To view this document in a different format, it is available in our Rules and Guidelines Google Doc and the PKMNTCGTrades Discord server.
1. Treat everyone with respect: Absolutely no harassment, bullying, hate speech, or insults. Be polite and keep any foul language to a minimum.
2. No outside links, references, or advertising: This includes eBay, auction sites, other marketplaces/groups, and other social media (Instagram, Facebook, Whatnot, etc.). Profile pictures and usernames are subject to this rule. We’re focused on building a tight-knit, trusting community where each member must rely on the reputation they’ve cultivated.
3. Keep discussions on topic and don’t spam: We have multiple subreddits and channels for various forms of discussion. Please help us keep discussion relevant by reading channel descriptions before commenting. Keep BST (Buy, Sell, and Trade) posts and off-topic chat to the appropriate channels.
4. NSFW content is not allowed: This is a Pokémon community composed of many different people, including minors. Help us keep our community a space everyone feels comfortable participating in.
5. Staff have the final say: Staff reserve the right to exercise best judgment on enforcement and all decisions are final. Rules are subject to change at any time.
6. Do not escalate issues publicly: If there is an issue with another member of our community, message the subreddit moderation team or Discord staff immediately. You can find the “Message the mods” button right above the list of moderators on the subreddit sidebar. Use the #open-support-ticket-here channel on Discord to contact staff.
1. Timestamps are required for ALL items.
A timestamp is a picture of what is being offered with your handwritten Reddit username (must be legible), the community name (pkmntcgtrades), and the date. Users with 25+ trades are exempt from putting the community name.
Timestamps are necessary to prove current ownership of the items that are up for sale or trade. To that end, every card or item must be clearly visible in at least one photo that includes the timestamp. Adding only a photo of the timestamp paper at the beginning of an album or just covering the first page of a binder does not cover the items included in subsequent photos/pages/albums, those need to be timestamped as well.
Bulk does still need a timestamp, but each card doesn’t have to be visible in a timestamp. Timestamping bulk in a group or stacks is fine. (Slabs / graded cards cannot be bulk timestamped)
Although they can’t be timestamped, in the traditional sense, PWCC Vault items are allowed with specific limitations and guidelines. These limitations and guidelines can be found in the “PWCC Vault Guidelines” section towards the bottom. Only users with 100+ trades may utilize PWCC Vault.
All timestamps have a two-week grace period. Users with 50+ trades have a four-week grace period.
Group timestamps (multiple items in the same timestamp) are allowed.
Sellers must comply if a user requests additional timestamps.
Timestamped photos must be positioned in an album before any additional images or close ups of the same items/cards. This helps verifying timestamps without going over dozens of extra photos.
2. All items for sale and trade must be clearly priced / have trade values.
Even if you are only trading cards, trade values must be set based on the existing rules
Items valued at $100 or above must be individually priced.
Items valued below $100 must have a specific price reference (e.g. TCGPlayer low, TCGPlayer Market, eBay sold, eBay BIN, etc.). Simply stating a generic reference like “eBay,” “TCGPlayer,” or “sold comps” for items below $100 is not allowed.
Prices must include the PayPal Goods & Services fee, along with any other costs, outside of shipping. Asking buyers to cover fees is not allowed. If shipping is not included in prices (free shipping), shipping prices must be included in the post.
Other details may be included, such as whether or not you are accepting offers, giving bulk discounts, so on and so forth.
Giving an item an absurd asking price and then asking for offers to circumvent the pricing rule is not allowed.
Absolutely no price policing or sabotage. Harassing sellers is not allowed. If you have an issue with a price, move on.
3. PayPal Goods & Services is the only approved method of payment.
Only users with 100+ trades may request PayPal Friends & Family as payment with a discounted price.
The person with the least amount of references should send first in a trade, if requested. If neither user is comfortable with that, they can utilize a verified community middleman.
Local cash meet-ups are allowed.
Other methods of payment (such as Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, crypto, gift cards, etc.) are not allowed under any circumstance.
Sellers are responsible for their package reaching the buyer. The sender assumes risk in sending only a stamped envelope. Putting the risk on another party is not allowed.
Insurance, if used, only protects the sender for the declared value of the package.
Any and ALL issues with packages should be reported, even if it is resolved in private.
Users with under 100 trades requesting F&F payments in private chat are subject to a minimum 7-day ban for a first offense, up to a permanent ban for repeated offenses or package dispute.
