Frequently asked questions

On Cardmarket.com you can search for individual cards and see the current market price. Filter by sellers from Germany, the right language and the matching condition. Also make sure it is the right set and the right version of the card.

You don't have to do this yourself though. I value all the cards for you. It only helps with the initial estimate if you roughly know in advance what your collection might be worth.

You'll find a detailed step-by-step guide in the valuation guide.

No, there is no fixed minimum value. For small collections under 50 € you cover the shipping cost yourself. From an estimated value of 50 € you get a free shipping label. Free shipping applies within Germany only.

This depends on the size of the collection. Here are rough guidelines:

The actual time can vary depending on workload. You'll get a message in any case as soon as the valuation is complete.

After you fill in the contact form, I get back to you with shipping information and all further details. As soon as the cards have arrived and been valued, you get a personal link to your listing. There you see every valued card with product image, condition and price. Bulk cards are summarised as a total quantity. You can then confirm your offer directly online or reclaim individual cards.

Yes, you're welcome to come by in Neumünster. Please note in the contact form that you'd like to come in person, and we'll arrange a date by email. Please be aware that an on-site visit only allows a rough initial estimate. A precise offer with an itemised listing is created afterwards.

It's important that the cards are packed as compactly and stacked as possible so they can't move around inside the parcel. The cards don't need to be individually sleeved. For especially valuable cards it can make sense to put them in sleeves or toploaders, since the condition on arrival is what gets valued.

You'll find more detailed tips in the packaging guide.

Yes. Shipping via DHL is insured up to 500 €. For more valuable collections you can split the shipment into several parcels or let me know briefly. In that case I create a label with 2,500 € DHL insurance.

Yes, I buy from anywhere within the EU. From countries outside the EU (for example the UK, Switzerland or the USA) I currently cannot buy, because of customs and import costs.

Important: free shipping applies within Germany only. If you ship from elsewhere in the EU, you cover the cost of sending your cards to me, ideally tracked and insured. Any return shipping within the EU is also at your cost and is agreed with you beforehand.

Payout is in euros, within the EU via PayPal or SEPA transfer. Please tick the checkbox in the contact form if you ship from elsewhere in the EU.

You get an online listing with the official Cardmarket product image and price for every card. There you can directly choose what to sell and what to get back.

Return within Germany is free from a total value of 20 € (buying price). Below that a shipping fee applies (DHL small parcel 3.69 €). For returns within the EU you cover the shipping cost. Bulk cards can only be returned together with the entire collection.

Then I send your entire collection back insured. Within Germany this is free, with no cost and no obligation. For shipments from elsewhere in the EU you cover the return shipping.

Via PayPal (instant credit) or bank transfer; within the EU also by SEPA transfer. Payout follows as soon as you confirm the offer.

Condition is assessed according to the Cardmarket guidelines: Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Good, Light Played, Played and Poor. The condition directly affects the market value and therefore the buying price.

Cards under 0.50 € are classed as bulk and valued at a flat rate by rarity. Bulk cards are not listed individually but as a total quantity with a total price. The exact prices:

Pokémon note: code cards and oversized/jumbo cards are not bought. Bulk in other languages (e.g. Japanese cards under 0.50 €) is also not bought.

Playsets (3 identical cards for Yu-Gi-Oh!, 4 for Magic) are calculated at playset prices, which are usually slightly higher than single prices. The condition is that the cards lie together in the collection. Cards that are not sorted next to each other may not be recognised as a playset. Unrealistic playset prices (e.g. when only a single overpriced playset is listed on the market) are adjusted to the actual market value.

For Pokémon I don't apply playset prices. Each card is valued individually at the single price.

Yes, cards in poorer condition are also valued and counted as long as they are still intact. Cards with tears, separated layers, lamination or hazardous contamination (e.g. mould) unfortunately cannot be counted. The buying price is based on the market price in the respective condition.

For Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic, cards in languages other than German and English are bought at bulk prices. I don't buy collections that are purely in foreign languages.

For Pokémon I also buy Japanese, Korean and Chinese cards at the normal market value. This only applies to cards over 0.50 € though. I don't buy bulk in other languages.

For Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: if your collection contains a few sealed products, these are valued at around 50 % of market value. The collection should clearly be a singles collection with a few sealed products, not the other way round. I don't buy pure sealed lots here.

Pokémon sealed: products less than 2 years old at 70 % of market value. Older sealed products are valued individually between 50 % and 70 %, depending on saleability.

I don't buy accessories, not even sealed. You're welcome to send sleeves, toploaders, binders and deck boxes as part of the packaging, though. They are not included in the buying price and cannot be returned separately. If you reclaim the entire collection, you'll of course get the accessories back too.

Cards over 150 € market value are bought at a flat 50 %. I don't buy cards over 500 €. The reason: high-priced single cards are, in my experience, hard and slow to sell, so the buying price is correspondingly lower.

Yes, a commercial purchase is generally possible. However, I can only buy cards that are sold under the margin scheme (Differenzbesteuerung) or the small-business rule. Buying cards under standard 19 % VAT is unfortunately not possible.

For Yu-Gi-Oh!, First Edition is only taken into account for cards over 10 € market value. For cheaper cards, First Edition usually makes no relevant price difference.

For Pokémon, 1st Edition is relevant for all cards and is always taken into account.

I only buy graded cards (slabs) for Pokémon, and outside the normal buying rules. Each slab is valued individually, usually between 50 % and 70 % of market value. As market value I use, depending on the card, not only Cardmarket but also recent eBay sales. For Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic I don't buy graded cards.

I buy Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. For Pokémon both singles and sealed products. Other TCGs (e.g. One Piece) I currently don't buy.