What do I need to submit?

Just clear photos of your cards (front, and back if possible). We handle all the identification and research—no expertise required on your end.

How long does it take?

Most submissions are processed within 24-48 hours. You'll receive access to your personal dashboard with full values and recommendations.

Valuation doesn't cost anything. Fees apply if you choose to use a premium service.

Can I just get values without selling?

Absolutely. Many people just want to know what they have for insurance, curiosity, or future planning.

What types of cards do you value?

Pokemon TCG cards from all eras—Base Set to modern. English, Japanese, promos, error cards, and graded slabs.

Is my collection information private?

Yes. Your collection data is encrypted and never shared with third parties.

Photo Guide

Better photos mean more accurate condition assessments. Here's what helps.

This is what we're looking for

One card, both sides, filling the frame on a dark background. Every tip below is visible in these two photos.

Reference photo: the front of a Shining Charizard card, shot flat on dark fabric with even lighting and all four corners visible — Front

Reference photo: the back of the same card, framed and lit the same way as the front — Back

Dark, non-reflective surface
Card fills the frame, with a thin margin all round
All four corners and edges inside the frame
Even light, no flash glare
Shot straight down, not at an angle
Out of sleeves and toploaders where that’s safe

Use a dark background

Place cards on a black or dark surface. This creates contrast around the edges so we can see edge whitening, corner wear, and centering clearly.

The reference photo: the card shot flat on dark fabric with even light and a margin of background on all four sides

The reference card on a white surface, showing how a light background hides the card's edges — On a light surface the edges vanish into the background — and edge whitening, the thing we're looking for, is white on white.

Good

Black desk or table
Dark fabric or felt
Dark mousepad or playmat

Avoid

White surfaces
Patterned surfaces
Binder pages

Get the lighting right

Use even, indirect lighting. Overhead room lights or natural daylight from a window work well. Avoid pointing a light directly at the card.

The reference card with a bright hotspot burning out the artwork, showing flash glare — The hotspot burns out the holo — which is exactly where surface scratches show.

Tips

Diffused natural light near a window is ideal

Bounce lamp light off a wall or ceiling

If you see glare on a holo, shift your angle

Common mistakes

Flash — creates harsh spots, especially on holos

Phone shadow — holding the phone directly over casts a shadow

Mixed light — warm lamp + cool daylight makes colors look off

Flat and straight

Lay cards flat and shoot from directly above. We need all four corners and edges visible to measure centering accurately.

The reference card tilted in perspective, showing a photo taken at an angle — Tilt the camera and the borders skew, so centering can't be measured.

A real submitted photo of a card back, zoomed in so far that the right and bottom edges fall outside the frame — Zoomed in until the right and bottom edges fall outside the frame. Nothing in a shot like this can be graded.

Card is flat — not curled or resting on something uneven
All four corners visible
Camera directly above, not at an angle
Some background visible around the card

Both sides matter

We need both front and back photos of every card. A front-only submission limits what we can tell you — and could mean the difference between a $50 valuation and a $500 one.

Front tells us

Card identity — name, set, number
Holo pattern and surface scratches
Front centering (left/right, top/bottom borders)
Creases, dents, or print defects on artwork

Back tells us

Edge whitening and corner wear
Back centering (often different from front)
Staining, discoloration, or water damage
Print lines, roller marks, and factory defects

Why this matters for grading

Grading companies like PSA and Beckett score cards on centering, corners, edges, and surface — and they evaluate both sides independently. A card with a perfect front but heavy edge whitening on the back won't grade well. Without back photos, we can't give you an accurate grade estimate or tell you whether grading is worth the investment.

Without back photos we can't

Give an accurate condition grade estimate
Recommend whether professional grading makes financial sense
Identify shadowless or 1st edition variants (back design differences)
Provide a reliable market value for raw or graded sales

Tips for back photos

Flip cards in place so they stay in the same position as the front photo
Use the same lighting setup for both sides
Dark backgrounds are even more important on backs — edge whitening is white-on-blue and easy to miss on light surfaces

Multiple cards

You can photograph up to 4 cards per image. If you do, spacing matters.

4-card layout

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

Card 4

Make sure to leave space between each card

At least a finger-width gap between cards
No overlapping — every edge fully visible
Same layout for front and back photos

Single-card photos give the best detail. Multi-card layouts speed things up, but use individual shots for high-value cards.

Keep it sharp

Make sure the photo is in focus. Tap the card on your phone screen before shooting. A blurry photo means we can't see scratches, print lines, or edge detail.

The reference card blurred, showing what an out-of-focus photo looks like — Scratches, print lines and edge wear all disappear into the softness.

Before you submit, check

Can you read the small text when you zoom in?
Card edges clear against the background?
No glare or shadows on the card?

Sleeves and toploaders

If you can, take cards out of sleeves — they add glare and hide surface detail. But don't risk damaging a card for a photo. A decent shot in a sleeve is better than a damaged card. Just let us know.

The reference card with a diagonal sheen across it, showing glare from a sleeve — Plastic adds a sheen and softens the surface. Fine when unsleeving is risky — just say so and we'll account for it.

Ready to submit?

A phone camera, a dark surface, and decent light. That's all you need.

Start Your Submission