Step 1 : Get Organized

Sort your collection by set and by rarity

If you haven't done so already, you will need to organize your collection by set and by rarity. This well help you determine which cards are valuable all on their own , and which cards are not. This will also make it easier for you later on when you are preparing your package for mailing.

Understanding Card Rarity

Making sense of the little symbols

Each Pokemon card has a little shape-symbol located in its lower right hand corner that defines its rarity or to put it more simply, how hard it is to get that card out of a booster pack. The symbols system works like this. A small black circle means the card you have is a "common" card. Commons are easy to come by and not usually worth much. If you have a small black diamond then the card is an "uncommon". Most of these are also not worth a heck of a lot, but there are a few exceptions, mostly among the better Trainer and Supporter cards.

In general, if you want to sell us common and uncommon cards they will have to be sent in as "bulk". Bulk means a large quantity of cards for one lump sum.  If you have a box of cards like this, all in mint to near mint condition please follow the buylist bulk link located at the bottom of the page.

If you find that you have a star shape in the lower right hand corner of the card, then you have a "rare" card. If the card has a shiny holographic card image then you have a "holofoil".

Generally, Rare and Holofoil cards are worth the most because they are fewer of them printed, they are higher in demand, and the abilities and powers they have are better and give you the in-game edge. The highest value cards in your collection will most likely be found among these cards and you will probably have less of them than commons and uncommons. Once you've got them sorted by rarity, you can then begin to organize them by set.

Understanding Set Symbols

The little pictures that tell you where your cards came from

Pokemon Cards, along with all other Trading Cards are released in packages called "sets". Each collectible set contains approximately 100+ cards and is given a name. The very first Pokemon Trading Card Game set was called Base Set, and later on, expansion sets like Jungle, Fossil, and Rocket were released. Many of the current Pokemon sets are tied to the popular video games with names like Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, and Heart Gold Soul Silver. The set a card comes from is very important to its value. For Pokemon Card Collectors its important because they are trying to acquire every single card from every single set. The cards that are harder to obtain go up in value and the cards that are easy to get, generally go down. For people who play the Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) sets are important because it helps to differentiate what cards are legal for tournament play and the difference between two Pokemon cards with same name. As illustrated in the image on the left, many times you have two entirely different cards that share the same name. The Charizard on the left is from the "Base 2" set. The Charizard on the right is from "Crystal Guardians". Even though both cards are named Charizard, they have entirely different values. Make sure that you organize your cards by set so you can determine which versions of your cards have values.

You can download a set-symbol guide here and print it out for reference.

You need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the Set-Symbol file. You can download it for free here.

Card Condition and Origin

Cards we will not accept

Not every type of Pokemon card is sellable. We only accept authentic, English, non world-championship cards. Below is a guide that shows you an example of what types of cards we will and will not accept. We also only accept cards that are in mint/near mint condition. This means the card MUST be free of any play wear, whitening, creases, dings, marks, dirt, yellowing, or other damage. Any cards sent to us in less than mint/near mint condition will be rejected and  arrangements must be made by the owner to have their cards returned to them at their own expense.

Step 2: Find Prices for Your Cards

Use our interactive buylist to add the cards you would like to sell to your "sell to us" cart and submit it

Now that you know what you have, and everything is neat and organized, its time to price your collection. You can choose to browse our interactive Pokemon buylist by set. You can also choose to search for a specific card by typing the card name into the search box. Simply add the appropriate quantities of cards you wish to sell to your "sell to us" shopping cart, then click the "buylist cart" button and follow the checkout instructions. You will receive a confirmation e-mail after which we will review your buylist and send an approval e-mail. Please be sure to review it carefully as some changes may have been made. Follow the instructions in the approval e-mail.

IMPORTANT

• Please be advised that much like the stock market, card prices can rise and fall at a moment's notice. Our interactive buylist is subject to change at anytime and built to reflect a fair market price based on current supply and demand.
• All Prices Listed are for Near Mint/Mint Condition English Cards
• To submit a buylist you MUST sell a minimum of $10.00 worth of cards. Anything below $10 will be rejected.
• Payment will be sent via . Paypal payments will be sent within 2-3 days from receipt of merchandise. If you wish to be paid by check, there will be $3.00 processing fee. Please allow 2-3 weeks for check processing.
• There will be a return postage fee if we need to return cards for any reason (postage billed at weight of package)
• There will also be a processing fee (minimum charge of $3.00 for incorrect order, maximum fee billed at $20/hour in six minute increments) if the cards you send are:
• NOT in the order of the buylist
• IN sleeves
• NOT in acceptable condition
• Please feel free to contact us with any questions at (203) 296-9961 or via e-mail at sales@gamingetc.com

NOTE:If you own a card that does not appear in our buylist then it is considered a "bulk" card. If you would like to sell bulk common & uncommon pokemon cards, please click the link here. All of the cards you sell to us must always be in mint/near mint condition, again any cards not up to our standards of quality will be rejected and returned at the owner's expense.
 

Step 3: Prepare your Cards for Shipment

Properly pack your cards so that they arrive to us safely and swiftly.

If your cards are in binder pages, sleeves, hard plastic holders, or top-loaders they must first be removed. These storage methods are unnecessary and will only add additional weight to your package which will cost you additional postage. The labor required to remove your collection from sleeves will de-value your collection significantly and it is in your best interest to get the maximum payment possible. We recommend purchasing cardboard card-boxes from your local card, comic, or hobby shop and shipping your collection in one or more of these. These boxes are available in 250 count to 5000 count sizes and are light but extremely durable. If you are only shipping a small amount of cards, we recommend sending them in a padded envelope with a hard cardboard backing to prevent damage during transit. Make sure to double check the cards you are sending for any king of damage as you are packing them.

Step 4: Send your Cards to our Buying Department

Use the preferred courier of your choice to get your cards to us, so we can send your payment

When you collection is priced, approved, and correctly packaged, send it to the following address:

Gamingetc
Attn:Pokecorner Buylist
555 Lordship Blvd.
Stratford, CT 06615