The secondhand market mixes in cards fans printed themselves, and the listing text is the strongest first filter: wording like "self made", "unofficial", "fanmade" or "reprint" means it is not official. Beyond that, judge print quality and seller history — photographs alone rarely settle it.
The listing text is the strongest first filter
A lot can be ruled out before you ever see the card. Most sellers of unofficial cards say so in the title or description. They are not hiding it — there is a separate market of people who specifically want fan-made cards.
If any of these appear, it is not an official card.
PokaFind filters listings on these keywords and leaves them out of its price figures. Without that, fan-made cards’ low prices bleed into the numbers and distort them.
What else to check
The seller
Do they have enough trading history and feedback to judge?
Did they photograph the actual card, rather than reusing official images?
Do they show both the front and the back?
What the photos show
Print sharpness — do text and logos hold up when you zoom in?
The back — do the album logo and series markings match the official design?
The cut — are the edges trimmed evenly?
Compare against other listings for the same card
Photos rarely settle it. Treat the list above as reasons to look harder, not as a verdict.
Price
A rare card far below its usual price is a reason to be careful. But that only works if you know what the card normally goes for. Each card’s page shows how many are listed right now and what recent ones sold for.
Start by working out which benefit it is
A listing that says “Aladin ver.” is impossible to check if you do not know what that means. Confirm first that an Aladin benefit for that album actually existed, and which member cards were in it.
The the set boards show which album had which benefit, and the POB guide explains how benefit sets are structured.
We are not an authentication service
PokaFind never sees the physical card. We read listing text and exclude listings that look unofficial from our price figures — we do not rule on whether any individual card is genuine.
For an expensive purchase, use a platform that inspects cards before they ship, or buy from a seller you already trust.
