Yu-Gi-Oh! Price Guide & Shipping Guide

[CreatorOfThePointSystem]

All prices are in Unlimited form. Usually, a first edition card can add 1-5 dollars on it depending the rarity.

For this version of the price guide, there will be either one or two dollar values by a card. If there are two, there Buy it Nows varied enough that you could find the low value with some searching, but they primarily hovered around the higher value.

If there is only one number, there were so many Buy it Nows at that price I listed it as the price.

I AM NO LONGER DOING SEPARATE PRICES FOR ULTIMATE RARES. Assume Ultimate Rares of Normal Rare cards are worth between $7-10, Ultimate Rares of Super Rares are 1.25 to 1.5x of the regular version's value, and Ultimate Rares of Ultra Rares are also 1.25 to 1.5x of the regular version's value. (e.g. if regular Mobius sells for 7, the Ultimate should be 10-12. If a regular Creator sells for 25, the Ultimate maxes out at 35-40.)

Additionally, I'm no longer listing Tournament Pack Normal Rares (except for the TP1 Fusion Substitutes.)

LOB
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
40-90== Exodia Set
13-18== Tri-Horned Dragon
10-25== Exodia Piece
4== Monster Reborn
9== Blue-Eyes White Dragon
10-13== Raigeki
3-6== Dark Magician
4-6== Red-Eyes B. Dragon
3-5==Gaia The Dragon Champion
3-5== Swords of Revealing Light
3-5== Gaia The Fierce Knight
2== Dark Hole
2== Polymerization
1-2== Flame Swordsman
1-2== Celtic Guardian
1-2== Trap Hole
1-2== Mystical Elf
1-2== Curse of Dragon
1-2== Man-Eater Bug


MRD
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

40-50== Gate Guardian Set
20-30== Mirror Force (Based on auctions AND BINs)
20-30== Gate Guardian
10-15== B. Skull Dragon
4-8== Change of Heart
5-12== Barrel Dragon
5-7== Heavy Storm
3-6== Summoned Skull
3-5== Time Wizard
3-5== Solemn Judgment
3-5== Magic Jammer
3-5== Seven Tools of the Bandit
2-5== Horn of Heaven
2-3== Catapult Turtle
2-3== Kuriboh
2-4== Tribute to The Doomed
3-5== Suijin
3-5== Kazejin
3-5== Sanga of the Thunder
1-5== Thousand Dragon
1-2== Garnecia Elefantis
1-2== Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon
1-2== Harpie Lady Sisters


MRL
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

8-15== Snatch Steal
5-8== Mystical Space Typhoon
8-14== Delinquent Duo
10-15== Blue Eyes Toon Dragon
2-6== The Forceful Sentry
3-7== Axe of Despair
3-4== Painful Choice
3-4== Serpent Night Dragon
2-5== Confiscation
2-5== Giant Trunade
1-3== Spellbinding Circle
1-3== Megamorph
1-3== Relinquished
1-3== Toon Mermaid
1-3== Toon Summoned Skull
1-3== Banisher of the Light
1-3== Messenger of Peace
1-3== Maha Vailo
1-2== Black Pendant
1-2== Invader of The Throne
1-2== Black Illusion Ritual
1-2== Toon World


PSV
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

23+ == Jinzo (I don't know why, but that's what eBay has)
10== Call of the Haunted
7-9== Goblin Attack Force
4-8== Premature Burial
5-7== Imperial Order
1-4== Ceasefire
1-3== Nobleman of Crossout
2-4== Dust Tornado
7-8== The Legendary Fisherman
4-8== The Fiend Megacyber
10== Buster Blader
1-3== Mirror Wall
1-3== Limiter Removal
1-3== Chain Destruction
1-3== Backup Soldier
1-2== Beast of Talwar
1-2== Gearfried The Iron Knight
1-2== Fairy Meteor Crush
1-2== Magical Hats
1-2== Graverobber
1-2== Parasite Paracide


