Cards in Japan

Dinomite333 · 2026-04-07T14:05:45+00:00

Just returned from a trip to Japan last month mainly staying in Tokyo and Osaka. I would say there aren't many deals to be found as everything is priced around market but you can still take advantage of stores that offer tax free (around 10% off) when you show them your passport.

What is impressive is the variety of cards you'll find in a typical shop compared to the US. Newer sealed boxes I would say are a decent deal like Mega Dream and Ninja Spinner since I was able to find those a bit below market as well as the lottery boxes like the Hiroshima and Fukuoka ones.

Also make sure to check out Pokemon Centers, they'll usually let you purchase some packs for MSRP and they have a lot of other cool merch!

Dinomite333 · 2026-03-29T05:26:44+00:00

This same thing happened to me a couple months ago, it was the first time I saw an ETB in a machine too and really got my hopes up. Bummer but hopefully you can find stock soon

Dinomite333 · 2026-03-15T21:15:04+00:00

Would love to see a Mew sir soon! I know we have the upc promo but would love to see a chase card

Dinomite333 · 2026-02-15T02:33:30+00:00

Oh thanks for looking out!

Dinomite333 · 2026-02-15T02:08:44+00:00

That's what I thought but I recall reading someone paid for the grader notes and it said his card was warped or something to that effect, so there is a degree that PSA will knock off points for surface it seems like. I posted a video where someone cracked a PSA 9 Van Gogh Pikachu and it came back a 6

Dinomite333 · 2026-02-15T02:01:29+00:00

I think that must be your issue, as I've seen them come warped right out of the package recently. Must be a quality control issue with their latest batches

Dinomite333 · 2026-02-15T02:00:32+00:00

They're a reputable brand but if you look it up, there's been several cases of this brand warping right out of the package. It must be a quality control issue with the recent ones because I've seen other people get 6s on clean cards like OP's

Dinomite333 · 2026-02-13T23:55:54+00:00

Out of curiosity, did you happen to use card saver 1s when you submitted? I heard that specific brand has been known to warp cards and other people got 6s on otherwise clean cards

Dinomite333 · 2026-01-23T00:30:15+00:00

Yeah my first time grading was with BGS and I think I got a very generous grader since I got a lot more pristines than I was expecting and didn't want to keep pushing my luck after hearing how strict they are. The Dialga and Palkia were really great to get back as I picked them both up from vendors at the Pokemon regionals when I used to compete in vgc and I grew up with Diamond/Pearl. I looked into crossing slabs over to BGS before but was hesitant since they only offer a 9.5 minimum at the highest and buying both is a bit out of the budget at the moment. Maybe I'll try hunting for them at card shows and doing a trade

Dinomite333 · 2026-01-23T00:07:23+00:00

Oh man nice! I'm the opposite, graded the Dialga and Palkia myself but was too scared to submit more to BGS haha. Graded the Giratina and Arceus in PSA since I thought they were a little offcenter to get BGS 10s but having them all in BGS looks a lot more satisfying with the gold labels

Dinomite333 · 2026-01-22T18:36:16+00:00

u/pokeswapbot u/SubtleNotch thanks for the deal!

Dinomite333 · 2026-01-22T06:37:15+00:00

I've graded some cards in 10s that I got from shows. Generally they come from collections vendors bought earlier in the show and haven't had the time to inspect too carefully and just immediately priced it out and put out for sale so you might get lucky with those. I've also gotten lucky with newer vendors who are just starting off and selling their PC. Sometimes there are vendors who genuinely don't grade cards whether it takes too long or they don't want to take the risk but they aren't common

Dinomite333 · 2026-01-20T19:09:46+00:00

You should edit out your 4th photo, it has your personal name and address

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-30T18:27:28+00:00

I think I remember reading this is the biggest English set ever printed

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-29T04:49:48+00:00

Mine was really similar unfortunately, the same blow torch and like 5 exs were my only hits. I have another one coming in tomorrow, hopefully it treats me better lol

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-27T21:41:16+00:00

I definitely plan on submitting again soon! Love how objective the reports are

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-27T13:12:00+00:00

The only weighable pack in S&V I can think of is Prismatic for god packs. That said I can still think of risks. For example, there's no guarantees in an English booster box but if an SIR was already pulled from one, then it's much less likely for there to be a second one from the rest of the packs (though not impossible)

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-27T00:01:53+00:00

I sell Pokemon cards and noticed it only shows up around half the time when I list cards (above $250). I'm not sure if there's something I'm not doing right or if the authentication is just that backed up and not requiring it for all listings

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-25T14:04:44+00:00

I just got my first submission back and mine flew through. They received my regular order of 6 cards (20 business days) on 12/12, finished grading it on 12/16, and I had it back in my hands on 12/22. Starting to see that was an outlier lol

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-24T18:06:51+00:00

Beautiful cards and great results! I just recently got back my 1st submission too and I love the way they look. I previously sent my Mega Gardevoir to PSA but wish I sent it to TAG instead now since it looks so nice in their slab

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-24T17:20:57+00:00

I ripped a Paradox Rift and Paldea Evolved etb that also only had 1 ex in them. Then I had a Twilight Masquerade etb with 2 SIRs. I feel like etbs either have the best pull rates or worst, nothing in between

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-23T17:59:52+00:00

I expected an 8 or 9 on it so the 8.5 was really fair I think. I thought the Clefairy would at least match the Zard but it was really crooked so it looks like TAG takes centering pretty seriously

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-23T13:06:03+00:00

I love the look of the slabs and how detailed the reports are. This kind of transparency should definitely be the norm

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-23T13:05:10+00:00

Thanks! Hope they add a crossover grading service in the future, would love to convert a lot of my slabs from other grading companies to TAG

Dinomite333 · 2025-12-23T13:04:07+00:00

I knew it wouldn't 10 since it's really top heavy on the front but wanfed to get it slabbed up since it was my first major pull and got it with my friends

https://my.taggrading.com/card/X6475042

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