Hopefully you’ve come to this page because you are trying to avoid potential Pokémon card scams. What is also highly likely (but hopefully isn’t true) is that you are here because you’ve been caught up in a Pokémon card scam before. It has unfortunately happened to a lot of people (myself included).
Pokémon card scams didn’t use to be a big issue, or really an issue at all. As Pokémon cards have gained popularity and value though, they have become vastly more common than they used to be.
Then consider all of the platforms you can purchase Pokémon cards through. There are probably 100 but still at least 5 major players. Add in the fact that each one operates differently in their selling, packaging, and payment terms, and it can make it difficult to know what you should and shouldn’t do.
Now, this isn’t a scare article. And the good news is that these platforms adds in a lot of barriers to protect you as a buyer. Despite that, it doesn’t mean you are scam proof.
This article will serve as an ultimate guide to the Pokémon card scams you may come across. It will cover the different platforms they happen through as well as ways to prevent them from happening to you in the first place.
I’m sure this is far from exhaustive, so if something happened to you that is not included, please share them in the contact form below!
Fake Pokémon Card Scams
It’s hard to write an article about scams without talking about fake Pokémon cards. It wasn’t always an issue but it’s become quite a problem in the last few years. And to confirm, yes all three cards in the above picture are fake.
I’d like to give the benefit of the doubt and say that a lot of it started as an innocent way to relive some nostalgia. People started creating “lookalikes” also known as “proxies” and sellers sold those to people who wanted to relive the old days without paying a ton of money for the actual card.
They ultimately started making the cards look as real as possible without any marking that they weren’t the real thing. Others started picking them up or creating them to sell them as the real thing for the price of the real card. Hence the scam was created. And unfortunately, it is now out of hand.
Fake Pokémon cards are enough of an issue that I have an entire article covering ways to spot them.
We will talk about them more in this article as well, but this topic is definitely worth mentioning first before moving on.
Facebook Pokémon Card Scams
Facebook is a great way to trade, purchase, and sell Pokémon cards. I actually have it mentioned in several of my other articles as a good option to do all of those things. There are a lot of very active members and you can find some great options to buy and sell through it.
The unfortunate side is that there are certainly some bad actors out there, and Facebook is one of the easier platforms to run a scam through, both as a buyer and a seller.
I’ll give a few situations that you may find yourself in first. I’ll follow that up with what to do about it and end this section with some rules to live by when buying and selling Pokémon cards through Facebook.
I Paid for Pokémon Cards But Never Received Them Scam
Starting with this as it’s happened to me more than any other. Yes, the above is a real chat that was had in one of these situations. I’ll give a more general rundown of what may happen below,
You’re on Facebook, a deal is made on a Pokémon card/cards, and they get paid.
The person comes back and says they have shipped them, but no tracking number is provided. Sometimes, a day of the week for arrival is given. Typically this does not come with a tracking number.
You continue to get excuses and get pushed off on when you will receive the item. They may have shown you the cards and the packaging it would come in, but never the tracking number.
This continues to happen for a period of time before they just stop responding altogether. If this has happened to you, there are a few things that can be done IF you paid the correct way.
What to do in this situation?
If you used Paypal or Venmo and did not select the G&S (Goods and services) option, then there is almost nothing you can do. You can open a case to dispute, but using the wrong payment method falls exclusively on you.
If the seller convinced you to not use G&S to save the fee or discounted because of it, then you lost your protection in this transaction.
To make sure you don’t get scammed in this way, always make sure that your transactions are paid with G&S through Venmo or Paypal. If you are able to meet in person, then that can help avoid this as well.
If you did pay through G&S, then all you have to do is file a claim on the transaction. The seller will be required to respond and if you have it in writing like the above, then you will get your refund.
Unfortunately this is just one of many. Let’s get to the next one.
I Paid For Pokémon Cards, But the Item I Received Did Not Match the Pictures / Description Scam
This one doesn’t need much explanation and it can happen in a few ways. Let’s jump right in.
Scenario 1
One way this happens is if you buy a lot of Pokémon cards and find that you are missing some of them. Sometimes it’s a few and sometimes it’s just one. Regardless though, you did not get what you paid for.
Accidents do happen and fortunately, a lot of people will be pretty cool about it and send over anything that was missed. Unfortunately, there are some that do it intentionally and try to keep the card and the dollars for themselves. It’s also a bit of a headache regardless and will take your time and attention.