LON
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

15-30== FINAL Set
10-13== Torrential Tribute
7-13== United We Stand
10+== Destiny Board
5-9== Gemini Elf
8-9== Mage Power
7-9== Magic Cylinder
3-7== Dark Necrofear
2-4== Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2-4== Bazoo the Soul-Eater
2-3== Card of Safe Return
2-5== The Last Warrior from Another Planet
2-5== Royal Command
1-3== The Masked Beast
1-3== Mask of Restrict
1-3== Fire Princess
1-3== Jar of Greed
1-2== Dark Spirit of the Silent
1-2== Riryoku Field
1-2== De-Fusion
1-2== Revival Jam
1-2== Mask of Dispel
1-2== Mask of the Accursed


LOD
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

18-23== Yata-Garasu
9-13== Airknight Parshath
8-14== Fiber Jar
6-8== Creature Swap
8-17== Marauding Captain (Too few auctions for good average)
6-8== Dark Ruler Ha Des
9-13== Injection Fairy Lily
6-15== Tyrant Dragon (Low # of auctions)
3-6== Freed The Matchless General
2-4== Dark Balter The Terrible
5-6== Spear Dragon
3-6== Exiled Force
3-5== Last Turn
3-5== Reinforcement of The Army
2-4== Drop Off
2-3== Fiend Skull Dragon
2-3== Ryu-Senshi
1-3== Yamata Dragon
1-3== Hino Kagu Suchi
1-2== Asura Priest
1-2== Twin-Headed Behemoth
1-2== Luster Dragon


PGD
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

8-12== Ring of Destruction
16-18== Don Zaloog
3-4== Lava Golem
6-7== Nightmare Wheel
8-9== Guardian Sphinx
2-4== Question
5-7== Rope of Life
3-4== Fushioh Richie
2-4== Great Dezard
3-4== Mystical Knight of Jackal
3-4== Helpoemer
2-3== Necrovalley
2-3== Mirage of Nightmare
1-3== Sasuke Samurai
1-3== Barrel Behind the Door
1-2== Statue of the Wicked
1-2== Gravekeeper's Chief
1-2== Reaper on the Nightmare
1-2== Dark Room of Nightmare
1-2== Trap of Board Eraser
1-2== Byser Shock
1-2== Book of Life


MFC
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

23-25== Dark Magician Girl (Dropping because of RDS promo)
28-30== Breaker the Magical Warrior (Buy it Nows are HIGH...completed non-BINs average between 21 and 40)
5-8== Tribe-Infecting Virus
10-15== Dark Paladin
4-9== Luster Dragon
5-8== Skilled Dark Magician
8== Amazoness Swords Woman
6-8== XYZ-Dragon Cannon
2-5== Diffusion Wave - Motion
6-12== Chaos Command Magician
3-5== Double Spell
5== Spell Canceller
2-4== X-Head Cannon
2-4== Paladin of White Dragon
2-3== XY-Dragon Cannon
2-3== Y-Dragon Head
1-3== Skilled White Magician
1-3== YZ-Tank Dragon
1-3== XZ-Tank Cannon
1-2== Spell Shield Type-8
1-2== Z-Metal Tank
1-2== Amazoness Archers


DCR
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

25-30== Exodia Necross
15-25== D. D. Warrior Lady
15-25== Vampire Lord
20-22== Reflect Bounder
5-8== Skull Archfiend of Lightning
5-7== Judgment of Anubis
3-5== Cost Down
2-5== Shinato, King of a Higher Plane
2-4== Butterfly Dagger - Elma
2-4== Dark Flare Knight
1-4== Kaiser Glider
2-3== Mudora
5-7== Blast Held By A Tribute
1-2== Spell Vanishing
1-2== Different Dimension Dragon
1-2== Berserk Dragon
1-2== Mirage Knight
1-2== Dark Master - Zorc
1-2== Terrorking Archfiend
1-2== Interdimensional Matter Transporter
1-2== Guardian Ceal
1-2== Guardian Grarl


IOC
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

40-50== Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
35-45== Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End
20-25== Dark Magician Of Chaos
6-8== Manticore of Darkness
6-7== Strike Ninja
6== Dark Mirror Force
10== Levia-Dragon - Daedalus
6-8== Guardian Angel Joan
4-8== Dimension Fusion
5-7== Invader of Darkness
6-8== Black Tyranno
2-3== D.D. Scout Plane
1-3== Insect Princess
1-2== Freed the Brave Warrior
1-2== Chaosrider Gustaph
1-2== Wild Nature's Release
1-2== D.D. Designator
1-2== Reload
1-2== Big Burn
1-2== Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness
1-2== Dedication Through Light and Darkness
1-2== Trap Jammer


