How to find what a card actually sold for

What a card is worth is what copies of the same printing, in the same condition or grade, have recently sold for. Asking prices don’t count. To find that figure, gather several recent sales of the exact card, take the one in the middle, and write down the date. For English Pokémon cards, Rip.fan’s card pages give a dated market price for each printing. For everything else, the method below works with sold listings and marketplace price guides.

Why do asking prices mislead?

A listing shows what a seller hopes to get. TCGplayer shows this with its Listed Median, the middle of all current asking prices for a product. On older products with few copies for sale, that figure can sit far from what buyers actually pay. In its own sample, a card had a Listed Median of $654.72 beside a Market Price of $354.66.

TCGplayer gives the reason. Each time a seller lists a copy near the going rate, it sells, and the copies priced well above the market stay listed. The cheap copies leave the page and the expensive ones remain, so a price taken from active listings tends to run high.

How do the price sources compare?

Each source measures something different. Knowing which number you are reading is half the job.

A market price is one built from sales. Comps is the hobby’s word for recent sales of the same card in the same condition or grade.

Why do two price sites disagree?

Each one counts different sales in a different way. TCGplayer’s Market Price draws only on sales completed on TCGplayer, while eBay’s sold listings show only eBay sales. They look back over different spans: eBay’s public results reach back 90 days, and TCGplayer’s volatility rating uses 30 days. They also filter differently. TCGplayer’s figure ignores outliers, while a plain list of eBay sales shows every odd one, lots and damaged copies included. When two figures differ, first check that both are for the same printing and condition. Then favor the one built from more recent sales that truly match your card.

Which card is it, exactly?

Start here. Two cards with the same name and picture can sell for very different amounts. Before you search, write down four things.

• The set. Check the set symbol or name on the card. See card set.
• The card number. It separates cards that share a name within a set. See card number.
• The printing. A holofoil, a reverse holofoil, a first edition or a sports parallel is a different printing, and it can be priced apart from the base card. Our guides to Pokémon rarity symbols and sports card parallels show how to tell them apart.
• The language. TCGplayer handles most non-English cards through photo listings, Japanese Pokémon cards being one of the exceptions, so a language mix-up can skew what you find.

On TCGplayer, the prices shown on a product page follow the printing and condition filters you select. Check those filters before you trust a figure.

Is it the same condition and grade?

Compare raw cards with raw cards in the same condition. A Lightly Played copy is not a comp for a Near Mint one, and our guide to card condition explains the steps.

For graded cards, match both the company and the number. On eBay, a graded listing names the grader and the grade, and eBay recommends adding the cert number. A 10 from one grader and a 10 from another belong in separate groups of comps, and neither group is a comp for a raw copy. Rip.fan’s price pages cover raw cards only: its lookup notes that graded cards sell for different prices, which its figures do not cover.

Where do you find sold prices?

On eBay, use completed listings. The results include only listings that ended in a sale in the previous 90 days. For an older or rarely traded card, those 90 days may hold few sales.

Sellers with Seller Hub access can use eBay’s Product research, found under the Research tab and in the mobile apps. It covers the last 3 years of sales and shows the actual price a card sold for even when a Best Offer was accepted. A Best Offer sale can close at a different price from the one shown on the listing.

On TCGplayer, read the Market Price, which it compiles from recent sales on its own site and updates as sales complete. The figure ignores the outliers that distort a simple low, mid and high range. Its volatility rating looks at 30 days of sales and counts each order once, so an order of four copies of a card counts as one sale.

Which sale is the right one?

Put the matching sales in order from low to high and take the one in the middle. That is the median. One odd sale moves it very little, which is why it beats a quick glance at the newest or the highest sale.

In a made-up example, five sales of the same Near Mint printing closed at $17, $20, $21, $22 and $40. The middle sale is $21. The $40 sale sits far from the rest, so check it: it may be a different printing, a graded copy or a lot. If it is not a true match, drop it. With four sales left, the median sits halfway between the two middle ones, at $20.50.

Before you count a sale, drop the ones that don’t match:

1. Lots of several cards sold together.
2. A different printing, language or grade.
3. Listings that mention a crease, a stain or other damage the card you are pricing doesn’t have.

Why write down the date?

A price is true on the day you checked it. Write down the figure, the source and the date, and check again before you buy or sell. Rip.fan dates its prices: each Pokémon card page carries the day its prices were checked. The movers page is where its biggest moves between weekly checks appear, and it shows none until a second check is in.

Where do Rip.fan’s prices fit?

Rip.fan’s price pages carry the NM market price of every English Pokémon card, refreshed each week. The card price lookup finds a card by name, set or number. Each card’s own page has a low and a market price for each raw condition, printing by printing, where a price exists. Rip.fan has no sports card prices, so for those the method above, built on sold listings, is the way to go.

If you are weighing an instant trade-in offer from a rip site, a dated sold price is the figure to hold it against. Our comparison of trade-in offers covers how two rip sites set their offers, how long each stays open and how it is paid.

Frequently asked questions

Can you filter eBay Product research by condition?

Yes. A search by keyword or product can be narrowed by category, item condition, brand, and buyer or seller location, across all of eBay's marketplaces.

Why won't some eBay sales open from Product research?

A listing opens from the results only if it sold in the previous 90 days or is still active, even though Product research reaches back 3 years.

What should you type to find a card's eBay sales?

Search the card name and number, then filter to Sold Listings; a full title follows a set order, such as Charizard 4/102 1st Edition Base Set Holo English Pokemon Excellent.

What do Current Quantity and Current Sellers mean on TCGplayer?

Current Quantity is how many copies are listed, leaving aside copies inside Listings with Photos, and Current Sellers is how many sellers list the product.