Trading card condition guide
List a raw card on eBay and you pick one of four conditions. Pick one too high and you've set up a not-as-described return. Here's what each condition means in eBay's own words, how they line up with PSA grades and TCGplayer, and how to choose.
Checked October 3, 2026
eBay's four raw card conditions
Since 2023, single cards on eBay are either Graded or Ungraded. A raw card is Ungraded, and you pick one of four conditions for it. Card games use different names for the bottom three.
| Sports and non-sport | Card games (Pokémon and others) | What eBay says |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint or Better | Near Mint or Better | Like a fresh pack, with only slight imperfections such as 1 to 3 rounded or soft corners and slightly rough edges |
| Excellent | Lightly Played (Excellent) | Clearly visible wear: rough edges, moderate chipping, minor discoloration or indentation, fuzzy corners, noticeable scratches |
| Very Good | Moderately Played (Very Good) | Moderate to heavy damage all over: discoloration, chipping, indentation, creases or scratches |
| Poor | Heavily Played (Poor) | Extremely worn or missing corners, torn edges, heavy discoloration, several major scratches or creases, stains |
The worst flaw sets the condition
eBay's guidelines say the most significant flaw anchors the card's condition, and tell sellers to be conservative. A card with four sharp corners and one crease isn't Near Mint or Better: eBay allows no creases at that level, minor surface wrinkles at Excellent, and more from Very Good down.
Check each of these, front and back, under good light:
- Corners: sharp, soft, fuzzy, rounded or missing
- Edges: clean, rough or chipped. Dark borders show chipping most.
- Surface: scratches, scuffs, print lines, dents and indentations. Tilt the card under a light.
- Creases and wrinkles: even a faint one moves the card down a level
- Staining and discoloration, including yellowed or off-white borders
eBay's guidelines cover raw cards only, and don't judge autographs.
Near Mint or Better covers a lot
The top condition stretches from a card that could grade a 10 to one with a couple of soft corners. So the label alone doesn't tell a buyer how good your card is. If it's better than a couple of soft corners, show it: sharp, well-lit photos of the front, back and corners, and an honest note in the description. If it's at the bottom of the range, say so too.
Centering isn't part of eBay's conditions, but buyers care about it on cards that might be graded. PSA's standard for a 10 is about 55/45 on the front. Measure yours with the centering calculator.
How the conditions compare with PSA and TCGplayer
eBay doesn't publish an official mapping, so treat this as a rough guide from comparing the written definitions:
| eBay | Roughly PSA | Roughly TCGplayer |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint or Better | NM 7 and up | Near Mint |
| Excellent / Lightly Played | EX 5 to EX-MT 6 | Lightly Played |
| Very Good / Moderately Played | VG 3 to VG-EX 4 | Moderately Played |
| Poor / Heavily Played | Poor 1 to Good 2 | Heavily Played or Damaged |
A raw card in your hand isn't a PSA grade, and graders weigh centering and tiny surface flaws far more strictly than most people do by eye. If you're wondering whether a card would grade well, the is-it-worth-grading calculator shows whether it's worth finding out.
Photos and descriptions that prevent returns
- Photograph the front and the back, and take close-ups of any flaw you mention.
- Name the flaws in the description in plain words: “soft top-left corner”, “light scratch on the back”.
- Don't write “Mint”, “Gem” or a grade guess in a raw card's title. It sets an expectation the card may not meet.
- Be careful with scanners on chrome cards: scans can show scratches more than the eye does. Here's which cards I photograph instead.
Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee, a buyer of a trading card from a seller who doesn't accept returns has 3 calendar days from delivery to open a not-as-described request; with returns on, your return window applies. Cards sold for $200 or more are checked against your listing by PSA first, under the Authenticity Guarantee.
Graded cards
For a slab, choose Graded and fill in the grader, the grade and the certification number. The grade on the slab is the condition, so your title, item specifics and those fields should all agree.
Sources
Questions sellers ask
- What are eBay's conditions for raw trading cards?
- Near Mint or Better, Excellent, Very Good and Poor for sports and non-sport cards. Card game singles such as Pokémon use Near Mint or Better, Lightly Played (Excellent), Moderately Played (Very Good) and Heavily Played (Poor).
- What does Near Mint or Better mean on eBay?
- eBay describes it as equivalent to a fresh pack, with only slight imperfections such as one to three rounded or soft corners and slightly rough edges. It covers everything from a card that might grade a 10 to one with a couple of soft corners.
- What does Lightly Played mean on eBay?
- It's eBay's card game label for its Excellent condition: clearly visible wear, such as rough edges, moderate chipping, fuzzy corners or noticeable scratches.
- Should I put Mint or a grade guess in a raw card's title?
- It's better not to. A raw card hasn't been graded, and a title like "Gem Mint" or "PSA 10?" sets an expectation the card may not meet. Pick the condition, describe any flaws, and let the photos show the rest.
- How long does a buyer have to return a card as not as described?
- Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee, a buyer of a trading card from a seller who doesn't accept returns has 3 calendar days from delivery to open a not-as-described request. If you accept returns, your return window applies.
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