If you have Pokémon cards to sell, you'll want to know the best places. Although the Pokémon franchise is often associated with video games and anime, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a significant aspect of the company, with cards sold daily.

The first set of Pokémon TCG cards, featuring 102 unique drawings by Ken Sugimori, was released on October 20, 1996. The game quickly spread to North America and Europe and eventually to other parts of the world.

Selling Pokémon cards worldwide can be a great opportunity, but it's important to consider a few things before jumping in. What type of cards do you have? How much are they worth? How do you want to sell them? And, most importantly, where can you get the best price for them?

To answer these questions, you'll need to research the market and consider your options. Here are some of the best places to sell Pokémon cards.

5 Best Places To Sell Pokémon Cards

Here are five of the best places to have your Pokémon trading cards sold within the shortest time possible.

1. Online Retailers

Various popular online marketplaces allow you to sell your cards online quickly and for a competitive price. Some of these websites include places like Mercari and eBay.

This can be possible because of the advantages attached to them. For example, these sites let you easily list cards one after another and offer transparency in terms of payment. In many cases, you receive a payment within 48 hours of the sale.

That said, these sites come with their disadvantages, too. For instance, scammers are everywhere on these marketplaces. They might be fake buyers who trick you into selling to them, resellers, or bots.

If you have valuable Pokémon cards and plan to sell them on these sites, ensure you do everything to protect yourself first. The last thing you want is to fall victim to a scam.

2. Facebook Marketplace

Another great place to sell your Pokémon cards online is Facebook through Pokémon card groups.

In this case, you must join the different Pokémon card selling and buying groups.

Before joining each group, verify if the group allows people to buy and sell their Pokémon cards.

Some groups help people further immerse themselves in the different card ideologies, news, inquiries, explanations, questions, and answers. As such, they may not be interested in buying and selling cards.

Putting the group issue aside, you can also have your listing advertisement running on your personal Facebook page accompanied by some other relevant information about your cards and overall business.

Both international and local Facebook groups are equally important in this case to maximize profits. That is if you are okay with shipping internationally. Shipping internationally does bring in its issues of the cost of shipping and the need for international monetary platforms like PayPal.

3. Instagram

Instagram is the other option that is equally good for buyers and sellers.

On Instagram, you can upload photographs of all your Pokémon cards and easily communicate with potential buyers.

Using Instagram typically allows most under-the-table transactions without fees. All you'll need to worry about on Instagram is the possible transfer fee from a place like PayPal.

This is much smoother than transaction fees on places like eBay, with its 10% item seller fee and shipping fees. That is before the additional 2.9% of the total price plus $0.30 PayPal Goods & Service fees, which total up to a more significant number that you'll have to incur than on Instagram.

4. Local Card Stores

There are a couple of local card shops where you can exchange your cards for gift cards or money via their website or directly shipped.

Some popular Pocket Monster card stores are Safari Zone, Hydro Pump Pokeshop, TCG marketplace, and DFW Pokémon.

Different stores have different ways of selling cards to their customers. This usually revolves around how the card store operates.

Some stores prefer physical delivery of cards while others — generally websites — take care of most of the busy work for you.

Don't overlook sports card stores, either. In addition to selling baseball, football, and basketball cards, many also offer Pokémon cards for sale.

5. Comic Book Stores

A Comic book store can also be an excellent place to sell Pokémon cards.

As with the other options listed, be sure to ask about their procedures for selling and buying Pokémon cards and how payment works before you agree to sell them.

Pokémon Local Card Shop Procedure

Even though almost every store has its way of doing business, here is a general outline that someone can follow before buying or selling a Pokémon pack at a local store:

• First and foremost, you need to decide on the store. It would be best if you researched each option properly. Thankfully, that's what this post is for.
• Check the store's terms to learn how they handle transactions. Some stores prefer having the cards piled up together in the same package. However, others might want specific categories of cards — holographic, first edition, booster pack, etc. — separated.
• Next, if necessary, you'll need to pack your cards into bulk packages of up to 100 per category. This can be tedious, especially when you have thousands of cards. But for purposes of easy checking, arranging, and record-keeping, the effort is worth it. You can wrap up your piles of cards into a clean piece of paper with foam around it and label it appropriately. Do not put rubber bands around the cards, as this can ruin the card's edge, making it less valuable.

