TCGplayer’s market price is built from recent completed sales on its marketplace, while Cardmarket’s price trend is a smoothed European price based on recent sales and quoted in euros. Both are far more trustworthy than a seller’s asking price, but they measure slightly different markets, so they rarely match exactly.
If you’ve ever looked up the same Pokémon card on both and wondered which number is “right,” this is for you.
TCGplayer prices, one by one
TCGplayer is the largest marketplace for trading cards in the United States. A card page shows several numbers:
- Market price: an estimate of what the card is actually selling for, calculated from recent completed sales. This is the number to use when you want to know what a card is worth.
- Low price: the cheapest current listing, usually for a lower-condition copy. It’s a floor, not a value.
- Median / listed median: the middle of the current asking prices. It tells you what sellers hope to get.
- Low with shipping: the cheapest listing once postage is included, which is what a buyer really pays.
The key idea is that market price follows sales, while low and median follow listings. On a quiet card, a single oddly cheap listing can drag the low price far below what the card trades for. That’s why the market price is the better guide for value.
Cardmarket prices, one by one
Cardmarket is the leading marketplace in Europe. Its card pages show:
- Price trend: a smoothed price index based on recent selling activity. It’s Cardmarket’s headline number for what a card is worth.
- 7-day and 30-day averages: the average sale price over the last week and month. Comparing them shows direction. If the 7-day average is above the 30-day, the card is heating up; if it’s below, it’s cooling off.
- From price: the lowest current listing, like TCGplayer’s low price, which is a floor and not a value.
All of it is in euros, and European sales often include different shipping costs, languages, and buyer habits than US sales.
Why the two numbers disagree
Even for the same card, you’ll see gaps because:
- Different buyers. Demand in North America and Europe isn’t identical, and some sets or promos are more popular on one side.
- Currency. Euros versus dollars, and exchange rates move.
- Different data windows. One site might weigh the last day, the other the last few weeks.
- Condition mix. The sales behind each number may include different conditions and languages.
- Shipping and taxes. European prices often carry VAT and different postage.
A gap of 10 to 20 percent isn’t unusual. A gap of several times the price usually means one source is looking at a different variant, language, or edition, so double-check that you’re comparing the same printing. If you’re unsure how to confirm that, see holo vs reverse holo vs 1st Edition.
Which number should you use?
| You want to… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Know what a card is worth | TCGplayer market price, cross-checked with Cardmarket trend |
| Decide a fair price to sell in the US | TCGplayer market price, adjusted for condition |
| Decide a fair price to sell in Europe | Cardmarket price trend |
| See if a card is rising or falling | Cardmarket 7-day vs 30-day averages |
| Find the cheapest copy to buy | Low price with shipping, mindful of condition |
Always cross-check with sold listings
Both numbers are good guides, not guarantees. Before a big sale, search the card on eBay and filter to Sold items. Recent completed sales, especially for the same condition, are the closest thing to a ground truth. Prices also move quickly around new set releases, tournament results, and hype, so a stale number can mislead you.
Both numbers in one scan
ScanDragon shows the TCGplayer market price with its low and high range, plus the Cardmarket trend in euros with 7-day and 30-day averages, for the exact printing you scan. Prices come from public TCGplayer and Cardmarket data through TCGdex and refresh about once a day, so treat them as a solid guide and verify before a major buy or sale. For the full process, see how to find a Pokémon card’s value.
See both prices side by side: try the free card value checker.