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eBay card condition guidelines

Accurate information for listing raw cards.

Sports and non-sports
trading cards

Collectible card games

 
Minor chipping Moderate corner wear with multiple dinged corners Rounding on all four corners Major rounding with one or more corners missing
Minor chipping Slightly rough edges with moderate chipping and/or light indentations Moderate-to-heavy chipping and/or indentations Major chipping and indentation with paper loss
None Minor (e.g. wax stains on the reverse) Moderate to major Major discoloration over a large area
Minor Moderate Moderate to major Major
None Minor surface wrinkles Moderate with multiple creases allowed Multiple major creases
Minor Moderate Moderate to major, some slight paper loss Major scratches/
scuffing with paper loss, tears, and pinholes
None Minor Moderate to major Major
 
Minor chipping Moderate whitening/
chipping
Major whitening/
chipping
Major whitening/
chipping with one or more corners missing
Minor chipping Moderate whitening/
chipping
Major whitening/
chipping
Major whitening/
chipping with tears possible
None Minor Moderate Major
Minor Moderate Moderate to major Major
None Minor Moderate to major Multiple major creases
Minor Moderate Moderate to major, some slight paper loss Major scratches/
scuffing with paper loss, tears, and pinholes
None Minor Moderate to major Major

Sports and non-sports
trading cards

Near Mint or Better

Cards in Near Mint condition are equivalent to a fresh pack. They only have slight imperfections such as 1–⁠3 rounding or soft corners and slightly rough edges. Any damage aside from this would automatically lower the card’s condition.

Signs of wear:
1. Corner wear

A football card in Near Mint condition on a red background.

Excellent

Excellent condition cards have clearly visible signs of wear. These cards have rough edges, moderate chipping, minor discoloration, minor indentation, fuzzy corners, or noticeable scratches.

Signs of wear:
1. Minor surface scuffing
2. Edge chipping
3. Fuzzy corners

A baseball card in Very Good condition on a gray background

Very Good

Very Good condition cards show moderate-to-heavy damage all over the card. These cards have a moderate amount of discoloration, chipping, indentation, creases, or scratches. There may also be a slight paper loss.

Signs of wear:
1. Moderate discoloration
2. Creasing
3. Edge chipping
4. Rounding and soft corners

A baseball card in Very Good condition on a gray background

Poor

A card in Poor condition is extremely worn or missing corners. These cards display flaws like torn edges, extreme discoloration, multiple major scratches, multiple creases, or stains.

Signs of wear:
1. Heavily worn and rounded corners
2. Major crease
3. Moderate discoloration
4. Border wear

A baseball card in Poor condition on a red background.

Collectible card games

Near Mint or Better

Near Mint condition cards display minimal or no wear or damage. They appear “fresh out of the pack.” Other than minor chipping, indentation, or scratches, the card shows no moderate or major signs of damage. These cards may be “never played” cards or cards that have been played with sleeves.

A Magic: The Gathering card in Near Mint condition on a beige background.

Lightly Played (Excellent)

Cards in Lightly Played condition can have moderate chipping, indentation, or scratches. Lightly Played cards do not look heavily tampered with and are legal for play in a sleeved deck.

Signs of wear:
1. Slight edge wear
2. Slight corner wear

A Yu-Gi-Oh! card in Lightly Played condition on a multicolor background.

Moderately Played (Very Good)

Moderately Played cards have discernible flaws such as major chipping around the edges and corners. They have moderate discoloration, indentation, creases, scratches, or stains. However, there is no liquid damage on Moderately Played cards.

Signs of wear:
1. Creasing
2. Layering

A Magic: The Gathering card in Moderately Played condition on a white background.

Heavily Played (Poor)

Heavily Played cards show a massive amount of wear and damage. Corners and edges will be rounded, chipped, or fuzzy, and there will be major discoloration, layering, notching, creasing, and scratches. Heavily Played cards have less than 30% liquid damage.

Tap and hold image for a closer look.

1. Edge chipping
2. Creasing
3. Scratches/scuffing
4. Corner chipping

A Yu-Gi-Oh! card in Heavily Played condition on a white background.

Please note

According to eBay’s card conditions guidelines, the most significant flaw will anchor the condition of the card. To offer a more accurate description to the buyers, we encourage you to be conservative with the condition evaluation of your card and err on the safe side. These guidelines apply to the raw or ungraded Item Conditions only and do not relate to the grade of a card, which must be determined by a professional grader. This policy is also not meant to evaluate the condition of autographs, stamps, or inking on the card. Sellers should clearly identify damages or defects within the item description of their listing.

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trading cards

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