TCG Singles and Pre-owned products

Trading Cards

We use a generic trading card grading system for all of our singles card stock. The vast majority of our singles are Near Mint however we also grade for Lightly Played, Heavily Played, and Damaged cards. In most cases, we do not sell damaged cards on our site, from time to time, we list these cards in bulk on Trademe as $1 reserves.

Please note: We always do our best to ensure accuracy of grading and integrity of inventory however with the volume and variety of cards we work with, mishaps can occur from time to time.

Otakumart is currently unable to provide a grading service for customers.

We inspect for a few features when grading cards; Authenticity, Edges, Surface, Border, Centering/Misprints and Bends/Creases. These grades are grouped as follows:

Near Mint (NM)
A near-perfect or perfect card with 0 to 3 minor imperfections. Cards cannot be written on or altered in any way. Near Mint cards are not easily distinguishable from new cards in an unsleeved stack. Possible minor imperfections are:

  • Minor Surface Wear: Scratching or clouding (isolated area with micro scratching) which are generally minor. Not easily noticeable at a glance and are not white or remove any color from the card. Foil cards are more likely to scratch and are more visible than non-foils so minor amounts of scratching will still pass as NM.
  • Corner Wear: A minor blunt corner, impression or a tiny nick.
  • Border Wear: Border wear such as a minor impression or a tiny nick.
  • Minor Misprints/Centering: Card is centered well enough to not notice at a glance. Minor discoloration (Most noticable in old cards or cards from the same set printed in different locations).


Lightly Played (LP)
A card with definitive wear that would be expected of some play without sleeves. These can still be played legally in tournaments if sleeved.

  • Surface Wear: Scratching or clouding which may show white or silver (on foils). Foil cards are more likely to scratch and are more visible than non-foils so moderate amounts of scratching will pass as LP. Minor dirt and small bends in the card are accepted into LP as long as a crease is not visible.
  • Corner Wear: Edges show moderate wear and minor bends that do not crease the card. These are usually from improper storage or play without sleeves.
  • Border Wear: Minor shuffle crease and border wear. These are generally noticeable and isolated but not major. Whitening on the card border or silver(on foils) that minor to moderate will be placed in LP.
  • Misprints/Centering: Centering or misprints might be noticed at a glance but should not be a defining feature of this grade.

Heavily Played (P)

A card that shows obvious handling but is still attractive for play despite wear and imperfections. These cards will have many minor or several major imperfections.

  • Surface Wear: Large scratching or clouding which show white or silver(on foils). Moderate amounts of dirt, a slight bend(including indention) and minor inking. Minor water damage in an isolated area.
  • Corner Wear: Edges show distinguishable wear, minor separation (de-lamination) and bends that may create a very minor crease. These are usually from improper storage or moderate play without sleeves.
  • Border Wear: Moderate shuffle crease and border wear. These are generally very noticeable. Whitening on the card border or silver(on foils) that are moderate will be placed in P.
  • Misprints/Centering: Centering or misprints that can be noticed at first glance but should not be a defining feature of this grade. We grade cards with poor centering as Played as long as the card is so off center that it could be classed as a misprint.

Damaged

A very worn or damaged card with many major imperfections. These cards are not listed on our site unless they are very high value or detail graded. Damaged cards are usually auctioned at $1.00 reserve on Trademe in bulk. Check out our listings to find if any are available here. Damaged cards may have the following:

  • Tears
  • Creases
  • Stamped
  • Written on
  • Non-English
  • Foul odor

Pre-owned Products

Otakumart carries a variety of pre-owned items, the bulk of which being figures. They are generally items that are well past their initial release and their price reflects market value, condition, and rarity. Each item is carefully inspected by our team and then graded before they are offered for sale. Each items condition/grade will be noted on the product page.

For further information about a specific product, please feel free to contact us via our contact details at the bottom of the page. We would be more than happy to help. We can also provide pictures of the item itself if they are not already in the product description.

Grading is as follows:

Figures and similar items
This grading system is split into 2 parts, item grade and packaging grade as follows:

Item:

  • Tier 1 (T1)– Excellent condition, appears new.
  • Tier 2 (T2)– Good condition, potentially a bit of dust in parts that are not easily dusted. Slight signs of wear such as scuffing that can often be seen on stands and bases that have had dust on them.
  • Tier 3 (T3)– Reasonable condition, shows signs of dust, possible light damage to paint, potential scuffs and marks.
  • Tier 4 (T4)– Poor condition, potentially minor broken parts, issues with parts such as loose fitting, signs of dust, scratching and scuff marks.

Packaging:

  • Tier 1 (T1)– Excellent condition, appears new. All packaging parts included.
  • Tier 2 (T2)– Good condition, seals broken but have been resealed by us. Minor scuffing or folding where packaging has been opened. Potentially missing some minor packaging parts such as wire ties.
  • Tier 3 (T3)– Reasonable condition, seals broken broken but have been resealed by us. Noticeable scuffing and bending. Missing some packaging parts such as wire ties and plastic covers.
  • Tier 4 (T4)– Poor condition, seals broken but have been resealed by us. Very noticeable scuffing and bending, possible some ripping patched up by us. Missing parts of packaging.

Other possible grades:

  • Damaged Box– Rarely, one of our products may arrive with a large dent or other damages. Typically the item itself will be fine.
  • Manufacturing fault– Very rarely, we may receive an item with a defect that was caused during the manufacturing process. Examples may be colour tone or missing details.