Buying Pokemon Cards - What to look for

Hello!
This is rocket0777 and I am going to help you to get the best for your money, and, build your Pokemon Card collection on okay. (By helping youfind the best cards!)
Card quality is a must for the collector. Sadly, many sellers are out there right now decieving buyers. Don't be led to beleive that you are getting a quality card when you are not. Issues that are plaguing okay buyers when they buy Pokemon cards are usually:

Quality (Mint, Near Mint, Good, Fair, Poor) There are sellers who are unfamiliar with how good or bad their cards are or just don't know, don't care or don't say.
Rarity (Holo, Non Holo, Rare, Promo, Ultra Rare, POP, etc...) A lot of people have Pokemon cards and just don't know how rare they really are. Sometimes you may be led to believe that a card is sooo rare, but it's probably not worth it. Know your rarities and buy smart.
Protection (sleeves and toploaders) If you're selling Pokemon cards, or any kind of card, they should be properly protected in a soft sleeve and a hard toploader sleeve. I personallyput all mylisted cards in high clarity and quality UltraPro sleeves and Toploaders before sending. Before that all cards arein clean storagein binders with protective pocket pages. No exceptions.
When a buyer begees dissatisfied, sometimes they even begee uninterested. They may just stop trying if they've been mislead a few times. I seriously think this is terrible, and that no seller should be passing bad cards, or unprotected cards off to unsuspecting buyers. You should be informing your buyers. Not keeping them shrouded in mystery about what they are going to get.
I want to help you, the okay Pokemon Collectingpublic, to begee more informed through this guide, and go forth, find the best for your money. find the best for your collections, and be satisfied with your purchases. It's time to buy with higher standards and stop settling for less for your Pokemon Card Collection! Go forth and bid with confidence!
1)Avoid suspicious listings: I notice many sellers who list Pokemon cards that they supposedly select "randomly" and that you "may" recieve an Ultra Rare card, such as Charizard ex, Lugia ex, or Lv.X cards. What I would like to know is how we know that these are selected randomly. I think this is a scam, a hoax and I advise against bidding on these types of auctions. You will not get that Ultra Rare card. (even if the seller lies to say "Oh, I already have given out 2 Charizard ex's!") They will not give you a Charizard ex, or a Lv.X for a listing that ended at a little over a dollar. Avoid these "deals" at all costs, they are many out there.
2)Don't buy if they don't describe: A seller who fills out the details and tells you what set the card is in, and the rarity of the card, is well informed.They are most likely an enthusiast and will pay special attention to their cards. The listing should always include the set name, rarity, conditon, and a picture.A seller who just lists "holo lugia card rare" is more likely to sell you a card you will be dissatisfied with. I usually list cards like this if I have room: LUGIA exPokemon Ex Unseen Forces Holo #105" and I will include the condition and rarity in the details section above the discription. (#105 refers to the card's number in the set.)
3)If you have doubts, ASK: If the seller's picture is hazy, out of focus or you are unsure of the condition of the card, you may want to ask them about it.If they reply questionably, don't buy. (no matter how rare they say the card is.) The pictures should not be taken with a digital camara from far away. If taken with a camara,they should be takento where you can see how nice the card is. I prefer and regemend using a scanner. I personally scan each of my cards, because it provides a clear look at how nice the card is, and the buyer can be confident that what they see is what they will get.
4)Make sure the card gees protected: The picture should show the card in a sleeve. If it's not, it's probably not mint. You can usually notice if it's in a sleeve or not by seeing a holofoil circle near the bottom of the card (usually UltraPro sleeves will feature this) and/or a colored surface around theedge of the card. Placing the card in a sleeve and toploader shows that the seller actually cared to take time to make sure you get a quality, preserved item. If it's not in a sleeve, it probably won't be mint. If it's not in a hard covertoploader case, then it probably will be bent when you get it. If it's not in a toploader, bubble wrap should be used (or cardboard for protection front getting bent. The least protection the card should gee with is a sleeve. (Note: some sellers use the gepletely clear sleeves, which are great, but not as protective if not used with toploaders. But a sleeve is better than no sleeve.) Again, ask to make sure. You ultimately make the decision if it's worth the risk to buy it.
5)Know what reverse holo and other rarities mean: Reverse Holo means the card is holographic not in the picture section, but in the colored area. (where the attacks are located.) These cards are usually harder to gee by in booster packs. (there is 1 included in every ((newer)) booster pack but, it depends on the rarity of the card in the set when it gees to collectibility usually.) Reguar Holographic cards are holographic in the picture section, but are rarer and usually worth more than reverse holographics. The picture is your guide, know what you are buying. Promos, are usually not worth very much. If it has a "black star" promo symbol (shown below) in the bottom right corner, or the description says promo, don't paytoo much for it. For example, there are two different versions of Darkrai Lv.X, Palkia Lv.X, and Dialga Lv.X. One version is a promo, that came in a tin with booster packsfor about $15 The other version of these Lv.X cardscame from the Diamond