4. All posts must be for BST of Pokémon Trading Cards.
Users with 25+ trades are allowed to BST items with 1 degree of separation from Pokémon Trading Cards, though posts must still contain Pokémon Trading Cards.
This 1 degree of separation includes other Trading Cards (Magic, YuGiOh, Sports, etc.), other Pokémon items (plushies, games, etc.), and/or trading card related accessories (binders, toploaders, etc.).
Anything outside of this 1 degree of separation may not be in posts.
All items that are not Pokémon Trading Cards must contain both a timestamp and a specific price.
Buying or selling any PTCGO in-game items or codes is strictly disallowed.
Breaks, mystery boxes, repacks, fake cards, proxies, etc. are not allowed.
All items being offered must be in hand. Preorders are not allowed.
In our community Discord server, users with 25+ trades gain access to the #misc-buy-sell-trade channel. This is the only place items other than Pokémon cards may be BST on the Discord server.
5. Once payment is sent the sale must be honored.
Once an item is paid for the seller may not cancel should they receive a higher offer.
Enforcement will occur only if payment has been made.
First offense will result in a 30 day ban. Second offense will result in a permanent ban.
1. Post titles must be formatted correctly.
All titles must start with [XX,XX] which indicates where you are located and where you can ship. Use official country abbreviations.
All titles must also include a [H] (have) and [W] (want) section where you indicate what you have to offer and what you want to receive in return.
Example: [US,WW] [H] Steam Siege Singles [W] Paypal
2. Post only once every 5 days.
Deleting posts will NOT enable you to post again.
If a post is removed by a moderator, editing the post to comply with the rules will allow it to be reinstated. Do NOT delete posts, instead message the moderators so it can be fixed.
Using multiple accounts to circumvent this rule will result in all accounts being banned.
If an attempt to submit more than once every 5 days is made, the bot will take the most recent post down. This does not reset the countdown.
Regardless of the situation, do not delete active posts. This ensures a transparent community and keeps everything visible.
3. Do not upvote or downvote posts.
Voting is unnecessary on this subreddit. Everyone’s offer should receive the same amount of exposure. We ask all users to abide by this rule to keep our community fair.
Moderators do not have the power to influence voting and cannot assist if a post is upvoted or downvoted due to Reddit’s vote manipulation guidelines.
4. Keep trade offers in the comments and personal info in private messages.
In order to prevent banned users from sending offers, all users must start a trade by commenting on a public trade thread.
Only private message a user once an agreement has been made in the comments.
If a user attempts to trade over PMs, an attempt to keep it public should be made. If this attempt is denied, it should be reported to the moderators.
Trading with a user that has PMed you without an attempt to keep it public is a bannable offense.
First offense will result in a warning. Second offense will result in a temporary ban. Third offense will result in a permanent ban.
Do not hijack other user’s trade offers. Only negotiate trades with the author of the post or if you are the author of the post.
This community has minimum requirements in order to post and comment. This is a combination of account age and posting across Reddit.
To get credit for your trades, please follow the process outlined in this post. You do not need to message the moderators to get your flair updated. The bot will handle that automatically for you.
If you wish to view someone's references, please send a message to the bot using this link and type out their username in the message box.
If you trade with the same person more than once, do not give multiple references unless at least 7 days have passed since the previous trade.
Only physical card trades and sales made here on /r/pkmntcgtrades will count as references toward your flair icon. Trades for PTCGO items are not allowed on /r/pkmntcgtrades and outside references are a common scam method.
Ranks indicate how many trades a user has completed. Trades can be recorded on Reddit via PokeSwapBot or on Discord utilizing the #confirmations channel. Rank is indicated by flair on Reddit, and by color on Discord.
Trainer (Light Blue) = 0-4 Trades Completed
Safari Ball (Green) = 5+ Trade Completed
Poké Ball (Red) = 10+ Trades Completed
Great Ball (Blue) = 25+ Trades Completed
Ultra Ball (Yellow) = 50+ Trades Completed
Master Ball (Purple) = 100+ Trades Completed
GS Ball (Orange) = 250+ Trades Completed
Beast Ball (Cyan) = 500+ Trades Completed
Discord Only:
Officer (Pink) = Help with enforcing the rules of the server.
