Every item in our trading cards category is a single secondhand piece that came through our hands in Japan. There is no second one in the back room. That is why the condition wording on each listing is written for that specific item, and why this page shows you the actual wording we used rather than a generic scale.
How we describe condition, and what we do not claim
Our own condition scale is set out in the store FAQ. What we do not do is assign a third-party grade — the sealed, numbered kind a grading service issues — because we are a secondhand shop, not a grading house, and a number we made up ourselves would imply an audit that does not exist. What every listing does carry is the same three things: the item is marked as used in the page data, it was inspected by hand before it went up, and the photographs are of that exact piece, not a stock image of the product line. Where something specific needs saying, we say it in the listing text itself — which is what the rest of this page is made of.
Of the 135 trading cards listings live on the store at the time of writing, 5 currently in stock carry an item-specific condition note on top of the standard wording. Those are the ones quoted below, word for word.
Whether the outer box comes with it
Japanese collectors treat the box as part of the item, so a missing outer box is not a detail we bury. When the box is gone, the listing says so in the condition line itself, in plain words.
Good (Pre-owned, used, no outer box. Please refer to images for detailed condition.)
— from the listing for Pokemon Card Lugia Legend 029 030 Soul Silver Collection 1st ED expansion pack ($377.00)
Good (pre-owned, carefully inspected, no outer box)
— from the listing for Pokemon Card Game Pikachu 010/018 Holo McDonald’s Promo e-Reader 2002 Nintendo ($1,242.00)
Good (Used, no outer box included)
— from the listing for Pokemon Card Game Charizard Holo CD 1999 Promo Lightning Bolt Japanese No. 006 ($932.00)
What is actually included
Accessories and inserts go missing over the years. Where anything is absent, or where the piece is the figure on its own, we write that out instead of listing the item as if it were complete.
Pre-owned with visible signs of age including wrinkles and minor broken parts, adding to its vintage appeal
— from the listing for Pokemon Cards Top Sun No.006 “Lizardon” Pokemon Topsun Charizard Rare japan ($669.00)
The words we use for the overall state
For the overall state we use ordinary English rather than a grade. That is deliberate: a letter or a number implies a standard someone else audits, and nobody audits ours.
Pre-owned item, carefully inspected to ensure “Good” condition before shipping
— from the listing for Pokemon Plusle Minun Touch Exchange Promo 130 PCG-P 2006 Spring Battle Road Card ($1,080.00)
Reading the photographs, not the adjectives
Because the wording is ours and the grade is nobody’s, the photographs are the specification. Open every image at full size and look at the parts of the piece that wear first for this kind of item, then compare that against what the listing says. If the two disagree, tell us before you buy, not after.
If you want a structured way to do that on your own shelf as well as ours, our self-grading checklist walks through the check points category by category, and the photo-based condition checker will give you an estimate from your own pictures. Neither is a formal appraisal, and neither of them is us telling you what a piece is worth.
Where condition sits in the price
When we look back at our own recorded sales we group them into four broad condition bands rather than grades, because that is as fine as honest data allows. The condition and market liquidity guide shows those bands against our own sales, with the sample size printed next to every number so you can see how much weight it carries. It is our data about our sales — not a market index, and not a valuation of your piece.
If the condition matters more than the piece
Some collectors want the best example they can get and will wait for it. If what is listed today is not clean enough for you, say so on our sourcing request page and we will keep an eye out through our Japanese supply channels, or browse the demand catalogue to see the series we actively look for. Questions about a specific listing go to our contact page and are answered by the people who inspected the item.
Published August 20, 2026 by the HD Toys Japan sourcing desk in Tokyo. The quoted condition notes are copied from the live listings on the date of publication; stock is one-of-a-kind, so individual pieces sell.
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