TCGplayer Card Condition Guide: NM, LP, MP, HP, Damaged

The five TCGplayer conditions

TCGplayer's Card Conditioning Overview: "the TCGplayer marketplace allows sellers to list cards in Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played, and Damaged condition. Mint or Gem Mint cards are not sold on TCGplayer." Foils use the same scale. In TCGplayer's words:

• Near Mint (NM): "minimal wear from shuffling, play, or handling". It "may have slight edge wear or a couple minor scratches, but overall look nearly unplayed with no major defects."
• Lightly Played (LP): "may have minor edge wear, scuffs, or scratches. There are no significant imperfections or issues with the structural integrity of the card."
• Moderately Played (MP): "can have edge wear, surface wear, scratching or scuffing, bends with creases, or a combination of moderate examples of these imperfections."
• Heavily Played (HP): "show a major amount of wear", but "they must still be able to be authenticated and cannot be structurally damaged."
• Damaged: "wear or imperfections beyond the standards for other conditions", such as "bends, tears, splitting, foreign substances such as food or liquid, or other damage that impacts the integrity of the card."

How TCGplayer decides a condition

"The condition of a card is determined by the number and extent of imperfections that a card exhibits." Each imperfection has a type (a scratch, a bend, edgewear) and a severity (slight, minor, moderate, major), and each severity carries a point value in TCGplayer's comprehensive guide. Imperfections that hurt a card's integrity usually make it Damaged. TCGplayer checks three things for integrity:

• Structure: "The physical structure and stability of the card and its cardstock"
• Playability: "The ability of the card to be used as a game piece"
• Authentication: whether the card can be verified with "the manufacturer's authentication markers"

The measurements that matter most

These come from TCGplayer's Understanding Card Condition Imperfections: A Comprehensive Guide. "Best allowed" is the highest condition a card can be listed at with that imperfection.

A few rules worth remembering:

• Creases: "The presence of a crease drops the condition to Moderately Played at best."
• Edgewear that creeps in: "Edgewear becomes Surface Wear when the imperfection encroaches further than .5mm from the edge of the card."
• Factory cuts: "Edgewear due to a 'dull' or 'rough' cut during manufacturing is not considered an imperfection."
• Curling: "More than 5mm of lift from flat surface at center" makes a card Damaged. TCGplayer notes foils, "in particular Magic: the Gathering cards, may be more prone to curling".
• Peels: a peel "more than 5mm in length" makes a card Damaged.
• Oversized cards: they are "1.4x larger than a standard card", so TCGplayer allows "1.4x the size of any imperfection".

Defects, signatures and other things that make a card Damaged

• Factory defects: "Certain manufacturing defects, such as crimping and significant miscuts/shifting, will automatically cause a card to be considered Damaged regardless of any other imperfection(s)."
• Alterations: "Cards with alterations such as stamps, signatures, paint, marker, etc. are also considered Damaged."
• Foreign substances: cards covered in "food, liquid or other material" are "not eligible for sale through TCGplayer Direct or Marketplace listings" at all.

For a defect or an alteration, TCGplayer suggests a Listing with Photos, where "you may list it at the condition the card would be considered without the defect or alteration." The New Seller FAQ adds that Listings with Photos are "required for selling non-English cards, graded cards, and signed cards." Japanese Pokémon cards and Magic cards with language options are the main exceptions for non-English cards.

When a buyer says the condition is wrong

The Seller Guide to Refunds and Returns gives you three options when "a single does not match the condition ordered":

1. Partial refund. You and the buyer agree an amount. "TCGplayer recommends a partial refund of around 10% per condition step adjusted (ex: a Near Mint card that is received as Moderately Played would receive a 20% refund, as Moderately Played is 2 steps down)." Use the refund reason "Product - Condition Issue".
2. Replacement. Send the right card if you have it, after the buyer confirms. You must also send the buyer a prepaid way to return the wrong one, and you pay that return shipping.
3. Return for a refund. If you do neither, send a prepaid return label or mailer and refund the cards in question in full.

Two rules sellers trip on. You have 2 business days to reply once the buyer writes. And "Sellers cannot require buyers to share images of cards with a condition issue as a prerequisite for resolving issues." If you think a buyer is "mint hunting" (ordering Near Mint and returning all but the best copy), TCGplayer asks you to "escalate the message thread with the buyer to TCGplayer for tracking purposes."

Handled this way, the order is also protected on feedback: TCGplayer's feedback policy removes neutral or negative feedback when "A seller provided a partial refund for a condition difference or provided a refund after the impacted card was returned".

Grade at listing time, check at packing time

Look at each card under a bright light, front and back, before you list it, and round down when you are between two conditions. Sleeve it right away so it doesn't pick up new wear in storage. Then check it once more as it goes into the envelope. Packing mode in TCG Speed Shipper shows one order at a time on your phone, with each card to tick off as it goes in, so the right card goes in the right envelope. The address labels for the batch come from the same TCGplayer Export Shipping file.

FAQ

What conditions can you sell on TCGplayer?

Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged, in regular and foil. TCGplayer says Mint and Gem Mint cards are not sold on TCGplayer.

Is a creased card Near Mint or Lightly Played on TCGplayer?

Neither. TCGplayer's guide says the presence of a crease drops the condition to Moderately Played at best.

Is a signed card Damaged on TCGplayer?

Yes, as a regular listing. TCGplayer treats stamps, signatures, paint and marker as alterations that make a card Damaged. As a Listing with Photos, you may list it at the condition it would be without the alteration, and signed cards must be sold that way.

How much should I refund for a TCGplayer condition issue?

You and the buyer agree the amount. TCGplayer recommends around 10% per condition step, so a Near Mint card that arrives as Moderately Played would get about 20%. You can also send a replacement or take the card back for a full refund.

Can I ask the buyer for photos before I fix a condition issue?

Not as a condition for helping. TCGplayer says sellers cannot require buyers to share images of cards with a condition issue before resolving it. If you suspect mint hunting, escalate the message thread to TCGplayer.

Sources

• TCGplayer Help: Card Conditioning Overview (checked November 1, 2026)
• TCGplayer Help: Understanding Card Condition Imperfections: A Comprehensive Guide (checked November 1, 2026)
• TCGplayer Help: Seller Guide to Refunds and Returns (checked November 1, 2026)
• TCGplayer Help: Seller Feedback Policy (checked November 1, 2026)
• TCGplayer Help: New Seller FAQ (checked November 1, 2026)

TCG Speed Shipper is independent and not affiliated with TCGplayer. Check TCGplayer's own pages for current rules.