Is this card real?
Every slab carries a cert number from PSA, CGC or TAG, and the listing links it to the grader's own lookup, so you can check the grader's record before you pay. Raw cards are photographed so you judge the card itself, not a stock image.
If something arrives that does not match its listing, message the shop. The shipping policy says an order that does not match its listing gets made right.
How do I check the cert number?
Open the cert link in the listing. PSA certs go to psacard.com/cert, CGC certs to cgccards.com/certlookup, and TAG certs to the card's report on my.taggrading.com. Check that the card name, set, number and grade on the lookup match the label in the photos.
A lookup confirms the number belongs to a card of that description. The photos of the holder, front, back and label, are how you confirm it is this slab. The shop's guide to reading a PSA, CGC or TAG label goes further.
Why is the price what it is?
Prices are set off recent sold comps: the same card, the same grade, a comparable print. Not the highest ask on the market. Pull the comps yourself; that is where every price started. Some cards sit longer because of that, and that is the trade.
What does the grade on a slab mean?
It is the grader's grade, not the shop's. PSA runs from 1 to 10 with half grades up to 8.5 and no 9.5, and its 10 reads GEM MT 10. CGC and TAG each split the ten, with Pristine 10 above Gem Mint 10. TAG also gives a score from 100 to 1000, so two Gem Mint 10s can score differently. A CGC Pristine 10 and a PSA 10 are not the same claim.
What does NM mean on a raw card?
Near Mint: no visible wear at arm's length, and under light at most a speck of edge wear, with no scratches and no whitening. Below that the scale runs LP (Lightly Played), MP (Moderately Played) and HP (Heavily Played). Raw grades are the shop's own call. The full scale is on the grading and condition standards page.
What is the worst-flaw rule?
A raw card is graded by its worst flaw, not its best side. A card that is Near Mint on the front with one whitened back corner is listed Lightly Played, and that corner gets its own photo. It is why the grade on a raw listing can look strict next to the front photo.
Do the photos show the exact card I get?
Slabs are photographed front, back and label, and the case in the photos is the one that ships. Raw singles show the card that ships, and flaws that drove the grade get their own photo.
Where the backs of a set cannot be told apart, a listing may use one shared back photo; it then says only that the front photo is the exact card. Pre-orders are photographed front and back when they arrive.
How is it packed?
Raw singles go in a penny sleeve, toploader and team bag inside a rigid mailer. Slabs are wrapped and braced in a box so the case cannot shift. Sealed product ships in a box with fill, never a bubble mailer on its own. Higher-value pieces go with signature confirmation.
Who ships it, and where to?
One person: the same person who found the card, photographed it and wrote the listing packs the box. Orders ship within the United States only. Shipping options and rates show at checkout, and orders to the same address before dispatch are combined where possible, with overpaid shipping refunded.
Is there tracking?
Yes. Every order ships tracked, and the tracking number is emailed to you when it ships. Standard shipping includes the carrier's own coverage of up to $100 per package. For an order above that, extra coverage is available on request: message the shop before or right after you order.
What if it arrives damaged?
Photograph the outer packaging, the inner packaging and the card before unpacking any further, keep every piece of packaging, and message the shop within 3 days of delivery. The carrier needs the packaging for a claim. Carriers decide claim outcomes, and any payout owed to you is passed through. The shipping policy has the detail.
Can I return it?
A return needs approval first: message the shop before sending anything back, with your order number, the item and the reason. Requests are reviewed one at a time, and anything sent back without approval is refused.
The photographs and the condition notes are the description, so read both before you buy. If a raw card arrives worse than listed, send a photo of it as received.
How do pre-orders work?
A pre-order says so in its title. The listing states that the card is on order and on its way from Japan, and that it ships once it is in hand, boxed and tracked. It is photographed front and back when it arrives. The listing gives no arrival date. For anything else about a pre-order, ask before you buy.
Do you buy cards?
Yes: raw, graded or sealed, a single binder or a whole collection. Send a rough count and a few photos through the contact page, and you get a number, or a reason why not. Hits are priced one by one against recent sold results, not as a flat percentage of the whole. The sell page has what sells best and what gets set aside.
Can I ask about a card before buying?
Yes, and that is the intended order. Ask for another angle on any lot through the contact page; extra photos cost nothing. A corner up close, the edges of a holder or the back of a raw card are all fair things to ask to see. Replies come from the one person who lists and packs everything here.
Is there a Whatnot stream?
Most weeks there is a live show on Whatnot: singles, lots and the occasional slab, sold on camera. The shop carries what the stream does not: single copies, slabs, and anything that deserves a photo and a write-up. Follow shibuigoods on Whatnot to see when it goes live.