How a deal works here
PokéLinker introduces buyers and sellers and then gets out of the way — we don't process payments, hold cards, or ship anything. That keeps fees at zero, and it means the two of you decide how the deal goes. Here is the path we recommend, and the one thing that matters most: never pay by a method you can't get back, for a card you haven't seen.
The recommended path
Message the seller
Hit Contact Seller on the card or from your Poké Cart. It opens an email to them — PokéLinker never sits in the middle, and never sees what you agree.
Ask for photos of the actual card
Not the set's stock image — the card in their hand, front and back, in good light. Any listing over $50 already carries at least two real photos. Ask for more, including the corners and edges, before you commit.
Check who you're dealing with
Look at their reviews, how long the store has been open, and their gym badges — those track verified email, real listings, ratings, and in-person verification by us. A seller with none of them isn't necessarily bad, but go slower.
Agree a price and a public place
Most deals here are local meet-ups. Settle the price, the condition you're expecting, and exactly where and when before either of you travels.
Meet, inspect, then pay
Check the card against what was described — corners, edges, surface, centring — before any money moves. If it isn't what you agreed, walk away. That's the whole point of meeting.
Leave a review
It's the only thing that makes the next person's deal safer, and it's how sellers earn the badges everyone is reading.
How to pay
Safe
What we'd use ourselves.
Cash, in person
Simple, instant, and nothing to reverse. Bring the agreed amount — counting out change in a car park is where mistakes happen.
PayPal Goods & Services
For anything shipped. It costs the seller a small fee and it's the only PayPal option with buyer protection. Worth every cent on a card you can't inspect first.
Only with care
Fine once the card is in your hands — not before.
Interac e-Transfer (Canada)
Fine between people who've met and inspected the card. It is NOT reversible, so never send it before you have the card in your hand.
Bank transfer
Same story — treat it exactly like handing over cash, because that's what it is.
Never
No exceptions, however good the price looks.
Crypto
Irreversible, untraceable, and the single most common request in card scams. There is no legitimate reason a card seller needs Bitcoin.
Gift cards
Never a real payment method. If someone asks for gift card codes, you're being scammed — stop and report them.
PayPal Friends & Family
Zero buyer protection, by design. Sellers who insist on F&F for a shipped card are asking you to give up your only recourse.
Paying before you see the card
Any method, any amount, from someone you can't verify. Deposits to 'hold' a card are a classic.
Meeting safely
- Somewhere public and busy: a mall, a card or game shop, a café. Many police stations have a marked exchange zone with cameras — for a high-value card, use it.
- Daylight, and tell someone where you're going. Bring a friend for anything expensive.
- Never a private address — not theirs, not yours — and not an empty car park at night.
- Inspect before money changes hands. Sleeve and toploader come off; look at corners, edges, surface and centring under real light.
- If anything feels off — a rushed seller, a changed story, a new price — leave. A card is never worth it.
Reading a seller
- Gym badges are earned, not bought — verified email, an open storefront, 25+ cards listed, review milestones, and in-person verification by us. Hover any badge to see what it took.
- Reviews come from people who dealt with them. Read the words, not just the score.
- Photosof the real card, on request, are the cheapest test there is. A seller who won't take one has told you something.
- A brand new store isn't a red flag — everyone starts at zero. Just meet in public and pay on collection.
- Prices far below market are the oldest bait in the book. Be more careful, not less.
What PokéLinker does and doesn't do
We list cards, connect you by email, and keep a public record of how sellers have behaved. We are not a party to your transaction: we don't take payment, hold funds in escrow, verify individual cards, or ship anything — so there is no PokéLinker refund to claim if a deal goes wrong. That is exactly why the method you pay by matters so much. If someone breaks these rules or tries to scam you, report them and we'll act on the account.