How to sell sealed product: boxes, packs and cases
Where sealed boxes, packs and cases can be sold, what each marketplace counts as sealed, how to photograph and ship a box, and what fees leave on a sale.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Sealed product sells on the state of its wrapper, and each marketplace draws the line in a different place. TCGplayer lists only factory-sealed items in perfect packaging, against its catalog. Whatnot lists the actual box from your photos and grades it by how much of it is damaged. On eBay, boxes and packs fall outside the Authenticity Guarantee, so they go straight from seller to buyer.
Where can each kind of sealed product go?
| Venue | What it takes | The rule that decides |
|---|---|---|
| TCGplayer | Sealed boxes, cases, packs and decks in its catalog | Factory sealed, with no damage or wear to the packaging |
| Whatnot | Sealed boxes and packs, listed with photos of the actual item | A box condition scale set by the share of the box that is damaged |
| eBay | Boxes and packs, outside its Authenticity Guarantee | No authentication step for boxes, packs, sets or lots |
In 2011, Upper Deck said collectors who resold its current sealed boxes online in competition with its authorized internet sellers could lose the right to buy from their shop. Ask your shop whether it has such a rule today.
What counts as sealed?
TCGplayer’s standard is the strictest. To count as factory sealed, an item must be in its original, unopened packaging, with no damage or wear anywhere on it, nothing ripped or missing, every seal unbroken, and no sign of tampering, shrink-wrapping again or resealing. A box with a dented corner or a torn wrapper fails that standard, however untouched the packs inside are. Two more of its rules follow from the same idea: packs taken out of a booster box must be listed as packs, even if you sell all of them together, and empty boxes are banned.
Whatnot grades a box instead of refusing it. Its box scale has a top step above Near Mint, for a box with no visible defect and sharp corners all round. Near Mint allows up to two minor flaws, such as a dent or small tear, covering no more than 5% of the box. Damage across 5% to 30% of the box makes it Good, and more than 30%, or any sun damage, makes it Damaged, though the item inside must be intact. That gives a simple rule: a box in perfect packaging can go anywhere, while a box with a flawed wrapper belongs where it can be listed with its true condition and photos.
Our guide to selling Pokémon cards applies these rules to Elite Trainer Boxes and booster boxes, and the Pokémon sealed products guide lists what each product holds.
How do you list sealed product on each marketplace?
- TCGplayer. You add a sealed item from the Inventory tab the same way as a single: search the catalog, pick the exact version, and set a quantity and price. Its sealed listing steps include no photos. You must already have the item in hand. Seller levels cap the price of any one item: $500 at Level 1, $1,000 at Level 2 and $20,000 at Level 3, with no stated cap at Level 4. Selling sealed product abroad, possible since June 5, 2024, needs 300 or more completed sales in 90 days, a 99.5% feedback rating and replies within two days; the buyer handles customs.
- TCGplayer presales. Only Certified Hobby Shops that meet the same 300-sale and 99.5% targets can list items before release. Payment waits until the release date has passed, sellers must accept any cancellation without a fee, and every presale order must ship within 72 hours of the official release date.
- Whatnot. Listings must show photos of the actual item, with at least one clear photo of the whole item and its condition; stock photos alone are not allowed, and never for a damaged item. The title and description must match the item, and several identical boxes go in one listing with a quantity.
- eBay. Its Authenticity Guarantee excludes boxes, packs, sets and lots of two or more cards, so your photos and description are what the buyer relies on.
What should the photos show?
Photograph every side of the box, the bottom included, with the seams and any printed logo on the wrap in sharp focus. On Whatnot, a box whose corners cannot all be seen, but which otherwise looks flawless, should be set to Near Mint at most. The makers’ own marks are worth showing too:
- Sports boxes. Upper Deck said in 2011 that its sealed boxes come in shrink-wrap printed with its logo, one of its measures against pack searching.
- Pokémon boxes. Cardmarket says genuine wrap carries a Poké Ball watermark with a copyright symbol beside the N, and that The Pokémon Company never uses more than one sealing stitch around the side of a box.