4 Tips To Dominate The Pokémon Online Marketplace

1. Take a Good Picture of The Card

People will be spending real money on the cards you're selling. As such, they deserve to know exactly what condition the card is in and if it's the real deal.

Taking detailed pictures of the cards helps to show the card's condition. A simple background, preferably white or black, can make your cards stand out.

Also, don't take one photo. Take pictures of the front and back of the card, closeups of the edges, and sections of the card. This will help limit the chance of an unhappy buyer because of the card's condition.

2. Always Be Responsive Online

Sometimes, customers send messages with inquiries, comments, and the like. You'll want to set up platforms and emails so that you instantly receive responses and follow up with them accordingly. You can even set up personalized away-from-keyboard messages for after-hour operations.

3. Be Patient

Patience is a virtue that is essential to a business or even the hobby of selling Pokémon cards. As much as you might want to jump to that nice paycheck or deposit, everything takes time. Have patience, try to enjoy the process, and carefully manage every step of the way.

4. Stick To Your Goal

Ensuring that you are operating towards the set goal is equally crucial. Be realistic in your mission, starting small and gradually increasing it as you accumulate success.

Key Points To Note Before Selling

Before you try to sell your Pokémon cards to make money online or in person, you want to research the cards you own. This is imperative as a first step in knowing what your cards are worth because various factors determine Pokémon card values. Here is how to quickly organize your cards so you start making money selling them.

1. Sort Card by Set

Sorting your cards by set can be tedious, but it will pay off when you begin selling your Pokémon cards. It will also help you save time when you value your cards.

The other advantage of sorting is seeing if you have vintage or new Pokémon cards. Usually, newer cards aren't worth much since there is greater availability. Old Pokémon cards, on the other hand, tend to carry a higher price as they can be harder to come by. However, this does not mean new decks are not worth money, as you will see shortly.

2. Place Unopened Trading Cards and Booster Packs on The Side

Unopened cards can bring a higher value than single cards because of the possibility of a very rare card being in the pack. You will want to note the set that the pack belongs to value it correctly.

Additionally, you can take a different path with unopened packs. Some people are making a good amount of money on unopened packs on YouTube. People looking to buy Pokémon cards pay you for the pack and have you open it on your YouTube channel. Afterward, you ship the cards to the buyer.

3. Sort by Rarity

Sorting by rarity is easy when you know what to look for. Each Pokémon card has a symbol on either the bottom left corner or right corner. A star symbol means the card is rare. A diamond or square means the card is uncommon, and a circle indicates a common card.

When valuing your cards, it is wise to spend your time first with the rare cards, then uncommon ones, and finally, common ones. This way, you can start selling the most valuable cards first. For uncommon and rare Pokémon cards, it is best to sell individual cards to make the most money.

When you sell common cards, you can sell a single Pokémon card or sell them in a lot of 100. Selling by the lot will make selling easier since these cards are not in demand.

4. Grading Card Condition

Before you start selling your Pokémon cards, you need to assess the condition of each card. The better condition it is in, the more valuable the card is. In an ideal world, you treated your cards as a collectible and did not play card games with them.

If you did play with them, you need to look at the edges and corners of the cards to ensure they are in good condition. Most Pokémon cards used in gameplay have a rating between light, moderate, and heavy play. Cards with significant creases, tears, or other imperfections are considered damaged and likely not sellable.

Cards not played with and kept in protective card sleeves in a binder or other protected case have grades or Near Mint to Mint.

5. Use Online Tools To Determine Pokémon Card's Value

The easiest way to understand a Pokémon card's value is to see where you want to sell them. For example, on eBay, you can filter sold items to see how much money a specific card has been selling for.

Another option is to have your Pokémon cards professionally graded. This will give you proper documentation to show to potential buyers and help them trust that you are not selling fake Pokémon cards.

Lastly, being passionate and committed to the business is necessary. Find a creative twist with your business, like using different emerging trading techniques.

In the same vein, please make a point not to forget that it is not all about how hard you work but how smart you handle everything you have. This goes for all sellers, including those with a single card to sell and those with 5,000 cards in storage.

And when you're ready, find out the top 25 most expensive and rarest Pokémon cards to see if you have some hidden gems in your collection.

This post was initially published on Wealth of Geeks.