The world of Pokémon cards has gotten a lot more hectic since it started in 1999. Values have increased, people are storming museums and embezzling Pokémon card products, and recently on April 2nd, 2024, four people were arrested after a Pokémon card valued at $7000 was stolen in Toronto, Canada. It’s not Farfetch’d (see what I did there?) to wonder the best ways to safely manage Pokémon card trading.
Despite the scary news articles, hundreds and thousands of trades get made a day with Pokémon cards and other items. That being said, there are a number of ways to make sure that the above doesn’t happen to you.
I have a full other article regarding Pokémon card scams if you’d like to better protect yourself online from buying, selling, and trading Pokémon cards.
Let’s get right to it.
Agree On Price and Payment Type
Before meeting up in-person, make sure there is a general agreement on pricing. I’d actually suggest throwing out different ways to pay, even if you may want cash. If the buyer or seller ONLY wants cash, then you are announcing that you will have that much cash on hand.
While this isn’t a deal breaker, cash-only payments aren’t necessary in the time we live in now. It’s also much harder to steal virtual currency vs cash if that is their actual motive.
Agree On Location
Make sure the place you meet is busy, well lit, and has cameras. It should also be open to ensure people will be around.
I have personally met at Target, a number of gas stations, and other retail shops. Other options are Pokémon card shops and police stations. Some Police stations are part of Safe Trade locations for this exact type of thing!
If the person is not willing to agree on a place that meets those criteria, then it may be worth staying away.
Bring a Friend
This one is simple but effective. Having people with you can help to make sure any deal goes smoothly. They can make sure that nothing in the deal changes and that everything gets handled without a hitch.
If you don’t have someone who is able to meet up, then call a local card shop and meet inside during business hours. They will be more than happy to to check for fakes and help out with a deal all around.
Don’t Meet in Person
Let me restate what was said at the beginning once more. It’s highly likely that if you follow the above steps you will find that a meet-up will be an incredibly smooth and easy process. That being said, if you are concerned enough about it, then there is no need to actually meet up.
There is insurance and shipping to help you to manage deals without meeting up in person. Now, meeting up will help you avoid the 3% fee that Paypal G&S takes when selling online. If it’s worth a 3% fee to not meet up though, then you shouldn’t get any trouble for leaving it virtual.
Summary
Hopefully this article helped you to find ways to stay safe during Pokémon card meet-ups! In my personal experience, I believe you will find the general community to be incredibly welcoming and easy to get along with.
If you feel I missed anything, please let me know by sending me an email at [email protected]!
Thanks for reading!
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