Friendis bringing a buddy who knows cards overkill for my first bigger purchase?
- One Card for Every PokémonI want one card of every pokemon. Do they all have to be from the same era for that to make sense?
- The Forms Questionif I collect one of every pokemon, do alternate forms count separately? I can already see this getting out of hand
- Pages That Look Good TogetherI like arranging cards by background color. any trick to making that look intentional?
- Mixing Rarities on a Pagedoes putting a cheap common beside a fancy card make the page look less impressive?
- The Empty Space Beside a FavoriteI keep wanting to fill a blank pocket even when I don't want any particular card. Why does that happen lol
- Asking Before Handlingsomeone started taking my cards out of pockets without asking. how do i stop that politely?
- Donating Cards People Can UseI want to give away extra cards. Should I just drop off a random box somewhere?
- Why Players Care About Rotationpeople say rotation might affect demand. What does that mean for someone who only collects?
- Playing with a FavoriteI'd love to play using a favorite card but I'm nervous about wear. What would you do?
- The Useful Bulk Boxhow do I separate useful deck-building cards from the rest of my extras if I barely know the game?
- Making Room for Both Sides of the Hobbymy friend cares about decks and I care about art. What can we actually do together with this hobby?
- Letter or Parcel?my packed card is a little stiff and thick. Can I still mail it like an ordinary letter?
- The Return Looks Differenta returned card doesn't look like the one I sent. How would you handle that?
- What Does Long Term Even Mean?people tell me to hold long term. Is that a number of years or just a way to avoid deciding anything?
- Every Card Features the Same Pokémonall my pricier cards are of one pokemon. Does owning different cards spread the risk much?
- Do We Know How Many Were Printed?someone quoted an exact print run for a card but couldn't tell me where it came from. Should I use it?
- Likes Aren't Purchasesa card gets thousands of likes online. Is that a decent way to judge demand?
- The Artwork Got a New Printingif an artwork gets reused, does the original lose its reason to be valuable?
- New Favorites Can Change Demandcan a pokemon become more popular later and make old cards more wanted?
- The Profit I Haven't Takenmy cards are up on paper. can i call that money available for another purchase?
- When New Information Changes the PlanI learned something that makes me less confident in a purchase. Is changing my mind just being emotional?
- The Friend Who Always Predicts Winnersmy friend remembers every card they called correctly. How do I judge whether their advice is actually good?
- The Small Gift Exchangeour group wants to exchange cards but our budgets are all different. How do we make it fair?
- The Card with a Noteis it cheesy to give someone an inexpensive card with a note about why it reminds me of them?
- The Gift Was the Wrong Versionsomeone gave me a card I wanted, but the wrong version. do i tell them?
- The Partner Who Doesn't Collectmy partner supports the hobby but doesn't understand why I love it. How do I explain without giving a lecture?
- Talking About What I SpendI avoid telling my partner what cards cost because I don't want an argument. Thats probably not great?
- The Small Print StruggleI can barely read the numbers at the bottom. Do collectors just have better eyes than me lol?
- Teaching Without Taking Overa friend asked me for help starting out. How do I avoid overwhelming them with everything I've learned?
- The Friend Who Corrects Every Wordsomebody in our group corrects beginners constantly. How do we keep things welcoming?
- The Gift That Needs a Budgetholiday shopping makes me want to give everybody a huge card gift. How do you keep that reasonable?
- The Hobby FriendshipI talk to some card friends more than people I've known forever. Is that a weird thing to feel grateful for?
- The Set Is Finished Now What?finally completed the set I've been working on. Do I immediately pick another one or take a minute?
- The Favorite Purchase Wasn't the Big Onelooking back, my favorite pickup was a little cheap card. Is that telling me something useful?
- The Spending Review I'm DreadingI'm scared to total up the year's card spending. How do you make that constructive instead of depressing?
- The Gift Haul Needs Organizinggot a bunch of cards at once and now they're all mixed up 😅. What's your first move?
- The Upgrade Plan for Next YearI'd like cleaner copies of a few favorites. How do I keep upgrading from becoming endless?
- Revisiting an Old QuestionI read an answer months ago and now it finally makes sense. Is that normal?
- The Question I Still Haven't Askedafter a whole year I still have basic questions I feel like I should know. Do those ever stop being embarrassing?
- What Should I Ask Next?if I want to keep getting better at pokenomics, what kind of question should I bring you next?
- Still an Ex-pokédumb?after all these questions, are you still calling yourself ex-Pokédumb? 😂