Hey everyone,
I recently got back into collecting Pokémon cards after an 8 year break it’s been about a month now, and I’ve been mostly focused on Japanese cards. My brother saw how much I was enjoying the hobby, especially opening JP sets, and since he knows Latias is one of my favorite Pokémon, he decided to surprise me with a card he bought from Japan.
He sent me the listing images (black background) along with the photos provided by the proxy after they received the card — and something seems off. The card the proxy photographed looks different from the one in the original listing.
I’m still new to spotting fakes, most of my knowledge so far is around newer sets from reading so I’m not sure what to look for when it comes to vintage Japanese cards. The differences between the two concern me, but I also don’t know if the proxy’s photos are even of the same card, or if the seller pulled a switch.
The card is still in the possession of the proxy, so I’m hoping to get feedback before my brother approves shipment. I appreciate what he tried to do, but I wish he had done a bit more due diligence first.
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I apologize for the lack of images since i am a new member i am limited.
Update:
Surprisingly, my brother was able to get a refund. I’m not sure if the seller intentionally sent a fake or if it was just a mix-up, but at least there was a resolution. From what my brother showed me, the seller actually had a decent track record, which is why the whole thing caught me off guard.
Now I’m second guessing everything. I have a JP Gold Star card from a while back that I’ll probably need to verify too
Thanks again to everyone who chimed in and helped out.
I’ve been considering using a proxy myself in the future, but after doing some research (especially following this incident), I think it might only be worth it for sealed items especially sealed promos. Booster boxes can be tampered with, and when it comes to singles, it really depends on the card’s rarity and how trustworthy the seller is.
From what I found, there are unfortunately quite a few cases where sellers try to scam when they know a proxy is involved especially if the proxy doesn’t automatically provide good photos or photos at all. Thankfully, my brother paid extra for that photo service, which ended up saving him. Definitely a lesson learned