AST
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

20-30== Enemy Controller
15-20== Blowback Dragon
10-13== The End of Anubis
8== Burst Stream of Destruction
6-8== Gear Golem the Moving Fortress
4-8== Mazera Deville
4-8== The Agent of Judgement - Saturn
6-9== Archlord Zerato
8-10== Dark Magic Attack
5== Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
4-6== Amplifier
5-7== Emmisary of the Afterlife
3-5== The Sanctuary in the Sky
3-4== Ghost Knight of Jackal
2-3== Curse of Anubis
2-3== The Agent of Force - Mars
2-3== Stone Statue of the Aztecs
1-2== Legacy Hunter
1-2== Des Counterblow
1-2== Spirit of the Pharaoh
1-2== Needle Burrower
1-2== The First Sarcophagus


SOD
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

25-39== Horus LV 8
17-25== Mystic Swordsman LV 4
20== Armed Dragon LV 7
10== Inferno Fire Blast
7-8== Horus LV 6
4-7== Mobius
1-3== Prenumbral Soldier Lady
3-4== Hallowed Life Barrier
2-3== Null and Void
1-2== Ectoplasmer
1-2== Greed


RDS
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

22-30== The Creator
14-17== Mystic Swordsman LV6
9-12== Perfect Machine King
12-15== Silent Swordsman LV3
4-6== Monster Reincarnation
4-5== Divine Wrath
2-3== Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment
2-3== Triangle Ecstacy Spark
3-4== Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
1-4== Tragedy
1-2== Big Core

FET (NEW!)
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
35-40 Sacred Phoenix of Nepthys
27-35 Silent Swordsman Lv. 5
22 Gearfried the Swordmaster
10-13 Gatling Dragon
20-25 Lightning Vortex
7-12 Deck Devastation Virus
5 A Feather of the Phoenix
4-5 Granmarg the Rock Monarch
3-4 Behemoth the King of All Animals
6-8 Blast Magician
6 King Dragun


TP1
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

90-140== Mechanical chaser
20-40== Patrol Robo
20-30== Kwagar Hercules
20-40== Axe Raider
15-40== White Hole (Very few on eBay)
15== Goddess with the Third Eye
15== Beastking of the Swamps
15== Versago the Destroyer


TP2
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

90-140== Morphing Jar
20-30== Exile of the Wicked
10-28== Call of the Grave
20-30== Dragon Seeker
35== Giant Red Seasnake (Only 1 on eBay)


TP3
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

175-200== Needle Worm
20== Anti-Raigeki (Only one listed)
30== Mechanicalchaser
10== B. Skull Dragon
10== Horn of Heaven


TP4
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

130-215== Royal Decree
70-100== Morphing Jar
7-12== The Fiend Megacyber
15== Megamorph (Only one listed)
16== Chain Destruction (Only one listed)


TP5
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
50 Luminous Soldier (Because HE SUCKS HAHAHAHAHAHA)
50-70 Needle Worm
55-70 Magical Thorn
25-30 Big Shield Gardna
5-12 Luster Dragon

VIDEOGAME
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

80 -- DDS lot (Blue-Eyes, Exodia, Dark Magician)
30-38== Blue-Eyes White Dragon (DDS)
25-30== Exodia the Forbidden One (DDS)
30-43== Dark Magician (Only two listed) (DDS)
2-4== Seiyaryu
2-4== Acid Trap Hole
2-4== Salamandra

30-45== Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (FMR)
30-40== Metalmorph
30-40== Harpie's Pet Dragon

1-3== Skull Dice
1-3== Graceful Dice
1-3== Exchange

5== Alpha the Magnet Warrior
5== Beta the Magnet Warrior
5== Gamma the Magnet Warrior

10-13 == Harpie's Feather Duster (SDD)
7-10== Sinister Serpent
3-5== Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior

2-4== Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth
5== Negate Attack
2-5== Riryoku

2-3== Zoa
2-3== Metalzoa
2-3== Goblin Fan

3-8== Thousand Knives (PCY)
3-10== Anti-Spell Fragrance (Only 1 was $3, rest were $10)
3-10== Windstorm of Etaqua (Same as ASF)