- Magic boxes. TCGplayer’s print-run guide, last edited in September 2024, notes that boxes and packs printed in Japan say Made in Japan, a detail that tells a buyer which print run it came from.
For a high-value order, Whatnot strongly recommends filming yourself packing and shipping the item. Our guide to photographing cards to sell covers lighting and backgrounds.
How should a sealed box ship?
Whatnot requires sealed wax to ship in a box, not a bubble mailer, and recommends bubble wrap. Its general rules ask for a sturdy box with about 2 inches of padding on every side and contents that barely move when the package is gently shaken. TCGplayer requires tracking on orders over $49.99 and signature confirmation over $250, and strongly suggests insurance on orders of $250 and up. Whatnot buyers of TCG and sports products have 7 days after delivery to ask for a refund (30 days after purchase at the latest), or 30 days for an item they suspect is not authentic, so keep your photos and packing video until that time passes.
What do fees leave on a sealed box?
The table prices one sealed item sold on its own. It assumes the buyer pays $12 for shipping and 7% sales tax on the item and shipping, the rate TCGplayer uses in its examples. “Kept” is the sale price less fees; the shipping charge goes on postage.
| Sale price | TCGplayer fees | TCGplayer kept | Whatnot fees | Whatnot kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | $18.02 | $101.98 | $14.00 | $106.00 |
| $600 | $82.46 | $517.54 | $67.29 | $532.71 |
| $1,800 | $125.06 | $1,674.94 | $176.53 (TCG) or $200.53 (sports) | $1,623.47 or $1,599.47 |
TCGplayer charges Level 1 to 4 sellers 10.75% of the item, capped at $75 per product, plus 10.75% of the shipping and 2.5% of the order total and $0.30. The cap takes over from a price of about $697.67, which is why its fees grow slowly above that. Whatnot’s US standard rate is 8% of the item price for TCG and sports sales, plus 2.9% of the order total and $0.30. Its limited-time 0% commission on the part of an order above $1,500 covers any item in its TCG category but only Singles subcategories in sports, so a sealed TCG box gets the lower figure and a sealed sports box does not. Whatnot also lowers its rate for the following period once a seller’s sales in a four-week period reach $15,000. Our seller fee calculator works out these fees for a single card at any price, shipping charge and tax rate; it treats any sale above $1,500 as covered by Whatnot’s promotion, as singles are, so for a sealed sports box use the higher Whatnot figure.
How do you avoid selling a resealed box?
Buy what you plan to resell from sources that sell factory-sealed stock, keep the receipts, and check every box when it arrives. TCGplayer bars anything that has been tampered with, shrink-wrapped again or resealed, and Upper Deck advised in 2011 looking for glue or tape on the packaging. Cardmarket adds signs of fake wrap on Pokémon boxes, such as stretch marks, burn marks or bubbles near a seam, where cheaper plastic has struggled with the heat.
Our guides to spotting resealed packs, buying a booster box and buying sports card boxes cover the same checks from the buyer’s side, and storing sealed product covers keeping a box in listing condition. For single cards instead, see selling Magic cards, selling sports cards and where to sell cards online.
Frequently asked questions
Can a TCGplayer seller ship sealed product abroad but not singles?
No. Turning on international orders opens both singles and sealed product to buyers in the countries you ship to, and TCGplayer offers no way to pick products. You choose the countries one by one in the shipping settings, and returns follow the same policy as US orders.
What does a TCGplayer presale seller agree to?
To fill 100% of its presale orders and to follow its publisher's or distributor's rules for presales. Eligibility is checked again over each 90-day period, and a shop that falls below the targets has its presale stock and prices hidden until it meets them.
Can sealed product ship by Media Mail?
No. Media Mail takes only books of at least 8 pages, films, printed music, sound and video recordings and a few other educational items, and USPS may open any Media Mail package to check. Anything else found inside means higher postage, paid by the sender or the recipient.
Does TCGplayer charge more on an international order?
Yes. On October 27, 2026, its transaction fee on an international order was 3.5% plus $0.30, against 2.5% plus $0.30 at home, and a non-US seller paid through PayPal paid 2% of each payment on top, capped at $20.