Raw vs PSA graded Japanese cards: which should you buy?
"Raw" means ungraded. A PSA-graded card has been authenticated, graded 1–10 and sealed in a tamper-evident slab with a certification number you can look up.
Buy raw when
- You are completing a set or a binder and want the most cards for your budget.
- The card is inexpensive enough that grading fees would be a large share of its value.
- You plan to send the card for grading yourself.
Buy PSA graded when
- The card is high value and condition decides the price.
- You want certainty: the grade and the cert number can be checked at psacard.com before you pay.
- You may resell later — graded cards are easier to price and sell.
What we send you
For both raw and graded cards, we email photos of the exact card you are buying before it leaves Japan. For graded cards we also send the PSA cert number. See how we verify.
Guides
- Japanese Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a): what to know before you buy
- Japanese vs English Pokémon cards: the differences that matter
- Japanese Pokémon card rarities explained (AR, SAR, SR, UR, CHR and more)
- How to read Japanese set codes and card numbers
- Buying Japanese booster boxes: contents, shrink wrap and shipping
- Japanese One Piece Card Game cards: a collector's guide
- How to buy Pokémon and One Piece cards from Japan