There are so many places that offer Pokémon cards, but not all of them are legitimate. While you can buy them from places and know you’re getting the real deal, other sellers are questionable. WISH is one of these places.
Well, are Pokémon cards from WISH fake? Purchasing Pokémon cards from WISH are fake knock-offs. Although they do sometimes appear impressive, they offer cards, sets and boxes that aren’t even part of the actual Pokémon line. Also, they’re far too thick with printing that’s blurry, off register or just plain horrible.
While these are not desirable for true collections, people do purchase them knowing they’re fakes. But if you didn’t realize they were fake before purchasing, then you should get your money back.
Are Pokemon Cards on Wish Real?
WISH is an online market place that’s similar to Amazon or EBay. Although American-based, items ship directly from China. Their Pokémon cards are not real and do not have any value. Some unwitting people immediately experience buyer’s remorse after purchasing them.
There are several tell-all signs when you receive the cards that show you how fake these Pokémon cards actually are. If you’ve bought these and you have real Pokémon cards, it doesn’t take long to see how badly ripped off the WISH ones are.
When you browse WISH’s store, they try to pass these cards off as being legitimate. But here’s your first, clue – the price. They’re far less expensive than what you find at a place like Walmart. However, when you do receive them, the packaging looks awful before you even open it.
Cardboard
First, cardboard is the base material for the printing. It’s almost as if they used the same cardboard for the cards as they did for the packaging. When comparing one of these next to a real Pokémon card, they’re about two to three times thicker.
Scanning, Holographics ; Other Elements
The images appear scanned and almost each card is off center. Also, there are these broad blackish shading lines that run vertical across the card. It’s likely someone scanned these cards as copies that were originally holographic. It looks really bad. When there are any holographics, they look cheap.
If the terrible cutting doesn’t clue you in, the scan lines on the side will. You may even find some that look reversed or flipped. This is a sure sign of scanning and copying from a computer or a cell phone. Plus, other cards don’t have borders where there should be and detail of the images leave much to desire.
Repeats
If all that wasn’t enough, the repeats you get are not just boring but they’re also bad all the way around. These seem to come in more plentitudes than you would see in real Pokémon boxes and sets from a legitimate retailer.
Why Would People Intentionally Buy Fake Pokémon Cards?
There are many reasons why people intentionally buy Pokémon cards from WISH they know are going to be fakes when they arrive. Sometimes they want to use them in an art project, where using real ones would be a sacrilege. And other times they offer funny cards that are absolutely hilarious to see.
Can You Get Your Money Back From Wish for Fake Pokémon Cards?
However, if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who purchased these from WISH, you should be able to get your money back. If they refuse the refund, you can do a chargeback on the credit card you used. If you can prove the items are fakes, your credit card will not honor the purchase.
According to an article by Consumer Reports, in the United States, customers are legally entitled to either a legitimate version of what the company promised or a refund. A seller’s return policy has no legitimacy, especially when they weren’t initially forthcoming about their product.
Where Is the Best Place to Buy Real Pokémon Cards?
Locating real Pokémon cards is becoming something akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Especially with the 2020 lockdowns, supplies are drying up like a lush plant in the desert. Plus, some retailers are stopping the sale of them altogether because of increases in crime, theft and fighting over the cards outside of stores.
For instance, Target will only sell them on certain occasions and particular days. But, the company as a whole has stopped selling them. This means it’s up to the individual store to stock them. This is also true for Walmart, although they are still selling them at many locations.
In-Store or Online
The following list contains in-store places where you can buy Pokémon cards:
- Your local trading card or gaming store
- Sam’s Club
- Costco
- HEB
- Meijer
- GameStop/EB Games
- Walmart
Online purchases are a little iffier, but there are some legit, qualified sellers of Pokémon cards. Unless you buy from another collector through a trading card site or something like EBay. In this case you can ask to see more pictures and have an email conversation before buying.
- Channel Fireball
- Amazon
- EBay
- Troll ; Toad
- GameStop/EB Games
Did you know Pokemon booster boxes usually sell for more than the suggested retail? This is mostly caused by supply and demand. Click here to check out the current market prices of these booster boxes and you may be surprised at just how lucrative it is to hold onto booster boxes and sell them at a later date.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, no Pokémon cards acquired through WISH will be real. They have horrible quality and crappy printing along with being far too thick, off center and appearing scanned. Your first clue is the price when you look at them on WISH’s platform; they’re far too cheap to be real.
But, some people knowingly buy them this way for other purposes, such as for scrapbooking crafts. However, there are others who were expecting something quite different and it can be a heartbreaking experience. In this case, it’s imperative to get the money back.
Besides, there are plenty of other places that offer real Pokémon cards. Most likely, you can get them at a local gaming shop or trading card store. But, there are a few places online that are worth looking into as well.