If you have ever hovered over a £600 Charizard on eBay and wondered whether it was genuine, this one is for you. eBay UK has switched on its Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards, making professional verification the default on high-value sales instead of something buyers have to arrange themselves.
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Start organising for freeThe service went live on 6 May 2026 and covers collectable card games, sports cards and non-sports cards sold for £500 and above. eBay says it is the first online marketplace in the UK to make authentication the standard for qualifying purchases. Eligibility has been widening through the month, and the company expects every card at or above the £500 mark to be covered by June.
The process adds a stop to the journey. When a qualifying card sells, the seller posts it to eBay's authentication partner Professional Sports Authenticator, the long-running card-grading firm better known as PSA, rather than straight to the buyer. PSA runs a multi-point physical inspection, then sends the card on by tracked next-day delivery with a tamper-evident e-tag and QR code attached, so the buyer can scan and confirm what they have received. It costs neither side anything extra, and it also applies to cards won through eBay Live, the platform's interactive auction streams.
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See how it works"Trust is critical in the world of collectables," said Adam Ireland, eBay's VP and General Manager of Global Collectables, pointing to the company's 30 years in the category.
For UK collectors, the appeal is plain. The secondary market for Pokemon, Magic and sports cards has long been dogged by counterfeits and over-graded fakes, and a £500 floor captures most chase cards and grading-worthy singles. Buying a grail card has always carried a knot of doubt. From this month, on eBay UK at least, that knot gets a lot looser.
Sources: eBay | PR Newswire | Tabletop Gaming
