THE BIG PACK DETAILS
Card & Box Condition: What to Expect
Know your card’s condition
Inspect the surface, edges, corners, and overall integrity. Select a condition below to learn what it means.
These categories describe raw cards. For graded cards, use the listed grading company, grade, certification, and photographs. For sealed products, read the packaging condition notes below.
Original Big Pack illustrations: examples of wear, not photographs, grading guarantees, or exact severity thresholds. Near Mint does not mean flawless or guarantee a numerical grade.
Conditioning
The condition of a card is determined by the number and extent of imperfections that a card exhibits. Imperfections include wear and damage as a result of play, handling, and/or storage as well as any atypical printing or manufacturing defects. Imperfections are characterized by both a Type (ex: scratch) and a Severity (ex: slight). Some imperfections may impact the integrity of a card, as defined below. Typically, imperfections that impact a card’s integrity will result in the card being considered Damaged. We consider these 3 aspects with regards to the integrity of a card:
- Structure: The physical structure and stability of the card and its cardstock
- Playability: The ability of the card to be used as a game piece
- Authentication: The ability for the card to be verified as legitimate using the manufacturer’s authentication markers
NMNear Mint / Near Mint Foil
Cards in Near Mint (NM) condition show minimal wear from shuffling, play, or handling and can have a nearly unmarked surface, crisp corners, and unblemished edges outside of a few slight flaws. A Near Mint card may have slight edge wear or a couple minor scratches, but overall look nearly unplayed with no major defects.
The acceptable range of cards within the Near Mint condition includes both cards with no imperfections and cards with few, minimal imperfections.
Certain manufacturing defects such as significant miscuts or shifting can affect the condition even when the rest of the card looks nearly unplayed. Check the listing for disclosed defects.
LPLightly Played / Lightly Played Foil
Cards in Lightly Played (LP) condition may have minor edge wear, scuffs, or scratches. There are no significant imperfections or issues with the structural integrity of the card. Noticeable imperfections are okay, but none should be too severe or at too high a volume.
The acceptable range of cards within the Lightly Played condition includes both cards with few or a handful of minor imperfections.
MPModerately Played / Moderately Played Foil
Cards in Moderately Played (MP) condition can have edge wear, surface wear, scratching or scuffing, bends with creases, or a combination of moderate examples of these imperfections. Some imperfections, such as bends, peels, or liquid exposure may be acceptable at Moderately Played as long as they do not impact the structural integrity of the card.
The extent and severity of each imperfection matter. Ask for clarification when a photo does not show a defect clearly.
HPHeavily Played / Heavily Played Foil
Cards in Heavily Played (HP) condition show a major amount of wear. Cards can show a variety of moderate imperfections along with creasing, whitening and other faults. Heavily Played cards can also have defects or severe imperfections that do not impact the integrity of the card. While Heavily Played cards can have many imperfections, they must still be able to be authenticated and cannot be structurally damaged.
DMGDamaged / Damaged Foil
Damaged cards show wear or imperfections beyond the standards for other conditions. Cards in Damaged condition may have major border wear, scratching or scuffing, as well as bends, tears, splitting, foreign substances such as food or liquid, or other damage that impacts the integrity of the card.
No one likes to receive a card that is covered in a foreign substance, such as food, liquid or other material. Contact us before bringing contaminated cards into the shop.
Defects & alterations
Certain manufacturing defects, such as crimping and significant miscuts/shifting, will automatically cause a card to be considered Damaged regardless of any other imperfection(s). Cards with alterations such as stamps, signatures, paint, marker, etc. are also considered Damaged under these raw-card condition categories.
Defects, autographs, and alterations should be disclosed with photographs. A collectible error or autograph may have value, but that is a separate question from the raw card’s condition.
With rare exception, Big Pack does not take the quality control of a product line into account when determining whether a card is considered damaged/defected. That is, frequent miscutting or manufacturing defects from a product line does not typically exempt those products from being considered defected. Where exceptions do exist, they are for instances where every card, or a vast majority, exhibit the same defect and are determined on a case-by-case basis. For example, every copy of Intellectual Offering from Commander 2014 has a small inking error in the art.
Foil cards
Foil versions of cards are evaluated by the same criteria we use for their non-Foil counterparts. This provides a consistent set of rules for conditioning.
Things to look for with foil cards:
- Some imperfections may be more noticeable on cards with foiling. These imperfections are still evaluated by the same standards as non-foil cards.
- Foil cards, in particular Magic: the Gathering cards, may be more prone to curling and should be reviewed carefully.
- Foil cards can exhibit some unique imperfections, such as Speckled Foiling and Foil Bubbling.
Oversized cards
The reference text uses a 1.4× imperfection allowance for cards that are 1.4× larger than standard cards. Oversized products vary in dimensions, so that multiplier is not a universal rule for every oversized card. Big Pack evaluates the actual card size and disclosed wear; ask us about the specific item.
Still unsure? Bring it to Big Pack.
Ask us in store if you are confused about a card’s condition or authenticity. Keep it intact and protected in a sleeve. We can explain what we see and tell you when a closer inspection is needed.
Condition descriptions adapted from the TCGplayer conditioning text supplied for this guide. Illustrations by Big Pack. TCGplayer Direct and Marketplace listing rules are not Big Pack services.
Sealed boxes, slabs & buying details
KNOW THE CONDITION. ENJOY THE FIND.
Collectibles are made in large production runs. Factory sealed does not mean a flawless box or a guaranteed gem-mint card. Here’s what to expect before you buy.
Cards: read the individual listing
Raw cards are sold in the condition stated in their listing. Review the photos and any notes about whitening, surface marks, scratches, print lines, centering, edge wear, bends, or other defects. A condition description is not a professional grading result, and we do not promise a particular grade or future value. Where a listing identifies an exact pictured card, that listing’s photos and disclosures apply to that card.
Sealed boxes: made to hold the cards
Trading cards and their retail packaging are mass produced. Unless the listing expressly promises a specific packaging condition, boxes and outer wrap may have minor cosmetic imperfections such as small dings, shallow dents, scuffs, light creases, or small tears in outer wrapping. Ordinary cosmetic packaging wear does not, by itself, mean the contents are damaged or the item is counterfeit.
Significant crushing, water damage, missing contents, resealing, or evidence that a product has been opened are different from minor cosmetic wear. We do not treat these as ordinary packaging imperfections. Material known defects should be disclosed in the listing. An item advertised as factory sealed must match that description.
“As is” means the disclosed condition
When a listing says “as is,” you are buying that item with the condition and imperfections disclosed in the listing and applicable photos. It is not a promise of mint packaging, perfect printing, a specific card grade, particular pulls, or resale value. This wording does not excuse a counterfeit item, an incorrect item, undisclosed material damage, or a material mismatch with the listing, and does not remove rights that applicable law gives you.
Shopping for display-perfect packaging?
Contact us before ordering to ask about the specific item’s packaging and available photos. If a particular box condition matters to your collection, obtain confirmation before checkout. A general stock image does not establish the condition of every individual box.
Random packs and factory variations
Sealed trading-card contents are random unless the manufacturer or listing expressly states otherwise. We cannot guarantee a particular character, rarity, pull value, centering, or printing quality. Opening a product because you dislike its pulls is not a return reason under our final-sale policy.
Something arrived differently?
Email sales@plospops.com with your order number and clear photos of the item, packaging, and shipping label. Please report visible damage or a condition mismatch within 48 hours when possible so we can investigate promptly. That request does not shorten any non-waivable legal rights. Keep the item and packaging while we review the issue.