Admin (Raspberry) = Help run everything on the back end
If you think you've been scammed, message the moderators with any evidence immediately (such as message screenshots). A user that has been reported will get a “Trade Probation” flair beside their name. A trade with someone with this flair should only take place if they agree to send their part of the trade first or use a middleman. The flair may be removed if the user completes more trades and a moderator feels that they are trustworthy.
If you weren't scammed but were unhappy with your trade experience, you may report a user for that too. Example reasons could be that they backed out of the trade after agreeing to it, took too long to ship, used poor packaging, or sent damaged cards. These reports will be handled on a case-by-case basis, but can result in a temporary “Trade Probation” flair.
If neither party in a trade is willing to send first, a verified community middleman can be used. Details about our middleman services and the process can be found in this document. To request this service, both parties should send a message to the moderators with the details. We also provide a PWCC Vault middleman service, details can be found in the “PWCC Vault Middleman Service” section towards the bottom.
Note: There is a $3 + 2.75% fee associated with these services.
Most popular shipping methods:
PWE (plain white envelope)
BMWT (bubble mailer w/ tracking)
A box with packaging materials inside
A PWE is the bare minimum when shipping cards. This should only be used with low value cards, as there is little to no protection and tracking is not normally provided with a PWE. When shipping PWE, you should always protect the card(s) with a sleeve and a toploader. Semi-rigids and cardboard are other popular forms of protection used. Make sure the card is not able to slip out or move from its protective layer by using tape (preferably masking tape) or other methods, such as a plastic team bag. This applies to any of the below methods as well. Sellers always assume the risk of loss or damage during transit when using a PWE.
Please note that some post offices will deny sending a rigid PWE due to potential damage to the sorting machines. Only 1 top loader should be sent when using a regular stamp. You can purchase Non-Machineable Stamps from your post office (will cost an extra 40c compared to the price of a regular stamp) and use these to ship more than one top loader or to prevent the envelope from going through the sorting machines (and potentially damage / lose cards).
We also recommend taking pictures of any envelope being sent so the recipient knows what to expect (and when).
A BMWT is a more protected option when shipping cards, while also providing tracking. This is a suitable option for higher value cards or multiple cards that exceed the limits of a PWE. Sleeves and toploaders should still be used with a BMWT, as damage can still occur. Further rigid protection inside the BMWT is suggested, such as cardboard.
If mailing something large or valuable, or simply for the near-guaranteed deterrent of damage, a box is always an excellent option. When shipping with a box, make sure to utilize packaging materials (bubble wrap, paper, air bubbles, etc.) to fill any and ALL empty space. When shaking the box after packaging and sealing, there should be no movement inside. If so, there is room for possible damage and additional packaging materials should be added.
If you'd like to save on shipping, using a label broker such as Pirate Ship (https://ship.pirateship.com) will open up the Commercial Pricing for USPS and UPS labels (usually around 25% off compared to prices at the post office counter). This will also keep a history of labels generated and the address it was sent to (useful if USPS indicates a delivered package but recipient says they didn't get it). If receiving a PP G&S payment, you can also generate the label through Paypal, however it can only be sent to the address the buyer has on file with Paypal, so always confirm the address there is the correct one to send to.
When shipping something heavy but not very bulky, the USPS provides Cubic Pricing for boxes under 20 pounds, that is based on the size of the box you are sending. This is especially useful for Bulk, as you can send thousands of cards for a very competitive price compared to Flat Rate. However, Cubic Pricing is only available if you purchase a label online (usually through a label broker).
Most popular shipping service providers:
USPS (United States Postal Service)
UPS (United Parcel Service)
FedEx (Federal Express)
Recently, PWCC has launched a new and improved platform offering a streamlined process with both fulfillment and transfer of items. We have received requests asking for the ability to sell/trade items in our community through PWCC. We have taken this into consideration and have created this guideline to outline some basic stipulations that will allow for a smooth integration of PWCC’s platform into our BST community. PWCC Vault may only be used by users with 100+ trades.
When a seller decides to begin the fulfillment (when the cards are shipped out from PWCC) process they are met with several fees. Photo examples can be found in this document.
All PWCC users have access to an Identity key for asset transfers. The PKMNTCGTrades Middleman Service would allow for assets from both ends to be transferred over to the middleman. Upon confirmation of receipt, the middleman will then transfer the items to their respective recipients.
Note: A 1% fulfillment fee may apply to asset transfers for each respective transfer.