Is it safe to buy graded Pokémon cards on eBay?

What eBay's Authenticity Guarantee covers

In the US, eBay's Authenticity Guarantee applies to single trading cards, including collectible card games like Pokémon, when all of these are true:

• The card sells for $200 or more, not counting tax and shipping. For auctions the final price counts, whatever the starting bid.
• It's a single card, either raw or graded by PSA, SGC, CGC, CSG or BGS.
• It's listed in the right category. For Pokémon that's Toys & Hobbies > Collectible Card Games > CCG Individual Cards.
• The listing shows the blue Authenticity Guarantee checkmark.
• The buyer is in the US and the seller is in the US or Canada.

Lots, sets, boxes, packs, art cards and miscategorized items are not eligible.

How the check works

1. You buy the card as usual.
2. The seller ships it to an authentication facility instead of to you. PSA usually inspects it within one to two business days of receiving it.
3. For graded cards, PSA authenticates the case and the label. No regrading is done. For raw cards, PSA runs a multi-point inspection and checks the listing details.
4. Once it passes, the card ships to you with tracking. Cards of $1,500 and up need a signature on delivery.

The service is free: eBay covers the cost of authentication.

If the card fails: when the authenticator can't verify it, or it doesn't match the listing, eBay refunds you in full to your original payment method. For PSA-graded cards, if the case is fake or shows signs of tampering, PSA deactivates the certificate and notifies the seller.

What it doesn't cover

• The grade itself. PSA checks that the case and label are genuine. It doesn't regrade the card, so it doesn't tell you whether the card would get the same grade today.
• Changing your mind. Returns follow the seller's policy. If the seller doesn't accept returns, or you ask after the return window, the sale is final.
• Damage in transit is the exception: you can open a return on a final-sale card within three calendar days of receiving it.
• International sellers. eBay says items shipping internationally to the US are ineligible for returns.

When a return is accepted, the card goes back through the authenticator, who re-checks it within two business days. It then ships to the seller and your refund is processed.

Under $200: the Money Back Guarantee

Most eBay purchases, including cheaper slabs, are covered by eBay's Money Back Guarantee. It applies when the item doesn't arrive, doesn't match the listing (for example the wrong card, or a case that arrives broken), or the seller doesn't honor their own return policy.

• Not as described: request a return within 30 calendar days of the estimated or actual delivery date, or within the seller's return window if that's longer.
• Didn't arrive: report it once the estimated delivery date has passed, and no later than 30 calendar days after it.
• Counterfeit: when there are strong signs that an item is fake, you must still request a return but may not have to ship the item back.

To be covered, you must complete and pay for the purchase on eBay. A seller who asks you to pay another way is asking you to give up this protection.

A checklist before you buy

1. Check the badge. At $200 and up, the blue Authenticity Guarantee checkmark means PSA sees the card before you do.
2. Look up the cert at psacard.com/cert and compare every field. See our cert lookup guide.
3. Look at real photos of the actual slab, front and back, and at the card through the case.
4. Check the seller: feedback count, rating and how long they've sold graded cards.
5. Read the return policy. No returns means final sale.
6. Compare the total with shipping against recent sold prices for the same card in the same grade.
7. Pay on eBay, never outside it.

A price far below recent sales is the most common bait for fake slabs. Our fake slab guide covers the tells.

Where SlabPing fits

SlabPing doesn't sell cards or handle payments. Each alert links to the listing on eBay, so you buy on eBay with the protections above. See how SlabPing works.