9-13== Slate Warrior
2-4== Fairy King Truesdale
5-8== Kinetic Soldier

18-20== The Winged Dragon of Ra (DOD)
3-6== Dark Sage
3-6== Widespread Ruin

8-10== Blue-Eyes White Dragon (PCK)
1-3== Aqua Chorus
1-3== Seal of the Ancients

5-9== Red-Eyes B. Dragon
3-8== Sebek's Blessing
2-3== Sword of Dragon's Soul

4-6== Dark Magician Knight
3-6== Knight's Title
4-6== Sage's Stone

25-30 == D. D. Assailant
5-8== Emes the Infinity
4-7== Twin-Headed Beast



DL1-6
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

3-4== Thousand-Eyes Restrict
4-5== Buster Blader
3-5== Dark Necrofear
2-4== The Masked Beast
2-4== Necrovalley
2-3== Machine King
2-3== Restructer Revolution
6== Toon Gemini Elf


RANDOM
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

100-200== Kanan the Swordmistress
2-5== Sengenjin

4-5== IOC Gemini Elf
3-5== IOC Ring of Destruction
1-2== IOC Lava Golem
4-6== IOC Magic Cylinder

7-10== RDS Dark Magician Girl
1.30-5== RDS Vampire Lord ($1.30 was just too funny not to comment on)
1-3== RDS Diffusion Wave Motion
1-2== RDS Judgment of Anubis

40-70== PCY Kuriboh
50-75== PCY Dark Magician

30== EM1 Machine King
10== JMP Blue-Eyes White Dragon
5-8== JMP Red-Eyes B. Dragon
7-8== JMP Archfiend of Gilfer

13== DMG Dark Paladin
10== YMA Slifer the Sky Dragon


TIN
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

(2002)
3-6== Dark Magician
3-4== Summoned Skull
8== Blue-Eyes White Dragon
4-5== Lord of D.
6-7== Red Eyes B. Dragon
6-20== B. Skull Dragon (Only one $6 auction, rest were 20+)

(2003)
4-5== Dark Magician
6-10== Buster Blader
6-10== Blue-Eyes White Dragon
3-4== XYZ Dragon Cannon
5-15== Jinzo
3-4== Gearfried the Iron Knight

(2004)
5-7== Command Knight
7-10== Blade Knight
5== Insect Queen
4== Total Defense Shogun
5== Swift Gaia The Fierce Knight
4== Obnoxious Celtic Guardian





UPDATE 11/17/04: THE COMMON POINT SYSTEM
I started using this sytem in trading for mass commons. Apparently a few people started copying it. So now that it's full blown, here's the standard point system for accepting mass cards: however, this system is entirely voluntary, you may or may not use it at your own discretion

Commons = $0.01 (or 1 point)
Normal Rares = $0.083333 (or 3 = 25 cents/25 points)
Super Rares = $0.33333 (or 3 = $1/100 points)
Ultra Rares = $0.66666 (or 3 = $2/200 points)
Secret Rares = $1 (100 points)

When trading cards away on the point system (giving your good card for their bulk cards), the good cards go for 100 points for every dollar they are worth. FOR EXAMPLE:

One trader has a bunch of crappy cards, and another has a Black Luster Soldier -- Envoy of the Beginning. Black Luster Soldier is worth about $30 to $35 on eBay, so he'd be worth between 3,000 and 3,500 points when being traded away. So the person with the crappy cards would give up like...1,500 commons, 30 super rares, and 15 Ultra Rares, or some mix that would land them between 3,000-3,500 points.

This allows the person getting the commons to make a fair profit (the person trading away BLS HAS to make SOMETHING on the deal, why else would they give up BLS for crappy cards?), and this allows the person trading away the commons to get more for them than they would from their local hobby shop (trust me, I know how little hobby shops give for bulk cards, it's disgusting.)

