Card conditions
Grading a card is not an exact science — one collector's Near Mint is another's Excellent. To keep things clear and fair, every collectible on Pullo is described on one standard condition scale, so you always know what you're getting before you keep or ship it.
Clear, consistent, honest
A few principles keep our grading fair and predictable.
We round down
When a card sits between two grades, we assign the lower one — so the condition is never overstated.
Front and back
We grade both sides. The front carries the most weight, but heavy wear on the back counts too.
Photos on every listing
Real photos show each card's true state, so you can judge the condition for yourself.
From flawless to heavily worn
The seven grades we use, from best to most worn.
Mint
Flawless — no excuses. A clean, scratch-free front and a back identical to a card fresh from the pack, with sharp, even corners. Signed or stamped cards can never be Mint.
Near Mint
Practically perfect. Only the faintest handling marks under close inspection — a tiny edge nick or a light scuff on the back. The everyday top grade for well-kept cards.
Excellent
Light but noticeable wear up close: minor scratches, slight edge whitening or a small scuff. From a normal distance the card still looks great.
Good
Clearly visible wear — scratches, edge whitening and surface marks, sometimes a small bend. Still presentable, but no longer crisp.
Light Played
Heavily handled yet structurally sound. Obvious scratches, worn edges and light creasing; the card has plainly seen play but holds together well.
Played
Strong wear: deep scratches, creases, frayed edges and possible stains or border damage. Visibly rough, but still whole.
Poor
Major damage — heavy creases, tears, writing, water damage or other significant flaws. Altered, inked and blackened-border cards also belong here.
Good to know
The cases that come up most when grading collectibles.
Graded cards
Some cards arrive sealed in a graded slab from PSA, BGS or CGC with a score from 1 to 10. For those, the slab's grade is what counts — the scale above describes raw, ungraded cards.
Holo & foil cards
Shiny, holo and foil cards reveal scratches and clouding more easily than plain cards, and buyers expect more from them, so we grade their surface a little more strictly.
Whitened edges
Pale, worn edges are one of the most common signs of handling. A touch lowers the grade slightly; pronounced whitening pushes a card further down the scale.
Scratches
Visible surface scratches cap a card at Good at best. They matter most on foil cards, whose surface scratches far more easily.
Bends & creases
A crease is structural damage, where the card has been bent too far. A clearly visible crease usually means Played or Poor.
Warping
A slight bow or curve is fine for any card below Mint. A card warped so badly it can no longer be played normally is graded Played.
Clouding
A hazy patch with no obvious damage comes from microscopic surface wear. Any visible clouding rules out Near Mint.
Water damage
Graded from Light Played to Poor depending on severity, and always called out in the description so there are no surprises.
Signed, inked & altered
Signatures, inked or re-coloured edges and artistic alterations are graded Poor, or clearly disclosed. Tampering with edges to fake a higher grade is fraud.
Production errors
Miscuts, misprints and off-centre cards are factory quirks, not wear, so they don't lower the grade — but we flag them and add a photo.
Still unsure about a card?
The listing photos show a card's real state. If anything is still unclear, our team is one message away.