A perfect example of asking for too much.
A buyer recently asked if I’d be willing to sell my Near Mint 2020 Pokémon Sword & Shield: Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare 009/185 Celebi for $5, because a price guide showed the card at that price.
At first glance, $5 might sound reasonable if you’re simply looking at the number listed in a price guide. But there was an important detail they overlooked: That $5 valuation was for a Moderately Played (MP) copy, not a Near Mint copy.
Condition makes a huge difference with trading cards. For context, a Moderately Played card can have significant condition issues, including things like:
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Major whitening or chipping along the corners and edges.
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Moderate to major surface indentations.
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Creases, scratches, or noticeable scuffing.
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Staining.
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Moderate discoloration.
My card is nowhere near that condition. It has nice centering and, more importantly, no visible condition flaws. The edges are clean, with no noticeable whitening or silvering, and there are no obvious scratches, dents, creases, stains, or other significant surface issues.
So comparing my Near Mint copy to the $5 MP price isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison.
The reality is that Near Mint or better copies of this card have been selling for over $10, which is much more representative of what a clean copy like mine is worth.
And here's the part that makes the $5 offer even more ridiculous: I was already offering this card at 20 percent below its current Near Mint market value. In other words, the buyer wasn't being asked to pay full market price in the first place. The irony is that this card sold for my asking price shortly afterward.