NOTE: The point system is built to be used when getting rid of UNPLAYABLE cards in bulk. I am not expecting ANYONE here to give up DD Warrior Lady for 33 cents, or Jinzo for $1. Basically, I'm saying gather up all your Beast of Talwars, Garnecia Elefantis, Gaia the Dragon Champion, etc...because this is pretty much they only way you'll get rid of them.

however, this system is entirely voluntary, you may or may not use it at your own discretion

[CreatorOfThePointSystem]

3: Mintness Guide (from DJShalifoe)

TCG GRADING GUIDE
adapted by DjShalifoe

Please note: For trading/selling purposes here at Pojo's, Mint condition is considered Mint minus or better (MT- 9.1+), Like New/unplayed condition on both the back and front of the card. Anything less is considered Non-mint/played!

I’ve also decided to abandon using “Near Mint (NM)” as a grading category, as it is too easily confused with “Non-Mint (nm).” Those of you who prefer to categorize your cards as either strictly “mint,” or “non-mint,” will have no problems adapting to this system. For those of you who like to express your cards condition as a percentage (%) of mint, simply move the decimal one place and attach a “%.”

To grade your cards correctly, you’ll need to again, inspect the back (reverse) side as well as the front (face) side. I harp on this point because the reverse side flaws are the most often overlooked during grading so that a card you think is “mint” may actually not be. To get a good idea, try putting the card along side another card fresh from a booster pack and compare both sides against it. A cards reverse is what takes the most abuse – especially if metallized sleeves are used. The most common problems are worn edges, soften corners, loss of gloss, delamination, creases and scratches.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mint [MT: 9.7 - 10] Flawless, Brand New, and Unplayed. If it has any defects, they are not visible to the unaided eye. If you think your card is in this condition, look at it again. Some defects are easily overlooked. Only the most subtle printing defects are allowed. The card must be flat with no surface wear whatsoever. The card must be bright with super high reflectivity and no fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. A card in this condition is generally sought after and reserved for collection purposes only. Cards in this grade are generally valued by as much as 125-200% more then those in a Mint minus grade. However, never buy or trade sight-unseen for a card graded as such unless it has been professionally certified.

Mint minus [MT-: 9.1 – 9.6] The consummate “Unplayed/Like New” card. This is mint with some minor defect (other than a printing defect) barely visible to the unaided eye i.e. maybe some fraction of a millimeter chipped or flaked off a single reverse corner or edge - but not as the result of play. And again, the card is flat with no surface wear, high reflectivity and very little, if any, fading of gloss. The cards looks like it’s still fresh from a booster pack e.g. corners are cut square and sharp with only subtle printing defects allowed. If the card has been decked, you can’t tell. You get the idea.

Hint: Keeping your newly decked YGO cards from taking on a played look is simple: do not use only metallized sleeves. First, insert your card into a smooth YGO sized sleeve, then double sleeve it with a metallized M:TG sized sleeve. You’ll get all the benefits of metallized sleeves without wearing the back of your cards! You'll need to buy a M:TG sized deck box, however. But it'll pay for itself because if/when you want to trade/sell your cards, they’ll still be minty...Pretty nifty, eh?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very Fine [VF: 8.0 – 8.5, VF+: 8.6 - 9.0] Here's were it starts to get tricky. This condition, and under, enters the realm of Played, or Non-mint. At first glance the front of the card has great eye appeal and appears to be mint. However, the reverse side gives it away.

The usual culprits are wearing from play on one edge/corner and/or loss of some of the gloss from the back of the card, light scratches, etc. No softening of the corners is permitted in this grade. You should all be very familiar with cards in this category. Many traders overgrade their cards that fall into this category because the face looks mint.

Remember, if there are any obvious signs of play on the back, however subtle, then the card is not mint!

The more signs of play you find the lower on the VF/FN (Played/Non-mint) scale it goes. Note: Cards in this grade lose at least a third of their value compared to their Mint minus counterpart.

Fine [FN: 7.0 – 7.5, FN+: 7.5 – 7.9] The consummate “played” card. A Fine card does (barely) appear to have been played at first glance but it's been handled with care. This one allows for a few defects. Maybe some of the above (VF) along with a small fold or crease in one corner, and slightly more wear on one or two edges. The front has some slight surface wear but still has its original gloss; the back has lost most of its gloss, however. Overall there is nothing major wrong with it; looks great in a sleeve and is quite playable but it’s worth about half as much as a Mint minus grade version.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very Good [VG: 6.0 – 6.5, VG+: 6.6 – 6.9] VG could have one major defect like a width-wise crease as long as it would’ve made at least MT-/VF+ without it. Or it has all the characteristics of a Fine card with additional wear or softening on two or more edges/corners. But it cannot have both a major defect and Fine characteristics.

