Did you know?
Over 10 billion Pokemon cards are printed every single year — that's more than one card per person on Earth.
Did you know?
Over 10 billion Pokemon cards are printed every single year — that's more than one card per person on Earth.
Raw (ungraded) Pokemon cards on TT Poke are assessed on a 6-tier condition scale: S (Unopened), A, A-, B, C, and D. Tiers A through D follow the cardrush-pokemon.jp condition guideline — the de facto standard among Japanese Pokemon card shops — tier for tier, so a card we list as A- is a card cardrush would list as A-. The one difference is S: cardrush uses S for loose cards a step above A, while on TT Poke S means the card is still factory sealed. However clean a loose card is, the highest we list it as is A.
Base reference: cardrush-pokemon.jp condition guide (Japanese)
The card is still factory sealed inside its original unopened packaging (e.g. sealed booster pack, sealed promo sleeve). Sealed only means the packaging has not been opened — it does not guarantee the card inside is in perfect condition. We will only call out obvious damage that is visible from the outside (e.g. crushed pack, torn wrapper, heavy creases through the package).
Our standard tier, and where most raw cards land. There may be small scratches or scuffs on the edges and surface, small patches of white chipping, and light haze. Most buyers have no issue with a card at this level and it costs less than a graded copy — but it is not a flawless card, so check the photos before buying one for a collection.
Small scratches and scuffs, very small dents, white chipping along part of an edge, and light haze — enough that you can tell at a glance the card is not clean. Not as tidy as A, but without the wear and dirt of B.
Scratches, scuffs, haze and small dents on the edges and surface. Wear at this tier covers a wide range — some B cards look better than you expect and some look worse, and both are listed as B — so the photos tell you more than the letter does. No problem to play with; not recommended if you are buying for a collection.
Scratching across the whole card, some larger scratches, scuffs, creases, dents, light water damage or light peeling. Most C cards still play fine in an opaque sleeve, but this is not a collector's copy.
Very large scratches, scuffs, dirt, creases, dents, tears, peeling or water damage. Some D cards have damage you can feel through a sleeve, so check the photos carefully even if you only plan to play with the card. Sold as-is.
Every raw card is inspected against the following points before it is listed:
Some things that look like damage come from how the card was made rather than from handling. Unless they are severe, we keep these at A:
We drop a tier when the effect is severe enough to obscure the artwork or distort the card's shape — for example a card creased or warped past its original form, or discoloured by sunlight rather than by the print run.
Print lines follow the same rule: A does not mean "no print lines". A card with several prominent print lines is listed as A- or B depending on how heavy they are.
Condition grading is inherently subjective. Two experienced graders may disagree by one tier on borderline cards. Every listing includes actual photos of the card — when in doubt, the photo is authoritative, not the letter grade.
Raw cards are not professionally graded. If the card is later submitted to PSA, BGS, or CGC, the professional grade may differ from our internal assessment. Our condition rating reflects visual inspection only, not a prediction of any professional grade.
If you believe a card you received was materially misrepresented — clearly more worn than the listed condition allows — please see our Return & Refund Policy.