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Graded or raw

A graded card sits in a sealed plastic holder, often called a slab, from a grading company such as PSA, Beckett (BGS), SGC or CGC, with a number grade usually on a 1 to 10 scale; PSA 10 is PSA's top grade. Every slab carries a certification number you can look up on the grader's own website to confirm the card and grade match the listing.

A raw card has not been graded, so its condition is whatever the photos show. Check the centering, the four corners, the edges and the surface for scratches or print lines.

Reading a card title

RC means rookie card. Auto means the card carries an autograph. A number such as /99 means only 99 copies of that version exist, and 1/1 means it is the only one. Parallels are alternate versions of the same card, such as Refractors in Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome or Prizms in Panini Prizm; the parallel and its serial number often matter more than the base card does.

Before you bid

Compare the current bid with what the same card, set, parallel and grade has recently sold for on eBay, and add shipping, because two identical bids can cost very different amounts. eBay auctions use proxy bidding: you enter the most you are willing to pay once, and eBay bids for you up to that amount.