Raw or Graded: Which Pokemon Cards Should You Buy?

I collect raw, for fun. So this page is about what each choice means for you as a buyer, not about what a card will be worth later.

The difference at a glance

If the terms are new, start with Graded vs raw cards and Slab.

What a slab does, and doesn't, guarantee

A slab is a holder with a label naming the card, its grade and a certification number. What stands behind it depends on the grader. Take PSA, the one I buy most.

PSA's guarantee says it stands behind its opinions on the authenticity and grade of each card it encapsulates. The conditions are where buyers get caught, so read them:

• It covers PSA slabs only. It does not extend to cards graded by any other company.

• It ends when the card leaves the holder. PSA says a card removed from its holder, or found in a partly opened one, is treated as if it had never been graded.

• It does not cover tampered holders or labels. PSA warns that some people tamper with genuine labels or replace them with fraudulent ones.

• The cert has to check out. A claim requires that the card's cert number was active in PSA's online lookup when it was bought.

So the first thing to do with any slab is look up the cert. I always check the cert number on PSA's site before I buy a graded card, no matter what. A lookup confirms the number is real. PSA warns that counterfeit labels sometimes carry real cert numbers taken from public sources, so also compare the card, grade and any images in the lookup with the slab in the photo. The full routine is in Verify a Graded Pokemon Card Before You Buy.

Two more limits, both about reading the label too literally:

• A grade is one company's opinion on its own scale. A PSA 10 and a CGC 10 are different grades from different companies (see PSA vs CGC vs BGS vs TAG for Pokemon Cards).

• Condition can't be read off the label alone. Two slabs with the same grade can still look different in the photo, for example in centering. Look at the card, not just the number.

If you buy on eBay, the Authenticity Guarantee adds an independent check on eligible single cards above a price set by eBay: PSA inspects a graded card's holder for tampering and confirms the case and label are authentic, without regrading it. The details are in How to Spot a Fake Pokemon Card Before You Buy.

Buying raw: the risk is in the photos

With a raw card, the photos and the seller's word are all you have. Nobody checks the condition before it sells. Sellers usually describe raw cards with a scale like TCGplayer's: Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged (see Near Mint and card condition (NM to DMG)). TCGplayer describes Near Mint as showing minimal wear, with crisp corners and unblemished edges apart from a few slight flaws. That's a judgment call, and the seller is the one making it.

Condition is sometimes hard to tell from photos. When it is, I ask the seller for a video or a good photo. Because I check raw listings carefully, none of my raw cards has arrived worse than the photos showed.

When you ask, be specific: the back in full, close shots of the corners and edges, and a short video tilting the card under light. What each flaw looks like in a photo, and where Near Mint ends, is in Pokemon Card Condition: Near Mint vs LP.

Watch the words in raw titles too. "PSA 10 ready", "potential 10" or "gem candidate" all describe cards nobody has graded. Read them as the seller's hope, not a grade. That is why a graded watch on ChaseBoard skips titles with words like "potential" and "candidate".

If a raw card does arrive worse than described, open the return request the day it lands. For trading cards bought from a seller who doesn't offer returns, eBay's Money Back Guarantee gives you only 3 calendar days after delivery to request a return.

When raw makes sense

Raw is the better buy when the card is for you, not for the label:

• You want to handle the card, sleeve it or put it in a binder.

• You're filling a set or a master set, where you need many cards in decent condition rather than a few in top condition (see Master set).

• The seller's photos or video are clear enough for you to judge the condition yourself, and you know the scale.

I got a Base Set Charizard in a CGC 7.5 slab, and I plan to crack it open to keep it raw. It's a card for me, not for the label. If you crack a slab, the grade stays with the plastic, so only do it with a card you're keeping.

When graded makes sense

Pay for the slab when the condition itself is what you're buying:

• The condition is the reason you want this copy.

• You can't judge the condition from the photos, and the seller won't send more.

• You want the card authenticated by a grader, and a cert you can look up.

• You'd want a later buyer to be able to check the card the same way.

If neither list fits cleanly, ask the seller for more photos first. The answer usually settles it.

Buying raw to grade it yourself

I haven't really bought raw cards to grade. I have sent a few of my own to PSA, and the first one back came in a grade below what I expected (the story, and how PSA's process works).

That's the risk of buying raw to grade. You pay grading fees, you wait, and the card can come back lower than you hoped. If you want a specific grade, buy that grade already slabbed.

On ChaseBoard you choose raw or graded for each watch. A raw watch takes the conditions you accept, from Near Mint to Damaged, and skips listings whose titles look like slabs. A graded watch takes a grading company and a grade, and skips titles that say raw.