Start To Payout
You list what you’ve got, the offer calculates itself in front of you, and we pay for the shipping both ways.
No callback, no “let me talk to my manager,” no number that quietly changes once your box is already in our hands. The rate is set in code off the market comp, which means the offer you see is the offer, and the reasons it could ever move are all written down below.
Games & consoles tier by comp value. TCG singles comped $10+ pay 75% cash — lower under that, and bulk-lot commons under $1 price separately.
The Whole Thing
Five steps, and you only do three of them.
Each card splits what you do from what happens on our end, so there’s never a stretch where your stuff is somewhere and you don’t know what’s happening to it.
List what you've got
- You
- Add each item on the trade-in form — games by title, platform, and completeness; cards by name, set, and condition or grade. Add a couple of photos and be honest about flaws. Takes about as long as listing one item on a marketplace.
- Us
- Each line looks up its own market comp as you type it. Nothing is submitted yet and nothing is committed — you can add, change, or delete items freely.
Watch the number appear
- You
- Nothing. Read it. The comp, the rate it lands on, and your cash / credit / resale figures show up live on the form, per item and as a running total.
- Us
- The rate is applied by code off the comp — there is no step where a person looks at your submission and decides what mood to be in. If we have a comp on file, that number is instant. If it's something obscure enough that we don't, it comes to me and I price it by hand instead of guessing at you.
Accept and ship it free
- You
- Accept the offer, print the label that lands in your email, box it up, drop it off. Loose discs need a sleeve or a case — bare discs scratch in transit and that costs you money at inspection. Loose cartridges are fine as-is.
- Us
- The label is prepaid, tracked, and insured to the full comp value of the shipment. You pay nothing up front, and if we end up not taking something, we cover the ride home too.
We inspect it in the open
- You
- Wait, but not in the dark — you can check the status of your trade-in at any point.
- Us
- Every item is inspected and tested within 48 hours of arriving, and the final value is confirmed the same day that wraps. If something comes back different from what was quoted, you get the photos and the condition notes explaining why — not just a smaller number.
You get paid
- You
- Pick cash or store credit. You can split it — take credit on the titles you want traded up and cash on the rest.
- Us
- Store credit issues the same day inspection finishes whenever possible. Cash goes out within 1 business day of approval.
Before You Start
What we actually need from you.
Less than you think. You never need to know what something is worth before you start — that’s the whole point of the form.
Games, consoles, accessories
- Title and platform
- Completeness — CIB, loose, disc & case, box only, manual only, sealed
- Whether it powers on, if you know
- Photos of the label, the box, and anything that looks rough
You don't need to know what it's worth. That's the part we do. Completeness is the field that moves the number most, so get that one right and the rest is forgiving.
TCG singles — Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece
- Card name, set, and card number
- Condition — Near Mint through Heavily Played
- Grading company and grade, if it's slabbed
- Photos of the front and the back, straight on
Graded cards comp off the slab, not our own read of the condition. Raw singles comped at $10 or less pay a lower rate, so a stack of those is usually better off submitted as a bulk lot than one at a time.
The Math
What decides your number.
Two things, and that’s it: the market comp for that exact item in that exact condition, and which rung of the ladder that comp lands on. Same math for a $4 loose cart and a $600 grail.
Games
| Comp value | Cash | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30 comp | 55% | 85% |
| $30–100 comp | 75% | 100% |
| $100+ comp | 85% | 100% |
TCG Singles
| Comp value | Cash | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Singles $10 comp and under | 50% | 75% |
| Singles over $10 comp | 75% | 85% |
| Singles $200+ comp | 85% | 100% |
| Bulk-lot commons under $1 | 25% | — |
Consoles are a flat rate at every comp value — the high-value bump is games-only. Condition and completeness change the comp the ladder reads, not the rate itself; the published deductions are on Condition Rates, and how we arrive at a condition call is on How We Grade It.
Turnaround
How long each part takes.
Your offer
Live on the form for anything with a comp on file. Anything without one gets priced by hand instead of guessed at.
Inspection
From the moment your box lands. Final value confirmed the same day that wraps.
Cash payout
From approval. Store credit issues same day after inspection whenever possible.
- Lost in transit?
- Every label is tracked and insured to the full comp value of your shipment. A $600 grail and a $5 loose cart are both covered for what they're actually worth.
- Sent something we don't want?
- Mailed back at our cost. No obligation, no restocking fee.
- How fast is this?
- Inspected and tested within 48 hours of arrival. Value confirmed same day. Store credit same day post-inspection when possible. Cash payout within 1 business day of approval.
- Shipping a loose disc?
- Sleeve or jewel case it, don't ship it bare — a loose disc shifts around and scratches easily in transit, which can mean a condition deduction. Loose cartridges are fine as-is.
Loose Ends
The rest of it.
Straight Answers
The offer is instant on anything we have a comp on file for — it calculates on the form while you're still typing. Once your box arrives, it's inspected within 48 hours and the value is confirmed the same day. Store credit issues that day when possible; cash goes out within 1 business day of approval. The slowest part is the mail, and that part isn't us.
No. The shipping label is prepaid and insured, and if we pass on something, the return shipping is on us too. There's no listing fee, no commission, and no restocking fee anywhere in this.
Before you ship, yes — an accepted offer isn't a contract, and an unshipped label costs us nothing. Once items are inspected and paid out, the trade is done; trade-ins aren't a returnable purchase the way a shop order is.
You'll see exactly why — photos, condition notes, and board verification where it's relevant. A quote is built from what you told us; inspection is built from what showed up. When those agree, and they usually do, the number doesn't move.
No, and you don't have to send everything you listed either. Every item is priced individually, so you can accept the ones that work for you and drop the rest before you ship.
Yes — message us and we'll sort it out. The form is still the fastest way to get the number first, so you know what you're walking in with.
Because credit comes back to us. Cash leaves and has to be earned back on the resale; credit is already spent here, so we can afford to pay more of the comp for it. It's the same reason the number goes up as the comp does — a higher-value item carries its own resale cost better.
Anything else is on the full FAQ, or just email trades@cart-a-vision.com.
That’s the whole thing.
Start listing and the numbers show up as you go. Nothing is committed until you accept.