In my first year selling Pokemon cards on eBay, I sold 1,200+ orders totaling over $30,000 - with no experience beforehand. When I start a new project I go as deep as I can, and I've tried to condense as much as I learned into this post.
If you're only selling 1 or 2 high-value cards that are very in demand, you can likely just keep it simple and they will sell pretty easily. If you're looking to consistently sell many cards on eBay at a high quality, create a brand, and build a business long-term - this guide is for you. We'll cover everything from writing effective titles to safely shipping the card after it sells.
How to write eBay titles that actually sell your Pokemon cards
eBay listing titles are important to the right person discovering your item, especially for selling cards. There are hundreds of different Pikachu cards across dozens of sets and variants - your title is how the right buyer finds yours instead of someone else's. You need to include everything the average person may search for to find the specific card they're after, keep it consistent across your store, and still make it all readable within the 80 character limit.
Step 1: Card Name
Your listing title should always start with the card name. It's the first thing buyers are searching for, so you want this to match perfectly. Very important not to make a spelling mistake here, because your card will be lost. "Charzard" won't sell (at least not quickly) because it won't appear for anyone searching for "Charizard".
Step 2: Card Number
After the card name, the only other piece I would say is absolutely necessary is the FULL card number. Include it exactly how it appears physically on the card, for example 100/97, SV49/SV122, etc. The most common search term for any card by your average buyer will be something like "Charizard 100/97" or "Charizard VMAX SV49/SV122", sometimes shortened to just "Charizard SV49" but it's definitely worth having the full card name and number included.
Step 3: Keywords, TCG, Set, and Condition
This last step is extra, and this is where I would suggest you go with what feels right for you and then STICK WITH IT. A buyer viewing the entire inventory of your store is going to get a more professional impression and trust you more if all of your listings are consistent. Decide what extra keywords feel right to you, the format of the title, and then use it consistently for everything.
This is also where variant information matters - if your card is a holofoil, reverse holo, 1st Edition, Shadowless, Full Art, or any other special variant, it needs to be in the title. A "Charizard 4/102" that's 1st Edition and one that's Unlimited are wildly different price points, and a buyer needs to know which one you're selling.
Being honest about your card's condition
The difference between the same card being sold for wildly different prices comes down to the condition, which makes it tempting to say all cards are just "in good quality", but that's a bit of a red flag for most buyers. eBay breaks card conditions down into 4 levels:
90% of all cards on eBay fall under "Near Mint or Better". This is the highest condition you can select, and it's the standard for pack-fresh cards that have been immediately sleeved and protected. Most cards being sold have been pulled out of a pack and kept at the highest quality possible.
When looking at the market price of a card, this is almost always referring to the market price of the card in "Near Mint" condition. Any lower and you should be adjusting the price lower than this, and for a graded card those are priced very differently (depending on the grade).
If you're confused about the condition, eBay has a detailed card conditions guidelines page which breaks it down by corners, edges, discoloration, creases, scratching, and staining - worth a look. Things like centering are not typically considered for determining the condition of your card, only any damage that may have occurred since it was opened. When in doubt, round down - a buyer who receives a card in better condition than expected will be happy, not disappointed.
How to take listing photos that sell your card for you
When it comes to your listing photos, you'll see big sellers with their own photo studios, lightboxes, etc. - don't feel like this is necessary at all for you to take high-quality listing photos. Every phone camera these days is high enough quality that for eBay listings there would be no noticeable difference between that and an expensive camera.
The most important things to think about for your Pokemon card listing images are:
- Lighting: Natural light is your best friend here. Make sure your card is very clearly visible, all edges are clean, and there are no harsh shadows making it hard for a buyer to determine the quality. Avoid using flash - it blows out holofoil cards and hides surface detail.
- Background: A neutral background will make it easy for the buyer to cleanly view the edges of the card. Avoid carpet, wood grain, or anything busy.
- Photos: Front and back, at minimum. eBay does tend to perform slightly better if you include 6+ which can be done by taking zoomed-in photos of the corners where most damage typically shows itself. For holofoil cards, include an angled shot that shows the holo pattern - this is where scratches hide.
The main question you should be asking yourself with your photos is "Do my listing photos clearly display the current condition of the card, with little to no ambiguity?" Buyers want to feel confident that the card they're getting is in the condition they expect, and the photos are the way you earn that trust.
How should I price my card?
Short answer:
Look at what other people are selling the exact same card for, see what it sold for recently, match the cheapest-ish price.
REAL answer: You may notice that eBay prices do not reflect what other sites report as "market price". There are many factors that change the value of a card, for example I live in Australia and market price is nearly always dictated by the American market. So some cards are worth a bit more, or a bit less, in your region. This is sometimes a change of 10-20% on the US market price.
