Pokémon

Can a sealed Pokémon product still be something other than what the factory packed?

Published · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

Yes. Japan's official Pokémon Card Game site warns about seller-made "oripa" packs, about "searched" packs and boxes that have had the hits pulled out, and about counterfeits. On eBay, trading card repacks may be listed only by sellers eBay has approved in advance.

What the Japanese publisher has warned about

When Pokémon Card 151 launched, the official Japanese site posted a notice about buying and selling the set on flea-market apps. It named three kinds of listings.

The same notice says The Pokémon Company refuses purchases made for resale. A separate notice dated September 19, 2023, says unlicensed items are being traded under names like "replica" and "metal card," and that the company is working with marketplace operators to stop those sales and is weighing legal action.

How eBay handles repacks and breaks

eBay's chance listings policy bans listings that let buyers win an item by chance or contest. Trading card repacks, along with case, box, and pack breaks, may be sold only by pre-approved sellers, and in a break the buyer must receive the entire pack, box, or slot they paid for. Grab bags and mystery boxes are allowed only when the listing gives general information about what is included.

Pokémon's English support site says fake booster packs are very hard to tell from real ones, and that a pack priced far below the suggested retail price is a near-certain sign of a counterfeit. It also reports that flea markets account for the most reported counterfeit sales.

Sources

  1. Pokémon Card Game notice on Pokémon Card 151 sales on flea-market apps (Japanese)
  2. Pokémon Card Game notice on counterfeit goods (Japanese)
  3. eBay chance listings policy
  4. Pokémon Support, Did I purchase fake or counterfeit cards?

Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.

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