• Graded Cards

• Non-Graded Cards

• Evaluate Item Listings

• Find Sports Cards on eBay Australia

• Buy with Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Graded Cards

Graded Cards

Add certified original and graded cards to your collection. Card graders evaluate the authenticity and overall condition of a card, seal it in a tamper-proof holder, and seal pertinent card information inside the top of the holder. Pertinent information includes the year a card was manufactured, manufacturer, card number, and grade.

Although each company uses its own grading scale and methods, they all generally look at four key areas of a card: corners, centering, edges, and surface. Sellers should include details about the condition of these four areas in their listings.

Non-Graded Cards

Non-Graded Cards

You need to rely on a seller's description and scanned images to determine the condition of a non-graded sports card on eBay Australia. Scans should clearly show the front and back of a card. Like the pros, you'll want to look at corners, centering, edges, and surface condition. Most sellers use the following guidelines to informally describe the condition of non-graded cards:

• Mint (MT): Card shows virtually no flaws to the naked eye of a knowledgeable collector or dealer. Mint cards have four sharp corners, near-perfect (50/50) centering side-to-side and top-to-bottom on the front and back of the card. The surface will not have any scratches, scuffs, or imperfections.

• Near Mint to Mint (NM-MT): Card has four fairly sharp corners and 60/40 or better centering. It may have one slight colour or surface imperfection, a few minor print spots, or a minor touch of wear on one corner.

• Near Mint (NM): Card has slight wear on two or three corners and 65/35 or better centering. It may also have one of the following imperfections: a slightly rough edge; a few minor print spots; minor colour or printing imperfection.

• Excellent to Mint (EXMT): Card may have two or three rough or "fuzzy" corners and 70/30 or better centering. It may have a few minor print spots and a minor colour imperfection, a major print spot, or major colour imperfection.

• Excellent (EX): Card may have four "fuzzy" corners, possibly one with a bit more wear than the others, and 75/25 or better centering. It may also have minor rough edges, a few print spots, and colour or focus imperfections.

• Very Good (VG): Card has 80/20 or better centering and shows a moderate amount of wear. Corners all have minor dings and one or more may have rounding. It also has visible surface scratches and/or major print spots, defects, colour imperfections, or imperfect focus. A crease and/or stain might be visible on the card.

• Good (G): Card shows beginning stages of obvious wear in nearly every aspect. Centering might be 90/10 or worse and corners all show rounding. The card may have visible stains or creases and gloss may be missing.

• Fair (F): Card shows major wear in nearly every aspect. Centering might be 90/10 or worse and corners all show rounding. The card may have visible stains or creases.

• Poor (P): Card shows major wear in nearly every aspect and is either torn or missing a piece of cardboard. Centering might be 90/10 or worse and corners all show rounding. The card may have visible stains or creases.

Use more discretion when viewing famous and more valuable cards. Make sure you know the history of a card before spending a lot of money.

Evaluate Item Listings

Evaluate Item Listings

Good item listings for sports cards contain a detailed description of an item, its condition, and any wear. Look for:

• Pictures: Sellers should include at least one detailed scan of an item and its grading certificate. You should be able to see the corners, centering, and edges of a card fairly well. Make sure you can see the serial number on a graded card.

• Pricing: Get a sense of the current market value for a card by searching Completed Listings. The results will tell you how much similar items sold for on eBay Australia in the past 14 days.

• Originals and reprints: Beware of "reprint cards" reproduced and released years after an original printing. You cannot easily spot reprints, which can look exactly the same as an original, so eBay Australia requires sellers to tell you if a card is a reprint. Read each item description closely and look out for words such as "reprint," "print," or "copy."

• Condition: Find out if an item has any smudges, tears, creases, fading, or other types of damage. Get a grading certificate if possible.

Use common sense while you shop and stay away from items that seem too good to be true.

Find Sports Cards on eBay Australia

Find Sports Cards on eBay Australia

Now that you know how to buy, go to the Sports Memorabilia portal, click on a sport that you're interested in whether it may be AFL, Cricket, Rugby League, Basketball or Baseball, and then click on the "Trading Cards" link for that sport.

• Categories: Links in each Categories list, located on the left side of a page, will help you narrow down item listings to the products you want. For example if you clicked on Trading Cards for Basketball, you'll find further links for Lots, Sets and Singles of basketball trading cards.

• Keyword search: Let eBay Australia find items for you by entering keywords into the search box. For example, if you want a Parramatta Eels trading card, type "eels card" (without quotation marks) into the search box. Use the Matching Categories list on the left side of your search results page to narrow your results even further. Visit eBay Australia's Search Tips page for more advice about searching with keywords.

If you can't seem to find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Australia community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save your search on My eBay and eBay Australia will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy with Confidence

Buy with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Australia and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay Australia (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Australia are not covered by eBay Australia protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay Australia item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay Australia sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay Australia and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,500.      

eBay Australia Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay Australia's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Australia veteran with just the information you're looking for!

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.