What defects are dealbreakers for you?

Collecting
21

you can compare it to the same card (even a different grade) or the psa scans if they are available

but pwcc has been selling sunfaded shit for years without noting it so u kinda get used to looking out for it :rofl: if u accidentally buy sunfade on ebay for eg. and the seller didnt declare it the auth will likely reject it… however for these the buyers will be sol

22

Creases, tears, mystery gunk, water damage, and the like are deal breakers.

I can tolerate a hairline scratch or 2, but not a bunch of scuffing and visible scratches. If I have to hunt it down in the holo pattern under specific lighting, it’s fine. If I can always see it under most circumstances, no thanks.

Small corner dings don’t bother me at all, but edge wear does.

Printlines or rogue ink dots are whatever to me, I have never considered that to be damage or something worth taking points off for. Sometimes they actually look cool. I have a Delta Species Salamence ex with a print line that goes right over its eye and makes it look like a battle scar.

23

I only buy raw but focus on NM - VLP condition cards so a few whitening spots or a bit of back scuffing usually gets past my filters as long as it’s all pretty much invisible in the binder.

However, I simply can’t deal with:

  1. Creases
  2. Dents
  3. Corner wear

Also will have to say that holo scratching/scuffing needs to be an absolute minimum. I just know it’s there and it eats at the back of my mind lol.

I have lowered my standards a LITTLE for very expensive cards i.e. my Neo Discovery Umbreon holo has a very faint dent on one of the borders but the rest of the card is excellent, and the dent invisible in the binder. However, accepting the dent allowed me to snag the card a lot cheaper than a true NM raw. A fair trade off I thought when it’s only visible out of the binder and at a certain angle.

24

Cards that are way off-center really bother me. Scratches, dents, whitening is fine if the card is LP to MP.

25

Off center cards and creases are my biggest deal breakers because they are the easiest to see at an arms length.

As far as acceptable defects, I’ve picked up a lot of cards that have had some gnarly back edge whitening but have looked nearly perfect on the front. So much so it confuses me how it’s even possible for the front and back to look so different. They make great binder cards

1 Like
26

sun fading and creases

27
  • Deal breakers

1- Creases
2- Holo scratching
3- Corner wear

  • Most acceptable

1- Non holo scratching
2- off centering
3- silvering

28

Came to say this. I prefer a crease than a card washed off colors.

29

Sun fading and creases are deal breakers for me.

30

Sun fading

31

I can see someone smart making a graph on these responses, eh?

32

Here’s an interim analysis of the responses so far.

Methodology:

  • I counted one response per user. Follow-up comments were merged into that user’s entry if they clarified their view.
  • 27 users participated in the thread.
  • 25 users gave usable defect-preference data.
  • For “mentions,” each user can count once per defect category.
  • The percentage in brackets is based on the 25 usable responses.
  • “Normalized” means each user gets one total vote, split across all defects they mentioned. This helps balance users who listed many defects vs. users who named only one.

forum_four_panel_grouped_editorial
forum_four_panel_grouped_editorial1920×2358 265 KB

Main Findings

  • Creases are the most broadly mentioned dealbreaker, with 17 of 25 usable respondents naming them.
  • Sun fading / UV damage is the strongest “single hard no” signal: it ranks second by raw mentions, but first by participant-normalized share.
  • Holo scratches are the other major front-of-card issue, especially when visible on the artwork or foil.
  • Off-centering is polarizing: several users reject severe off-centering, while others list it as relatively acceptable.
  • On the acceptable side, edge whitening stands out most clearly, especially when it is on the back and the front still presents well.
  • Many acceptable-defect mentions are conditional: people often tolerate flaws when they are light, on the back, invisible in a binder, or reflected in the price.
33

I’ll take a played card that’s well centered over the opposite.

1 Like
34

Card is cut in half out of the factory. Hate it when that happens. Don’t ask for proof.

35

Edit:
See exhibit A:

IMG_20260728_131835631
IMG_20260728_1318356311921×1080 389 KB

3 Likes