Good [GD: 5.0 – 5.5, GD+: 5.6 – 5.9] Most duelists consider this the lowest playable grade. An extension of VG, just with more defects. This is really a misnomer; a "good" card....is not really a good card. There is almost no gloss, front or back - or most times just none at all. Cards in this grade are almost always creased, corners softened, reverse wear on all edges, etc; but it’s completely readable. This grade can have a lot of accumulation of defects but still has its basic overall playability.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fair [FR: 4.0 – 4.5, FN+: 4.6 – 4.9] A card in this grade has one foot in the trash can. In this condition it’s worn, messy, ragged and unattractive. However, by some miracle, the text, title and holofoil/artwork are discernable enough to actually play it. Desperation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poor [PR: > 4.0] This is pretty self-explanatory. It has several major defects to the point that there is no longer any playability value. A card in this condtion looks like it was passed through the digestive system of a very large animal, retrieved from the pile, ran through the wash a few times, tumbled dry, and is still waiting to be ironed. Throw it away.

[CreatorOfThePointSystem]

Now we have a shipping guide, thanks to URjustSOL (one of our scalers);

SOL's Guide to Shipping

I've done quite a bit of online trading, and quite a bit of selling and
buying on eBay. I've seen some packaging that borders on genius, and
some that borders on madness. I thought I'd share some packaging guidlines
that I've found to be the most helpful, or at the very least, what I've
found myself WISHING the sender would have used.

I'll work through the packaging process as I do it, hitting on these steps:
* Cards
* Sleeves
* Loaders
* Envelopes
* Addressing
* Bookeeping


Cards:
Whenever buying or selling ANYTHING, from trading cards to comics, it's
vital to thouroughly inspect the merchandise BEFORE selling, and IMMEDIATELY
after receiving. This includes front AND back for cards, and every page
for magazines or comic books. Don't try to pass off worn cards as mint,
and don't pay mint price for non-mint cards. It's your money, it pays to
be picky.

I remember years ago buying a comic book (it was only 2 or 3 bucks) at a flea
market only to find out later at home that while the cover said Fantastic
Four, the inside was Sad Sack I was so excited about finding a RoD
for $20 (last summer) that I bought it right away. It wasn't until a week
laster I bothered to look at the back to see WHY it was only $20 (they
were going for $40 everywhere else): it had a lot of edge wear.

Sleeves:
Some people don't believe in using sleeves when shipping. I think this is
a BIG mistake. Cards can move and slide around in a toploader and become
worn or scratched. If you don't want to use your good UltraPro sleeves,
at least pick up a pack of the clear penny sleeves. They're soft and
cheap and worth it.

Do not, ever, never try to save money and sent your cards in your old
used and worn sleeves. First of all, it makes your new/mint cards look
dingy and old. Second, there's a very good chance your old sleeves can
damage your nice cards. Here's what happens: sleeves become worn and
soiled through use. Take a nice new card, play it in a sleeve for a few
months and take it out. Look at the back and you'll see some verticle
lines. They're not really scratches, but some sort of dirt or wear. I've
seen it a million times. Top dollar sleeves tend to be more resistant
to this effect.

Loaders:
If you're going to ship cards through the mail, you MUST use some form
of Toploader. There's a number of different kinds. I'm a HUGE fan of
3" x 4" clear toploaders. Some are a little stiffer than others, but
they're both good. If you're shipping TP foils, or cards like CED,
BLS or End of Anubis that people are paying $30, $40, $50 or more
for you might want to consider using a hard case. These can cost up
to $1.00 each for the ones that screw closed, but can be very much
worth it to protect your investment.

Once you've got your card in a sleeve and into the toploader, finish the
job by putting a piece of tape over the top. This does 2 things. The
first thing it does is keep the card/sleeve IN the toploader. The
second thing is it keeps things (like water) OUT of the toploader.

I once got a card from a kid who didn't use a toploader. He put the
card in a CD case. The problem is, he didn't poke out the tabs in
the middle that hold the CD in place. The case got squeezed in the
mail and I got a card with a quarter-sized buldge in it. One other
time I got an envelope where the card came halfway out of the toploader
and got bent. One other time the mailman didn't close our mailbox door
all the way and it rained in on our mail. You never know what could
happen in the mail.

