Buying and selling trading cards is becoming an increasingly risky business. With the value of cards increasing significantly over the past several years, the market for fake cards and scams has also grown. The card collecting community, in turn, has asked platforms like eBay to begin helping both buyers and sellers establish the legitimacy of sales. eBay has now responded to these requests, acquiescing and confirming that it will support trading cards with its Authenticity Guarantee going forward.The announcement was shared Wednesday via the official eBay Twitter account. The short message from eBay came in response to another Twitter user asking if the platform could add its Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards, like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards. eBay says yes, that it is rolling out its Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards starting now.A follow-up tweet included a short video from eBay confirming the announcement and linking to an FAQ with more specific information. To start, eBay will only be accepting cards that meet the following requirements. They must be single cards, ungraded, sold for $750 or more pre-tax and shipping, and can be from a collectible card game, sports trading cards, or non-sports trading cards.
There are quite a number of more restrictive limitations, however. For example, autographed cards, cards with pieces of clothing, jerseys, or patches on them, 1980s Star Company basketball cards, as well as card packs, boxes, sets, and lots won't be supported for Authenticity Guarantee from eBay. eBay does not that it may expand what cards are included in its service, or that the price point may be lowered, in the future.
eBay also confirmed the partners that it will be working with to ensure the reliability of its Authenticity Guarantee. It says that "industry experts" from CGC Trading Cards and Certified Sports Guaranty will be authenticating the cards that eBay receives. These two services haven't traditionally been equated with the highest quality of trading card grading services, but aren't seen as poor choices, either. Like with all grading services, it'll be interesting to see how the service works out in practice.
As for how eBay users can use the service, whether for their Pokemon cards, basketball cards, or anything it's surprisingly simple. eBay users start by listing their card flagged with eBay's Authenticity Guarantee, which will be denoted by a blue checkmark on the listing. If it sells for over $750, sellers then ship the card to eBay's authentication facility. The card is then verified and packaged in a tamper-proof container and delivered to the buyer. If the card fails to be authenticated, the transaction is canceled. It's that simple, and exactly what trading card sellers needed from eBay.