Scenario 2
Another way this happens is that the pictures originally shown may have been real, but the cards that you get shipped turn out to be fake. To the untrained eye, a lot of them can be incredibly deceiving.
If you’re ever unsure, check out my other article here to help you spot them now and into the future.
If you’re trying to check on something now, another great option is to go to the homies on Reddit in r/ismypokemoncardfake and ask them. Shoutout to everyone who helps out on that sub.
Scenario 3
This third scenario is a bit sneakier. You purchase a Pokémon card(s) but find that the card you received does not match the pictures that you originally saw.
Typically, the card you receive is in far worse shape than the one you thought you were buying. If you’ve been collecting Pokémon cards for any amount of time, then you know that the condition of a card can make an incredibly drastic difference in the price of that card.
What You Can Do About It
If you find yourself in any of these scenarios, we can refer back to the original scam mentioned for our solution. Make sure you always use Goods & Services, NOT Friends & Family when paying through Paypal or Venmo.
I’m going to say it later on in this article again because it’s so important. If you paid with G&S, then you are protected with your purchase. Try to work it out with the seller first and if they don’t help, then you can submit a claim to PayPal for a full refund.
Let’s look at one more Facebook Pokémon card scam.
TCG Player Condition Level-Up “Scam”
Yes, I did intentionally put quotations around “scam”. Reason being is this one may not be as formal of a “scam” as the others.
You will ultimately still get cards from it, which is better than getting nothing at all. That being said, you pay more to get nicer cards for a reason. And unfortunately the TCG Player pricing app makes it REALLY tempting and easy to classify your cards as nicer than they are. Let’s look at the TCG Player pricing on a #4 Base Set Charizard below.
TCG Player App Explanation and Pricing
If we look at the above pictures, these are screenshots taken from the TCG Player app showing all of the condition options for a #4 Base Set Charizard.
As we can see, the price variation between the conditions is between $96 and $362, which is a BIG difference. Even if we look at the variation between Lightly Played and Moderately Played, we can see an $82 difference. $82 dollars for one single button to be switched and for one person to determine that their card could be in nicer condition than it is.
Even the lowest between them is $25, which is not a small amount of extra money to pay for a card. Then if you are buying a NM card, the variation between a Lightly Played and a Near Mint card is nearly $100. If we look at Pricecharting.com, we can see that we can buy a grade 7 Charizard for less than that.
But I Digress….
Back to the original point then. If you are looking to buy cards off someone through Facebook and they are using TCG Player Pricing, you need to do a lot of due diligence to make sure you are getting what they’re stating you are.
Ask for lots of clear pictures outside of sleeves and cases, especially for the more expensive cards if you are buying a set. If they’re not willing to do that, then I would be incredibly cautious in moving forward with a deal.
So, is it as bad of a scam as the others? No. But this happens a lot and people “level up” the actual condition of their cards in a significant way, that means you aren’t getting near the deal that you thought you were.
If you have any comments or stories on this, let me know in the comments section below!
Seller Needs a Deposit Pokémon Card Scam
This one is somewhat self-explanatory, but it’s worth saying regardless.
If you’re trying to buy a card online and the seller asks for a deposit before shipping, DO NOT DO IT. There is absolutely no reason a seller needs a deposit on a card before sending it to you.
As long as you use Paypal G&S or Venmo G&S, both the buyer and the seller are protected. If the shipment gets damaged or stolen, you are both protected. If the buyer states they never got the card (regardless of if they did or not), you are both protected.
That is what insurance and the Goods & Services payment does for you. There is no reason to ever pay a deposit on a Pokémon card.
Nuff said.
Rules and Practices When Buying Pokémon Cards Through Facebook
Now that we’ve covered a few of those, let’s recap some good practices to follow when buying Pokémon cards through Facebook.
- ALWAYS make sure you pay with Paypal or Venmo G&S
- NEVER send items before receiving payment
- Cancel transactions quickly if a tracking number or proper communication is not given
- Always get additional pictures of cards when buying a lot
- Always get additional pictures when the seller is using TCG Player pricing to validate their condition
Facebook Summary
Facebook can be a great place to buy Pokémon cards. There are a large number of posts every day of people trying to sell cards from their collection and you can pick up some great lots from it.
