Is a card worth grading? Fees against the price gap
Grading 7 min read
A card is worth grading when its graded price beats its raw price by more than the full cost of grading. CGC's and SGC's fees, with a worked example.
Guides, page 11
Older guides
Instant rips, live breaks and repacks compared
How ripping works 6 min read
Three ways cards get opened online: instant rips on a rip site, live box breaks and repacks. Who opens the pack, who holds the card and what to check first.
How to value a sports card: comps, grade, print run
Sports cards 6 min read
Value a sports card from recent sales of the exact same card: match the print run, parallel, autograph and grade, then widen the search in the right order.
How to trade cards in person and online
Buying and selling 7 min read
How to value both sides of a card trade, check condition and cert numbers, and ship a trade both ways with tracking, and why marketplaces don't cover swaps.
How to submit cards to SGC: levels, fees, shipping
Grading 7 min read
How to send cards to SGC: starting an order, its service levels by declared value, where to mail the box, what the trip back costs, the wait and what to check.
How to submit cards to CGC: account to slab
Grading 9 min read
How to send cards to CGC Cards: the free account, choosing a tier, the online form, declared value, packing, box markings, tracking and the trip back.
How to store trading cards so they keep condition
Safety and fakes 6 min read
Which sleeve, toploader, binder page and box suits which card, how card thickness is measured, and the humidity figures that archives and conservators give.
How to store sealed booster boxes and ETBs
Safety and fakes 7 min read
Where to keep booster boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes and cases: humidity and mold, why stacks crush, pests, light, heat and what keeps a box counted as sealed.
How to store graded cards and slabs
Safety and fakes 8 min read
Which boxes fit which slabs, how light and heat reach a card through its holder, what CGC offers for a worn holder, and what records to keep.
How to start collecting sports cards, step by step
Sports cards 7 min read
Pick a player, team or set, choose between boxes and singles, store cards from day one, and check each card against the maker's checklist before you buy.
How to start collecting Pokémon cards
Pokémon 6 min read
Pick a focus, buy from Pokémon Center or a store's own listing, sleeve and box your cards, and check condition, fakes and seals before every purchase.
How to spot a resealed Pokémon pack or box
Safety and fakes 6 min read
Signs a Pokémon pack or booster box was opened and sealed again: crimps, glue, wrap, logos and card order, why no one sign is proof, and safer places to buy.
How to tell if a Yu-Gi-Oh! card is fake
Safety and fakes 6 min read
Check a Yu-Gi-Oh! card's set code and rarity in Konami's database first, then the foil seal, text, back and card stock, and look up a graded copy by its cert.
How to tell if a Pokémon card is fake
Safety and fakes 6 min read
Checks for a fake Pokémon card that leave it unharmed: the back, text, symbols, foil and edges, and why the light and rip tests are best skipped.
How to spot an altered card, and how graders treat it
Safety and fakes 7 min read
Trimming, recoloring, pressing and cleaning: what each alteration is, how CGC and SGC handle an altered card, and the checks to make before you buy one.
How to spot a fake slab: CGC and SGC checks
Safety and fakes 6 min read
Plain checks for a fake or resealed slab: the cert record, the holder, the label's security features and the card itself, using what CGC and SGC publish.
How to ship raw cards: envelopes and mailers
Buying and selling 7 min read
How to pack a raw card, when a plain envelope is enough, and the value lines where TCGplayer, eBay and Whatnot want tracking or a signature, with USPS prices.
How to ship a large card order in one box or more
Buying and selling 9 min read
Box-in-box packing for many cards or slabs, USPS and FedEx size and cover limits, when to split an order, and TCGplayer's and Whatnot's rules for big orders.
How to ship a graded card yourself
Buying and selling 7 min read
How to pack a slab, pick USPS or FedEx, and cover a $200, $600 or $1,000 card in transit, with each marketplace's signature rule and October 2026 prices.
How to sell graded cards on eBay, TCGplayer and Whatnot
Buying and selling 8 min read
What eBay, TCGplayer and Whatnot ask of a slab listing, from the cert number to photos, value limits and signatures, and what a $600 or $2,000 slab leaves you.
How to sell a card collection, step by step
Buying and selling 7 min read
Sort a card collection before you sell it, then match each pile to a shop, a show, single listings or lots, with the limits a new seller meets on TCGplayer.
How to research a card before you buy it
Buying and selling 6 min read
A routine for any card purchase: pin down the exact printing, check sold prices, judge the copy from photos, read the grader's records and the seller's terms.
How to read card price changes, and what they miss
Buying and selling 7 min read
What a card price change measures, how Rip.fan's price changes page picks the cards it lists, and the checks to run before you trust a rise or a fall.
How to read a pop report: CGC's counts explained
Grading 6 min read
How CGC's population report counts graded cards, how to find a card and read each column, why the counts can mislead, and how SGC's report differs.
Card images from Scrydex.