How to avoid lowball offers at a card show

A lowball offer is one far below what a card usually sells for. Most of the people you meet at a show are fair, and a low first offer is often just the start of a friendly back and forth. The trouble starts when you agree before you know what your card is worth. These steps make that hard to do by accident.

1. Know your top cards before you leave home

You do not need every price memorized. Pick the five or ten cards you care about most and look up what they actually sold for, recently, in the same printing and condition. Write the numbers on a note or keep them on your phone. A rough idea is enough to notice when an offer is far away from it.

Use sold prices, not asking prices. Asking prices are what sellers hope for. Sold price vs asking price explains the difference, and the card price pages on this site show a daily market price and a 90 day trend for many Pokémon cards.

2. Match the exact card

Many low offers are honest mix-ups. A card that looks like yours can be a different printing worth much less, and the other person may be looking at that one. Check the set, the card number, the finish (holo, reverse holo or plain), the language and the condition. For a slab, check the grading company and the exact grade on the label.

If the two of you are looking at different cards, the numbers will never agree, no matter how long you talk.

3. Price both sides the same way

In a trade, a low offer often hides in how the two sides are counted. One side is looked up from sold prices and the other from a high sticker. Or a dealer rate is applied to your cards but not to theirs. Use the same source, the same day and the same rate for both sides, and count cash at face value.

The trade calculator adds up both sides in your browser and shows the gap between them. Is my trade fair? walks through the check with a worked example.

4. Ask where the number comes from

"Where is that price from?" is a fair question at any table. A good trader is glad to show you a recent sale or a price guide. If the answer is vague, or the number keeps changing, that tells you something.

Vendors who buy cards pay less than market so they can resell, and that is normal. How vendor trade-in rates work explains why. The useful thing is to hear the rate said out loud, so you can check the math yourself.

5. Watch for pressure

Some low offers come with a push to decide right now: "this is only good for the next minute", or "nobody else will give you this much". Neither proves anything is wrong, but each one is a reason to slow down. A fair offer is usually still fair after a walk around the room.

6. Counter, or pass

If an offer is low, you can counter with a number you are happy with and say why: "it has been selling around here lately". You can also just pass. "Thanks, I am going to think about it" is a complete answer. There is almost always another copy of a card, and another person to trade with.

For younger collectors

Bring a parent or another grown-up you trust, and agree before the show which cards are for trading. If someone offers you a trade for a card you love, it is fine to say it is not for trade. If anyone makes you feel rushed or uncomfortable, walk away and find your grown-up or the show staff. Your first card show has a full checklist for kids and parents.

Quick answers

What is a lowball offer?

An offer well under what a card usually sells for. Asking for a better price is normal at a card show. A lowball is an offer that only works if you do not know what your card is worth.

How do I know if an offer is too low?

Look up what copies of the same printing and condition sold for recently, then compare. If the offer is far below those sales and nobody has said why, ask where their number comes from.

Is it rude to say no to an offer?

No. "Thanks, I am going to pass" is a normal answer at any table, and you never owe anybody a trade or a sale.