PeterPark Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) So I am considering getting some cards graded and dug out some of my CCG cards left over from the 90's. I've gotten comics graded before but I am trying to figure out if any of my old cards are worth grading, and honestly, realized prices on Ebay confuse me... Like this one: I know enough to know it is NOT shadowless and is not 1st edition with the extra stamp. It is a base set holo of the best card in the set. Ok. Looking at sold cards, I see a lot in the $200's, maybe between $225 and $275, which I already think is pretty good, but the confusing thing is that graded cards (and mostly from another company) often sell for 20x as much. I see multiple graded cards selling well into the $4000's. If its not shadowless or 1st edition, why are these getting such high prices? I have other cards as well but this seems to be the belle of the ball. There are lots of bids and lots of cards getting this kind of money. My question may seem naive, but the disparity in prices honestly makes me wonder if there is money laundering or something else going to explain why some cards sell for so much more. Any help someone can give me would be most appreciated! Edited January 21, 2021 by PeterPark Picture added Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeahiwasder4dat Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, PeterPark said: So I am considering getting some cards graded and dug out some of my CCG cards left over from the 90's. I've gotten comics graded before but I am trying to figure out if any of my old cards are worth grading, and honestly, realized prices on Ebay confuse me... Like this one: I know enough to know it is NOT shadowless and is not 1st edition with the extra stamp. It is a base set holo of the best card in the set. Ok. Looking at sold cards, I see a lot in the $200's, maybe between $225 and $275, which I already think is pretty good, but the confusing thing is that graded cards (and mostly from another company) often sell for 20x as much. I see multiple graded cards selling well into the $4000's. If its not shadowless or 1st edition, why are these getting such high prices? I have other cards as well but this seems to be the belle of the ball. There are lots of bids and lots of cards getting this kind of money. My question may seem naive, but the disparity in prices honestly makes me wonder if there is money laundering or something else going to explain why some cards sell for so much more. Any help someone can give me would be most appreciated! There's a lot of reasons, at least for me. I flip a lot of zards, and here is my list. EBay and pokemon is gambling. Number of pictures. Quality of pictures. Condition. What's the most I'll pay for one based off of perceived condition. Taking into account grading fees, ebay seller fees, shipping fees etc. Going in PC or for resale? Willing to pay more for one I'm going to add to collection. Time of auction. Some people do auctions that end in the middle of the night. These never end as high. Sometimes it's just a matter of who sees it. Had auctions one week the card sells for $500, next week $350. Card with the exact same grade. I've had buyers from other countries pay wild amounts on things simply because it isn't widely available there. Germany, UK, etc. That may not apply to everyone on there, but at least that's some of things I've learned. Hopefully that helps. Edited January 21, 2021 by Yeahiwasder4dat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Churches Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 If you grade it and it goes high AND you don't need to sell it fast, you can keep it up as a Buy it Now at a premium price and it'll eventually sell. I wouldn't, personally, do auction on this particular card, since it's such a chase card and auctions can be hard to control all the variables the guy above mentioned. Honestly, for this card I'd try to sell it first in one of the non-eBay marketplaces first, (once graded). That card is well centered; can't see the back or the surface quality from your image, but it passes the initial sniff test of grading quality base Charizard (which is, in my mind, 'grade it so long as it's not damaged/creased'). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPark Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Ron Churches said: If you grade it and it goes high AND you don't need to sell it fast, you can keep it up as a Buy it Now at a premium price and it'll eventually sell. I wouldn't, personally, do auction on this particular card, since it's such a chase card and auctions can be hard to control all the variables the guy above mentioned. Honestly, for this card I'd try to sell it first in one of the non-eBay marketplaces first, (once graded). That card is well centered; can't see the back or the surface quality from your image, but it passes the initial sniff test of grading quality base Charizard (which is, in my mind, 'grade it so long as it's not damaged/creased'). Thank you What are the common non-ebay marketplaces? I got this card in a pack I opened that I guess would be 21 years ago now...It has been sleeved ever since so the grade should be high, but I don't know enough about card grading to give a guess. But if the $4000+ prices I am seeing are legit, it would seem I should definitely get it graded. I have a similar Blastoise and Venusaur as well as some early cards from other sets, like a first edition Rocket Dark Charizard 21/82. The only shadowless card I found in my holos was a Chansey (not 1st edition) but prices on that don't seem too outlandish. I have grading questions similar to comics like in what tier would I submit these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Churches Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 2 minutes ago, PeterPark said: Thank you What are the common non-ebay marketplaces? I got this card in a pack I opened that I guess would be 21 years ago now...It has been sleeved ever since so the grade should be high, but I don't know enough about card grading to give a guess. But if the $4000+ prices I am seeing are legit, it would seem I should definitely get it graded. I have a similar Blastoise and Venusaur as well as some early cards from other sets, like a first edition Rocket Dark Charizard 21/82. The only shadowless card I found in my holos was a Chansey (not 1st edition) but prices on that don't seem too outlandish. I have grading questions similar to comics like in what tier would I submit these? I frequent one called Virbank, and I think it's a reasonable place to buy and sell. I caution you, though, it's a sharkfest and if you go posting pictures of the raw vintage WOTC base set big three, you will attract a lot of attention from folks who want to grab things for 70% of market value or less. You won't be able to command 'graded' prices for your 'raw' cards, but if they are really clean you can, with effort, squeeze a little more out of them. As for whether you should grade that stuff you mention, it's a balance between what you're trying to get out of it vs the cost vs the condition of those cards. You trying to sell them? Max value is taking the time and investing a little money into grading them, especially the big three you mention from base set. If that Chansey is good condition, shadowless holos are a good bet to sell and they move quickly when priced right. Even that Dark Zard has a market; first editions, shadowless, especially the notable cards (Zard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Pika, Eevee, Eevolutions, the bird trio, etc)...you can do well selling those if they grade high. Raw they have value, as well. If you really want to do research, you can monitor prices. I use a site called 130point dot com to quickly look at eBay solds; if you type in "Charizard CGC 9 4/102 unlimited" you'd get a quick look at the recent sales and see what they are going for; I would not assume you'll nail high grades. Vintage cards, even kept in sleeves over years, can pick up wear and the high grades command a price for a reason; they are relatively rare. PeterPark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraldfordfan69 Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) It sells for so much because its the unofficial icon of Pokemon. The most iconic card of all time is the 4/102 unlimited Charizard since that was the one card everyone wanted as a kid and people will overpay for it. The higher the grade, the more valuable it will be since its easily the most recognizable card in all of Pokemon. If it ends up being a high grade, Id send it to PWCC auction house since it will get the most attention and get the most value possible. Another reason to send it to them is to avoid the headaches of trying to sell it to a random stranger. Its way too easy for people to steal your stuff over the internet with various loopholes on eBay or other platforms. Your best letting PWCC or some similar consignment/auction house take the headaches away from you and having them do all the packaging / customer support. Edited January 21, 2021 by mattyzeepgam PeterPark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPark Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 Is there a CGC card census? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Churches Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 24 minutes ago, PeterPark said: Is there a CGC card census? Not yet. Population report supposedly coming 'soon'. Probably waiting until they have a good sample size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
