How To Avoid Flea Market Scams! (Trading Card Edition)

January 25, 2025January 24, 2025 DEJ Customer Service 0 Comments

Recently, there has been an increase in scams and fraudulent listings on Yahoo! Auctions and flea market sites (such as Mercari, Rakuten Rakuma, and Yahoo! Flea Market) targeting proxy sites like us. Scams on flea markets are constantly changing, ranging from fake listings that claim to offer rare collectibles to shady transactions that never come through.

In this article, we’ll highlight common types of scams we’ve seen, focusing on one of the high-risk categories: Pokemon trading cards.
By understanding how malicious sellers attempt to deceive you, you’ll be better prepared to spot suspicious listings. Be sure to check out our safety tips at the end so you can shop with confidence!

5 Common Scams You Need To Watch Out For

Case 1: Swapped Content

This scam is specifically targeting proxy services as we do not open unopened boxes or packets in order to preserve the item integrity.

Listings like this will usually only have an image of the carton, box or packs of the item, which does get sent, but has swapped out the actual product inside.

*However, when you open the “unopened” pack, the items are completely different from what was advertised.*

How to avoid this type of scam?
Avoid purchasing Pokemon Cards as unopened cartons or packs from Flea Market listings. They’re most likely fraudulent.

Case 2: Clickbait

Another infamous scam, for any kind of trading cards or blind boxes, is when the listing contains a rare card as the first image. However, if you look at the item’s title and other images, it becomes clear the listing is actually only for the pack which “could” include this rare card. These listings will be priced as if it were the rare card.

Keywords like “1 Pack” often are hidden as abbreviations (such as 1P) or within the item description while otherwise presenting as a listing for the 1 rare card.

*The first photo shows a rare Pikachu card. It seems like this listing might be for just that one card…*

How to avoid this type of scam?
Make sure to read the entire description and check every photo carefully.
The item descriptions are likely to contain the truth—sellers usually avoid telling lies that can be easily exposed once the item arrives, as handling returns and refunds can be a hassle for them.

Case 3: Deceptive Watermarks

Looking at the image, it seems that this is a bundle of 3 cards. The “x3” on the image is actually the seller’s watermark using a part of their username or ID.

These types of scams hope the buyer will not read into the title and description so on paper, they are not lying.

*Notice how the seller clearly states, “I only send one card” in the description.*

How to avoid this type of scam?
Once again, make sure to read the entire description carefully. It’s also a smart move to check the seller’s username and reviews. If they’ve pulled shady scams in the past, you might come across negative feedback from previous unlucky buyers.

Case 4: “Bundle” Item

At first glance, this listing seems to be selling a variety of cards. When you examine the description carefully, however, you may often notice a wall of text. These descriptions will often list the name of the items in the images, making it more likely that they will be found via search. Hidden in that wall of text is the key detail: “I’ll only ship the card with the [barely noticeable] star.”

They’re not sending all the cards—just the one in the upper left corner. Because the description is accurate, it becomes difficult to start a claim with the seller.

*Are all the cards on sale…or is the seller just showing off their collection?*

How to avoid this type of scam?
We really cannot emphasize this enough: read the whole description and pay attention to the little details. They often hide the truth in long, unnecessary blocks of text. You can also check the other listings from the seller to see if similar listings are present as well.

Case 5: Translation Loopholes

Japanese is a complex language. Even with today’s translation tools, it’s sometimes hard to catch all the subtle nuances. Shady sellers know this and use it to their advantage. They’ll use misleading phrases to deceive non-natives on purpose.

Here’s an example.
Original Japanese descriptions: ポケモンカード　カートン分
Auto-translated descriptions: Pokemon Card Carton

The original Japanese description states it’s a “carton-worth of Pokemon cards,” meaning the item includes the number of packs typically found in a carton. However, when translated into English, the phrase “carton-worth” doesn’t carry over, which can mislead overseas customers into thinking the item is a whole carton.

*Highlighted are the mistranslated texts…*

*The actual item we have received at the Warehouse.*

How to avoid this type of scam?
Use a few translation tools to catch anything that seems off. If one translator misses something, you’ll have another to back it up.

Safety Tips

Here’s a general guideline:

Avoid purchasing unopened cartons or packs
Make sure to read the entire description
Examine every photos carefully
Check the seller’s username and reviews
Use multiple translation tools to improve accuracy

And here are some of the other shady points:

The listing only uses stock images.
The price is too cheap for the item.
The seller is new or has some negative reviews regarding the item.
The seller’s name includes words like “shop” or “store” to make it appear more legitimate

For DEJAPAN Users!

Planning to order from a flea market site using DEJAPAN? Please be aware that DEJAPAN cannot be held responsible for item authenticity.

If you ever doubt an item listing could be a scam, do not buy it.

If you are not sure whether a listing is a scam or not, do make use of our Question Service (100 JPY per Question), to ask the seller about the product or add more photos to the listing.

Mercari also has an authentication service for an additional fee, which could be added if the seller allows. Please ask us if this option is available!

Even if you believe the item is safe to purchase and decide to place an order, please be aware that we will not proceed with any listings we deem ‘high-risk’ based on our experience.

Conclusion

Although we have featured Pokemon Cards in this article, these scams are also present in other rare or expensive listings. Your safety is very important to us. Be alert for any suspicious signs when purchasing, whether it’s trading cards or other second-hand items.

Remember, our Customer Service team is here to help if you have any doubts or concerns. Make the most of our optional Question and Photo services so you can shop with confidence!

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Have a question or comment?
Shoot us an email at contact@dejapan.com!
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