Guides to buying graded cards on eBay

How Cardboard Terminal prices a graded card: recorded sales of the same card in the same grade, from eBay, Fanatics, Alt and Goldin, checked against the cert, refreshed continuously, with the sales we throw out and why.

What "under comps" means, why graded cards get listed below their sold prices on eBay, how to comp one, and the free site and iPhone app that shows every listing under comps live.

A practical guide to finding underpriced Pokémon cards on eBay: where the deals hide, how to compare a listing to real sold prices, and how to check a graded card before you buy.

Why a PSA 10 Pokémon card often sells for several times a PSA 9 of the same card, which cards have the biggest gap, and how to check the gap for any card from recorded sales.

Step-by-step: where the certification number is on a PSA slab, how to look it up, what the record should show, and the warning signs that a listing does not match its label.

How eBay's proxy bidding works, why bidding early only raises the price, how to place a last-second bid by hand, and how to decide your maximum from recent sales.

When to buy graded cards at auction and when to use Buy It Now and Best Offer, with the trade-offs in price, speed and risk for buyers and for sellers.

What a card price chart actually shows, why the median of recent sales beats the last sale, how to spot a thin market, and how grade and edition change the picture.

How sealed Pokémon products are priced on the secondary market, what drives booster box and Elite Trainer Box values, the risks of resealed product, and how to find sealed deals on eBay.

How card grading works, what PSA, BGS, CGC and SGC grades mean, how the companies differ in price and reputation, and when grading a card is worth the fee.

When eBay auctions end cheapest, which hours and days have the least competition, how set releases and the calendar move prices, and how to turn timing into real discounts.

How to identify a Pokémon card exactly, what decides its value (set, printing, condition, grade), where to look up real sold prices for free, and the cards people ask about most, each linked to its price page.

A seller's guide: which cards are worth listing one at a time, how to price from sold comps, photos and titles that get found, auction versus Buy It Now, when to end an auction, eBay fees, safe shipping for raw cards and slabs, and the scams to expect.

The checks that catch most fake Pokémon cards in under a minute: the back, the fonts, the holo pattern, the card stock and light test, set numbers that do not exist, and how to verify a graded slab's cert so a counterfeit case does not fool you.

The three printings of the original 1999 Pokémon Base Set (plus Base Set 2 and the 1999-2000 print) side by side: the stamp, the missing shadow, the copyright line and the HP font, and what each printing of Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur means for value.

When sending a Pokémon card to PSA, CGC, BGS or TAG pays off and when it loses money: the break-even math against the card's raw and graded values, how to judge your card's likely grade, which cards never qualify, and what the grading process involves.