Fraudulent Practices in the Pokémon TCG Market

Today, Pokémon TCG has ceased to be a simple card game and has become a high-value asset market. As in any sector where significant money is involved, there are always individuals willing to take illicit advantage. The objective of this article is to inform the reader about various fraudulent practices used by these actors to profit from the lack of knowledge of less experienced collectors.

 

Product Counterfeiting

One of the most widespread fraudulent practices is, without a doubt, counterfeiting. In the world of Pokémon TCG, these replicas affect both sealed products (new boxes and packs) and individual cards.

The great danger of counterfeit sealed product is that its distribution sometimes reaches legitimate stores. In these cases, the seller is often unaware that the material is fake, as the error lies with an unreliable distributor. For this reason, we must be cautious and only acquire products from trusted sources.

If you have doubts about where to buy or how to verify your collection, you can consult our specialized guides: "Where to Buy Authentic Pokémon Cards" and "Are My Pokémon Cards Fake?".

 

 

Product "Resealing"

Another extremely insidious practice is the sale of tampered products as if they were "sealed". This fraud consists of opening the original packaging, extracting the most valuable cards (hits), and resealing the product using glue or heat-sealing machinery.

This is one of the most serious problems in the sector because, if the resealing is done meticulously, it can be almost impossible to identify the manipulation before opening it. With no obvious external signs on the plastic or flaps, the collector only discovers the deception when it is too late. Therefore, we recommend acquiring sealed product only through completely trusted sources to guarantee the integrity of the material.

 

 

Pack Weighing

In certain collections, especially older ones, it is possible to use precision scales to determine if a pack contains a "hit" or holographic card, as these weigh slightly more than common cards.

While this practice is known and, in some contexts, accepted as long as there is transparency (selling "heavy" packs at a higher price), it becomes a fraudulent practice when a seller weighs packs in secret. In these cases, the scammer sells "light" packs (knowing they contain nothing of value) under the premise that they are "unweighed" or random, thus deceiving the buyer who trusts the odds of obtaining a rare card.

 

 

Sale of "Dead Packs"

A very common deceptive technique, specific to Japanese and Korean material, is the sale of so-called "dead packs". Unlike Western products, boxes from these regions usually have a guaranteed appearance ratio (pull rate). This means it is known with certainty that each box will contain, for example, an SR (Super Rare) card or higher.

The fraud occurs when the seller opens the packs of a box one by one until the guaranteed "hit" appears. Once the valuable card is obtained, the seller knows that the probabilities of finding anything else in the remaining packs are practically zero. Instead of opening them, they choose to sell those leftover packs individually. The buyer, unaware that the box has already been "emptied" of its valuable content, acquires these packs thinking they still have a chance of success when, in reality, they are buying a product with zero expectations of benefit.

 

Card Alteration and Tampering

Although it is a less frequent practice due to the technical skill required, the physical alteration of cards is one of the most dishonest ways to inflate a piece's value. The goal is to camouflage wear or manufacturing defects so the card appears to be in superior condition (such as moving from Excellent to Near Mint status).

The most common techniques include:

• Trimming: Consists of cutting microns from the edges of the card using high-precision guillotines to improve centering or remove damaged edges.
• Chemical Cleaning: The use of solvents to remove stains or "whitening" on the back, which can damage the integrity of the cardboard in the long term.
• Recoloring: Using specific markers or inks to fill in small color gaps on the edges or surface.

All these practices are focused on deceiving the buyer (or even grading companies) into selling the card at a much higher price than what would correspond to its real state.

 

Counterfeiting and Tampering of Graded Cards

While also uncommon due to its technical difficulty, the manipulation of certified cards represents a serious risk for the high-end market.

This fraud is mainly divided into two methods:

• Total Counterfeiting: A complete replica is manufactured that imitates both the card and the plastic case (slab) and certification label. These cases often include QR codes that link to cloned websites to deceive the buyer during verification.
• Authentic Slab Tampering: This technique consists of surgically opening an authentic slab (which has a high grade, like a PSA 10) to extract the original card and replace it with one of lower value or in worse condition. In this way, the scammer fraudulently grants a mediocre card a high score, taking advantage of the integrity of the original slab.
  

 

 

Scams on Marketplace Platforms

Marketplace platforms (such as eBay, Cardmarket, or Wallapop) are the primary medium for card exchange. Although they have protection systems, they are not exempt from users looking for loopholes to scam.

The most common practices are:

• Return Fraud: In this case, the victim is the seller. The scammer buys a legitimate card and, after receiving it, requests a return claiming the product is fake or damaged. However, in the return package, they send a fake copy or a lower-value card. To avoid this, it is essential to take detailed photos and videos of the card's condition and the packaging process before shipping. These proofs are vital in a dispute on the platform.
• Deceptive Ads and Trap Listings: These are ads designed for the buyer to fall into error due to lack of attention. The most frequent types include:
  • Sale of photographs: The ad indicates (sometimes in very small print) that what is being sold is a photo of the card and not the physical object.
  • Hidden condition: High-quality photos that do not correspond to the actual card are used, hiding serious damage in the description.
  • Giveaways and "Mystery Boxes": Sale of entries for giveaways that never happen or surprise boxes whose real value is tiny compared to the sale price, bordering on misleading advertising.
    

 

"Prototype" and "Beta Cards"

This is a high-level scam that gained traction in 2024. It consists of manufacturing cards that pretend to be factory printing tests or rare errors from the 90s. Being supposedly historical pieces, they reach exorbitant prices in the vintage collecting market.

Shortly after the surge in these sales, various experts discovered that, despite their aged appearance, the cards had been manufactured using modern techniques in 2024. This fraud demonstrates that scammers already have technology capable of imitating 25 years of wear to deceive even the most specialized profiles.

 

 

TikTok and Whatnot Live Scams

With the growing popularity of live pack openings (Live Breaks), a fraud modality based on visual agility has emerged. In these lives, the streamer sells packs at a competitive price with the condition of opening them in front of the camera and subsequently sending the content to the buyer.

The scam occurs when the streamer, through sleight of hand or by taking advantage of camera blind spots, hides the "hit" or valuable card to keep it, sending the buyer only the common cards. Although several users have already been detected and reported for these practices, it remains a latent risk. The best defense is to participate only in lives of creators with an impeccable reputation and to pay close attention to the handling of cards on screen.

 

Market Manipulation (Artificial Speculation)

Since the value of cards is purely speculative and based on transaction history, certain actors with high purchasing power can manipulate prices artificially.

The most common tactics are:

• Mass Buying (Buyouts): Consists of acquiring all available stock of a specific card on major marketplace platforms. By eliminating the supply, a false sense of exclusivity is created, allowing the manipulator to set a much higher resale price.
• Fake Sales (Wash Trading): A seller purchases their own cards using secondary accounts. The goal is to inflate the sales history and deceive price tracking tools (such as Cardmarket or eBay charts), leading buyers to believe the card's market value has risen.
  

 

 

Vending Machine Fraud

In regions like the United States, where Pokémon officially sells products through vending machines, a type of technical fraud has emerged. Certain groups have learned to manipulate the software or system of these machines to deplete the stock immediately.

Using scripts or remote manipulation, these individuals ensure they buy all available product the second it is replenished. The goal is to monopolize the stock at the official retail price to later force resale at much higher prices. This practice not only harms the average collector but also feeds an artificially inflated secondary market.