📊 How We Price Cards
This guide shows two types of prices. Here's exactly how we determine each one.
1. US Market Price
PriceCharting aggregates actual sold prices from eBay and other marketplaces. These represent the international collector market — what buyers worldwide pay for Japanese cards.
✅ Pros: Real transaction data, updated frequently, covers most cards
⚠️ Limitation: International prices, not Japan domestic market
2. JP Flea Market Target
Source: Manual research at Tokyo flea markets, Hard-Off, Book-Off
Updated: Periodically based on personal hunting experience
Japanese domestic prices are typically 30-50% lower than international market because:
- Local supply — Cards are everywhere in Japan (attics, grandparents' houses)
- Seller knowledge gap — Flea market vendors often don't research card values
- No export markup — No shipping, customs, or reseller margins
- Different demand — Japanese collectors have different preferences than Western market
3. The "Buy Under" Threshold
Our 💰 Buy under ¥X tags represent a conservative target for a good deal at Japanese flea markets. This is NOT the average price — it's the price where you're getting clear value.
Formula (rough):
Buy Under ≈ US Market × 0.5 to 0.7
Example: $100 US market → ¥7,500-10,500 buy target
4. Why This Arbitrage Exists
⚠️ This guide exists because of information asymmetry. Flea market sellers in Japan often don't know (or don't care about) international collector prices. This won't last forever — as more people use guides like this, the gap will shrink.
5. Limitations & Disclaimers
- Prices fluctuate — use these as guidelines, not guarantees
- Condition matters enormously — our prices assume "played" condition
- Rare cards have thin markets — one sale can swing prices 50%+
- We may be wrong — always do your own research on big purchases