The other biggest factor with eBay prices is eBay's fee, and the shipping cost. When looking at the prices of other listings, merge the listing price and the shipping cost together. On eBay, the shipping price is always present, even if the listing has "Free Postage", the shipping cost is being baked into the item cost. eBay's fee is also anywhere from 10-13%, so you need to account for that as well to determine your final "take-home cost".
The way I price my cards is first figure out "ALL THINGS EQUAL" what the market price of this card would be on eBay. That's USD market price, converted to AUD + eBay fee + shipping cost. Then I compare that against what's currently being sold:
- Cheapest listing is MORE than your baseline: Price your card slightly cheaper than the cheapest card. This will sell quickly.
- Cheapest listing is LESS than your baseline: Find a comfortable middle ground between the baseline price and the cheapest currently listed. This is you taking into consideration the current market conditions for your region.
Make sure you're only comparing sold/current listings for comparable cards. Same condition, same variant, etc. A "Moderately Played" card should not be priced as if it's "Near Mint".
How to write your listing description
The description is, honestly, not the most important part of your listing. Many people get away with the in-built eBay AI-generated description function, which just generates a paragraph of text and calls it a day. Most buyers will only scan this description briefly, and it becomes less and less important as you build trust with the community and gather positive feedback.
That said, a good listing description can really help you stand out and appear professional and trustworthy, even if you don't have a proper eBay reputation yet.
Brand it, make it look nice, include as much information as you can so someone can be 100% sure of exactly the card they're getting, what condition it's in, what shipping method they can expect, etc. At a minimum, restate the card name, set, condition, and note any defects - even mentioning small flaws upfront builds trust with buyers.
eBay supports custom HTML in your listing descriptions, so if you want to go further you can build a branded template with your store logo, consistent formatting, and styled sections. This takes more effort upfront but pays off if you're listing regularly.
Lastly, your description can help your eBay listings attract more impressions from Google searches. If you're only selling 1 or 2 cards this isn't the biggest deal, but if you're trying to start your own brand/store then this is a must-have.
How to ship Pokemon cards on eBay safely
Congratulations, your card sold! Time to package it safely. There are many different opinions online on how to do this - here is my approach:
For me, I would wrap my card around the order invoice from eBay, and tape that together (very flat, more protection). I'd include my business card, and place it all inside a rigid envelope. A soft envelope also works, but isn't as safe as a rigid cardboard envelope. Bubble mailer is normally safer than an envelope, but is more expensive. If you can do it right, you can send the card in an envelope perfectly fine and save money on shipping (passing those savings onto your buyers as well).
Lastly, you need to decide whether to send it with tracking or not. This is an extra cost, and the trade-off is that the buyer can watch the tracking for when it will arrive, and you have proof it was sent. Believe me, there are some people out there who will lie and say it never arrived to get their money back.
Once packaged, send it as early as possible. The buyer will let eBay know when it arrives, and sending orders quickly and accurately helps eBay trust you and builds your reputation.
Common mistakes to avoid
After 1,200+ orders, these are the mistakes I see sellers make most often:
- Lying or misleading about the card condition. eBay is very good at protecting the buyer, and you will lose every time. Expect a return, a negative review, or both.
- Forgetting variant information in the title. If it's a promo, staff stamp, reverse holo, 1st Edition, anything - add it to the title. Without it, buyers searching for that specific variant won't find your card.
- Low-quality photos that don't show the condition clearly. Buyers who can't tell the condition from your photos will either skip your listing or buy and then dispute it.
- Shipping without proper packaging. A card that arrives damaged is a guaranteed return, and you're paying for shipping both ways.
- Pricing based on current listings instead of sold listings. Current listings are what sellers hope to get. Sold listings are what buyers actually pay. Price from reality.
CardList - The tool I built to make all of this easier
With everything mentioned in mind, it might not be a surprise that as a senior web developer I built a tool to make all of this easier and quicker. CardList was born out of my own selling workflow - I needed reliable title and description templates to keep branding consistent, quick links to recently sold and currently listed cards for pricing, and a way to make sure all metadata on every listing was perfectly accurate. It's that extra 5% in quality that others don't have, that will have your card store succeed where others struggle.
You can check out the full list of features to see what CardList offers. Put the right care and energy into your listings, and the buyers will respond.
Now you're a professional Pokemon eBay seller
You now have a better understanding of how to maximize your Pokemon card eBay listings than 80% of sellers. Follow the guidelines, stay consistent, and build your online store.
We would love for you to sign up and join us on CardList and the community, but applying all of the above can be done regardless. Those who care about the work they're doing will always succeed in this industry - there are way too many people trying to sell cards at insane prices or mislead people with scams or bad photos. Be honest, put the time in, and build a positive reputation.
Any questions? Reach out to me at [email protected].