When searching through that means, there can be bad actors out there (like there is with every other platform too). Facebook can leave you especially exposed though so it’s important to protect yourself.
Use the guidance above and look out for any suspicious behavior to cover yourself. Once you do, you should be able to find some great stuff for your collection.
Let’s get to our next section!
Mercari Pokémon Card Scams
I’ve personally found Mercari to be an excellent platform to both buy and sell Pokémon cards. It is easy to post items, easy to negotiate as both a buyer and a seller, and the customer service on both ends has been great.
Just like every other platform though, people still try to run scam others through it. They have a lot of stops to help this from happening, but it still does. And yes, I’ve nearly been caught in a few myself.
Let’s jump into some of the most common Pokémon card scams that run through Mercari.
Mercari Seller Asking for Delivery (When the Item Hasn’t)
If you’ve never bought through Mercari before, lets take a minute to explain how their purchasing process works.
After buying an item, you typically get notifications on when the order gets confirmed, shipped, and delivered. Once delivered, the buyer has 3 days to inspect and confirm the item. At this point, the funds are released and the transaction is closed.
What some scammers will do is ask you to mark it delivered before It actually does. They may say the product “should arrive at any time”. They might ask nicely or tell you that the tracking shows it’s out for delivery. With Mercari though, you approving the delivery is you confirming that you have everything and that the seller should be paid.
Pretty simple advice then. Don’t confirm delivery on products when buying through Mercari until you have received the product and it shows to be what you ordered.
What If I’ve Marked an Item Delivered That Hasn’t Yet in Mercari?
If you’ve fallen for this and haven’t received your item, then your only option is to submit a case with Mercari. The bad news is that this turns to a he said/she said situation. The good news is that Mercari is pretty helpful with these kinds of things.
Once submitted, they will look through your chat history and find that the seller asked you to mark the item delivered and you saying that you haven’t received the item yet.
It’s not guaranteed that you will get your money back, but in this scenario I’ve personally found Mercari to be very forgiving and helpful.
Let’s get to our next example.
The Card You Get is Not the Card You Bought in Mercari
Fairly recent situation for myself. I knew it might be a scam but it was worth the risk.
Two separate posts from different sellers had a Shadowless Charizard and a 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard posted for cheap. The cards pictured were real but the sellers had 0 reviews.
I decided to move forward with the purchase regardless. To my surprise, the items were confirmed shipped VERY quickly after purchase. A lot of the time, the seller will just cancel, but this time they got shipped out.
I received a message stating the packages had delivered while working one day and went to pick them up afterwards. Not too surprisingly, the cards that were supposed to be a Shadowless Charizard and a 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard were actually the below.
Was I surprised or sad in this situation? No. But I knew what to expect and knew the risks I was taking.
For anyone who is not as ready and aware, it can definitely happen to you and leave you hanging.
What Is The Scammer Hoping Will Happen?
In this situation, the scammer is hoping that the cards deliver and you don’t put in a case within 3 days. After that point, the card will get marked delivered and the seller will receive their payment.
Will Mercari and other apps help even if you wait too long? Usually, yes. But not everyone will quickly resolve an issue like this.
And now, last but certainly not least…
You Receive a Fake Card
I said it at the beginning and it falls under the above also, but I can’t say it enough. Always thoroughly check out your card when received.
It’s not even that everyone is trying to be nefarious. Some of the time, good, honest sellers can miss fakes. They continue to get better and look more like the real thing, so it’s definitely not something to be ashamed of.
Double check your cards every time. If you don’t trust yourself or would like another opinion, the homies on Reddit in r/ismypokemoncardfake are always willing to help.
Let’s recap.
Rules and Practices When Buying Pokémon Cards Through Mercari
- Always double check the items you receive when purchasing
- NEVER mark an item delivered unless you’ve received it
- Be weary buying from sellers with 0 or very few reviews
- Be very skeptical of nice cards priced very low
Conclusion
Pokémon card scams are a real thing. Do any buying, selling, or trading not through a big box retailer and it’s certainly possible that you will be caught in one.
There are lots of ways to protect yourself and hopefully this article was useful.
If you have stories to share or other scams through other websites you have been caught in, please send them my way using the contact form below. This will allow me to post them and make the Pokémon card community a better and safer place.
If I missed anything or if you have any comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]!
Thanks for reading!