Is this trade fair?
CardTrack's Pokémon card trade calculator adds up the card values on each side — raw or at the grade you pick per card — so you know who comes out ahead before you hand anything over.
How this is calculated
Difference = value of what you get − value of what you give; Fair = |difference| < 5% of the larger side
Assumptions
- Each card is valued at CardTrack's blended market value for the condition or grade you pick per row (raw by default).
- Market value is what comparable copies list and sell for, not a cash offer — a dealer buying your side will pay less.
- Sentimental value, playability and the cost of finding a card elsewhere are not modelled.
A worked trade
- You give: Lugia · Neo Genesis #9
- $750.00
- You get: Charizard · Skyridge #146
- $18,942.59
You come out ahead by $18,192.59
Build your own trade above — add every card each side is giving, raw or at a grade (not sure of the grade? try the AI card grader).
Trade calculator FAQ
How does the Pokémon card trade calculator decide a trade is fair?
Add the cards each side is giving to the two columns. CardTrack values both sides at blended market prices and shows the difference — a trade is called fair when the two totals are within 5% of each other.
Does the trade calculator use raw or graded values?
Raw (near-mint) by default. Each row has a grade picker built from that card's own known grade ladder — PSA, BGS or CGC, whichever grades CardTrack has priced for it — so picking a grade values it at that grade's price rather than raw.
How do I know the prices behind a trade are real?
Every card in the calculator shows what its price is standing on: the number of completed sales behind it, or a warning when the figure is a vendor's asking price rather than a sale. If more than a quarter of either side's value is not backed by completed sales, the calculator says so before it gives a verdict — a 3% edge over a side priced off asking prices is not an edge.
Is market value what a shop would pay me?
No. Market value is what comparable copies list and sell for between collectors. A dealer buying your side pays below it — the buy-sell spread — so a trade that is fair at market can still be a bad cash decision.
Related: compare two cards · selling fee calculator · budget builder