Where do the prices on Pokémon card price sites come from?
Summary
Each site builds its number from a different pool of sales. TCGplayer's Market Price averages recent sales on TCGplayer, while PriceCharting uses sold listings from online marketplaces, including its own. That is why one Japanese card can show a different price on each.
What each site counts
TCGplayer says Market Price is based on "actual recent sales" on its own platform. It averages several recent transactions, ignores outliers, and does not use current asking prices. Sales that happen anywhere else are not part of the number.
PriceCharting collects sold listing data from online marketplaces, including its own, then combines the most recent sale, the median, the average, and an age-weighted average. It sorts sales into Ungraded, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 9.5, PSA 10, and BGS 10 by reading each listing's title and description, with PSA 10 and BGS 10 kept as separate tiers. Shipping is not included. Japanese cards sit inside the regular Pokémon Cards category, in sets named with a "Pokemon Japanese" prefix, such as Pokemon Japanese 30th Celebration.
Search by set and number
A name search on any of these sites pulls in other sets and other rarities. For a Japanese card, the set and collection number from the official Japanese card search let you pick the matching entry out of the list. To set these dollar figures against what the card sells for in Japan, the guide to Japanese sold, asking and buylist prices covers Mercari, SNKRDUNK and shop price lists.
Sources
- TCGplayer Market Price (checked 2026-11-02)
- PriceCharting methodology (checked 2026-11-02)
- PriceCharting Pokémon Cards category (checked 2026-11-02)
- Pokémon Card Game official card search (Japanese)
Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.