A card loses most of its value the moment it picks up a crease, a scratch or a dented corner. Most of that damage happens in the first few minutes after a pack is opened. Storing cards well costs very little compared with what a good pull is worth.
Sleeve the good cards straight away
Any card worth keeping should go into a sleeve as soon as it comes out of the pack. Pokémon cards in every language are 63 by 88 millimetres. Our Standard Sleeves are 65 by 91 millimetres, which gives a single card room to slide in without catching its corners.
For the best protection, double sleeve. Put the card into an Inner Sleeves sleeve first, which at 64 by 89 millimetres is a snug fit, then slide that into a standard sleeve with the open end facing the other way. Dust and moisture then have no straight path to the card.
Toploaders, semi rigids and cases
A sleeved card that is going into storage or the post belongs in something rigid. A Top Loaders 35pt toploader is a firm plastic holder sized for a standard card in a thin sleeve. Semi Rigids are slightly flexible holders, the kind grading companies such as PSA ask for when cards are sent in. For the cards you want on show, a magnetic case like the Mag-Lock Card Case 35pt closes around the card and stands up on a shelf.
Binders
Binders suit a set you are building or cards you flick through often. Look for pages that load from the side so cards are less likely to slide out. It's also worth avoiding ring binders, which press on the cards nearest the rings. Keep your top cards in toploaders or cases rather than binder pages.
Keeping sealed boxes in good condition
A sealed box keeps its value only while the box and the wrap stay in good shape. Store boxes somewhere cool, dry and out of direct sunlight, since sunlight fades box art over time. Keep them flat with nothing heavy stacked on top, as crushed corners and dented lids are the most common damage on boxes kept for years. Leave the shrink wrap on, because a box with its factory wrap intact is far easier to sell or trade later.
Our sleeves, toploaders and cases ship in the same parcel as a box order for the same flat postage.
Ready to open one?
Every box here is sealed Japanese stock on the shelf in Sydney, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days with flat $14 tracked shipping.
Inner Sleeves
Top Loaders 35ptKai Chai is a Pokémon card collector in Sydney and the founder of WOOPR, a shop that sells only sealed Japanese product. More about WOOPR.
Sources
More guides
- How to open a Japanese Pokémon booster boxChecking the seal, the tear strip, opening packs cleanly and sleeving the hits.
- How to get Pokémon cards graded in AustraliaPSA from Australia, packing your cards and what a PSA 10 needs.
- How to read a Japanese Pokémon cardStage, HP, attacks, the codes along the bottom and a glossary of the Japanese words on a card.
- Are Japanese Pokémon cards better quality?Print, cutting, card stock, holo finishes and box art, compared with English cards.
- Can you use Japanese Pokémon cards in tournaments?What the official rules say about Japanese cards at events in Australia.
- Japanese vs English Pokémon booster boxesPacks per box, cards per pack, which comes out first and how the rarity names line up.