Pokémon Card Prices From Real eBay Sales: Raw, Graded and Japanese

"Pokémon card prices" is one of the most searched pricing questions on the internet, and most answers point to a price guide. The problem: a guide is a summary of something, usually listings or a model. What a card is worth is what someone paid for it recently.

That's eBay sold listings. Here's how to read them for Pokémon cards specifically.

#Step 1: search the exact card

Card name alone isn't enough. "Charizard" returns hundreds of different cards. Use name + set + number:

The number is the most reliable part. Titles vary ("Charizard Holo Base Set Unlimited"), but "4/102" doesn't.

#Step 2: split raw from graded

A raw card and a PSA 10 of the same card are different products. Mixing them gives a "price" that matches neither. Search each version on its own:

• Raw: charizard 4/102 -psa -bgs -cgc -sgc -graded
• PSA 9: charizard 4/102 "psa 9"
• PSA 10: charizard 4/102 "psa 10"

Other graders' slabs usually sell below the PSA equivalent of the same grade, and collectors often treat a BGS 9 like a PSA 8.5. So comp the exact grader. More detail in how to comp trading cards.

#Step 3: English vs Japanese

Japanese printings have their own sets, numbering and buyers. Add japanese (and the Japanese set) to price a Japanese card, and add -japanese when pricing the English version. The same goes for Korean and Chinese printings.

#Step 4: read the sales, not the headline price

• Drop lots ("x10", "bundle", "binder lot").
• Ignore the single lowest and highest sale. That's where no-bid auctions and typos live.
• Take the median of what's left, and make sure there are at least 10 sales.
• Check the format. Auctions often close below Buy It Now. Why.
• Watch hidden offers. Accepted Best Offers can show the list price. Details.

#Step 5: check the trend

Card prices move fast. Card investors say a 2–3 week window often matters more than 90 days. Compare the last 7–14 days to the 90-day median:

• Recent median above 90-day: rising. Don't underprice.
• Recent median below: cooling. Sell sooner, buy more carefully.

#Pricing a binder, not one card

Doing this by hand for a whole collection takes hours. A sold-listings API runs the same searches for you, one request per card version:

curl "https://api.soldcomps.io/v1/sold?q=charizard+4%2F102+%22psa+9%22" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SALEHISTORY_KEY"
# → { "count": 38, "stats": { "median": 410.00, "p25": 372.00, "p75": 455.00, ... } }

Put your cards in a sheet and use the Google Sheets formula, or try a few cards free in the sold comps lookup.

#Building a Pokémon card app?

Card apps hit the same issues at scale: one builder needed "8000 cards… Raw, PSA 8 9 10," which is 40,000 lookups if you refresh everything daily. Read how card scanner apps get prices and how to price a big catalog without 40,000 lookups a day.