Card Condition & Grading Guide

Raw Singles: How We Describe Condition

Every raw single is inspected by hand before it's listed β€” front and back, under good light. We're not grading cards in the professional sense; we're telling you honestly what condition the card is in, using the standard TCG scale you already know from TCGplayer.

Near Mint (NM) β€” Looks pack-fresh. Close inspection might turn up a tiny edge nick or faint surface scratch, but nothing you'd notice sleeved. Most of what we carry is NM.

Lightly Played (LP) β€” Minor wear if you're looking for it. Slight border or corner whitening, a light scratch, minor scuffing. Still displays well.

Moderately Played (MP) β€” Noticeable wear. Border whitening, corner wear, scratching, or a light crease. Sound and playable, clearly used.

Heavily Played (HP) β€” Significant wear. Heavy whitening, creasing, or surface damage. Priced accordingly.

Damaged (DMG) β€” Tears, water damage, heavy creasing, or writing. Rare in our inventory, and always stated in the title.

When a card sits between two grades, we list it as the lower one. We'd rather you be pleasantly surprised.

Graded Slabs: Whose Grade Is It?

Slabs in our shop were graded by PSA, CGC, TAG, AGS or BGS β€” the professional grading companies. We don't assign those grades and we don't alter them. We source authenticated slabs and pass them along exactly as they came.

Every slab listing shows:

  • The grading company and the numeric grade
  • The certification number, so you can verify the card directly on the grader's site before you buy
  • Photos of the actual slab, not a stock image

If a cert number doesn't check out, we want to know immediately.

Photos

Most raw singles use standard set images. That's how nearly every card shop works β€” inventory turns too fast for individual photography, and an honest condition note tells you what you need.

We photograph the actual card when it matters:

  • Every graded slab, showing label, grade, and cert
  • Raw singles $20 and up, where centering and edges affect value
  • Anything below Near Mint, so you can see the specific flaw first

Shipping

Raw singles ship in a penny sleeve and toploader/semi-rigid holders or team bag, inside a rigid mailer or bubble mailer. Slabs ship bubble-wrapped in a box or bubble mailer.

If Something's Wrong

If a card arrives worse than described, tell us. Send a photo to thepokevibe@gmail.com within 7 days and we'll refund or replace it (if inventory allows), your call. On lower-value cards we won't ask you to ship it back.

We'd rather lose a sale than lose your trust. Small shop, long game.

Questions First?

Want more photos of a specific card, or a second opinion on a condition call? Ask. thepokevibe@gmail.com β€” we answer everything.