Envelopes:
When selling on eBay, I think advertising that I ship in padded envelopes
actually help me sell cards. I've found that size 000 is the best. It
holds the toploaders snugly, is the smallest and lightest and cheapest
to mail. Even though they have a peel-off strip and a self sticking flap,
I ALWAYS put a strip of packing tape across it to seal it.

For trades done in online forums, I usually ship in a regular envelope.
I always tape the flap shut, and usually put a piece of tape along
each of the sides. I've gotten envelopes that were torn by the corners
of the toploader and I was amazed the card didn't bust out.

Addressing:
My handwriting isn't the best in the world. I like to blame it on my
man-liness (my wife has beautiful handwriting) but since my dad has
always had very neat handwriting I have to say it's due to laziness.
Unfortunately, the handwriting I see from most of the online trades
I do is atrocious!! I can't believe the mail ever got to my house.
The worst part is, I can't read the return address

If you're going to hand-write the envelope, take the time to print
it as neat as you can. If you can't, do what I do: cut-n-paste the
address from your email/PM into notepad/wordpad and print it. Then
tape it onto the envelope. I print out 2 copies and include one in
the envelope in case it gets ripped open and the contents spill out.
I also include the items for trade and my online handle so that the
person receiving the envelope knows exactly what to do with it.

Bookeeping:
This is one area often overlooked. When someone pays for your auction
item on eBay, you should leave them feedback at that time. When you get
a trade card in the mail, leave a REF at that time. Don't wait till
later and try to coerce positive feedback from them. If you don't
leave a REF right away, chances are you're going to forget. REFs are
hard enough to come buy, don't short someone out of their hard-earned REF.

One other bookeeping item I attend to is attaching the postal receipt
to a copy of the shipping labels and the trade items list. The way I
ship things, I get the zip code on the postal receipt. You can use
delivery confirmation or certified mail, but those are more expensive
shipping options.


Sometimes it takes a few extra minutes, but the rewards (or avoidance
of disaster) is well worth it. That's all for now. Happy trading
and happy shipping!!

-URjustSOL

[CreatorOfThePointSystem]

How to File Mail Fraud (by Fram)

This probably should be kept on top or stickied.

FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT TOON KNIGHT FILE MAIL FRAUD FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS

The link below allows you to send a complaint to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if you suspect you are a victim of mail fraud.
Although the Inspection Service cannot resolve routine business disputes between companies and their customers, it can act against a company or individual if there is a pattern of activity suggesting a potential scheme to defraud. Completion of this form is voluntary, but the more information that you enter, the better the Inspection Service may be able to help.

If you suspect that you are a victim of mail fraud, click here to enter your first step, filing a complaint form.

When approached with the word "Company" in the file, just replace it with the name of the ripper.

Below is what you should do when you are filing this, after entering your own personal information.

Subject of complaint: Failure to provide.

Name of Company You Are Complaining about: Put Ripper's Name Here

Name of Individual
First Name: Ripper

Middle Name (if one): Mc

Last Name: Skipper

Company Street Address: 666 I'm a stupid 8itch Lane

City: D*ckounty

State or Canadian Province (Click Down Arrows for Choices):

Postal Code: #####

Country (Click Down Arrows for Choices):

All of the junk below that,
Company Web Site:
Company E-Mail Address:
Company Phone Area Code
Phone Number:
Just fill in what you can.

How Did the Company Initially Contact You (Click Down Arrows for Choices)?
Internet

How Much Did the Company Ask You to Pay? In cards.

How Much Did You Actually Pay the Company? Exactly what he wanted. (if so)

How Did You Pay the Company (Click Down Arrows for Choices)? Other Money Order

Date of Last Contact with the Company (MM/DD/YYYY): 12/12/1234

What Did You Receive? Absolutely Nothing. (Most of the time)

How Did It Differ From What You Expected? Completely.

How Was it Delivered ("Click" Down Arrows for Choices)? Not at all, do not choose anything there.

Explain Your Problem: Please limit your entry to 2,000 characters (approximately. 30 lines)