eBay has announced a new addition to its mobile app: soon you can scan trading cards of popular games like Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! to make it easier to sell on the online auction site.
The new card scanning feature will arrive at the end of April, but it will only support Magic: The Gathering when it launches. Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! is scheduled to be added in May, with sports cards and ‘other collectible card games’ on the dossier for later this year.
Using the new scan option, sellers can only scan a card, and then eBay will use the card details to set up the listing automatically. Sellers will still need to add additional information, such as photos of the actual card, its condition, the price at which they want to sell it, and any other details. But the automated identification process should make it easier for sellers to make their complete listing.
In addition to the new scanning feature, eBay adds some improvements to the merchant card buying process for both sellers and buyers. Sellers no longer have to offer the option to return purchases to be eligible for eBay’s Top Rated Sellers program. And the company is working to review its trade card buyer protection policy to improve sellers and buyers in the current market.
Trading cards – specifically Pokémon cards – are very popular these days. And the number of people who want to raise money is soaring – to the point where the rating agency Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) has been forced to suspend submissions while working through its backlog. And given the popularity, it’s no surprise that eBay wants to make it easier for sellers to use the platform to list their cards.