Authenticity and Third-Party Authenticator Guidelines
As a supplement to Mercari’s general Authenticity Guidelines for items on the marketplace, Mercari has developed these additional guidelines regarding collectible authenticity documents, such as autograph quick opinions, raw card review services, and authentication letters/certificates, which demonstrate that the autographs and trading cards have been authenticated by reputable third-party authenticators when the authenticity of the item cannot be determined. For the avoidance of doubt, autographs and trading cards are not part of the Mercari Authenticate program.
In situations where Mercari is unable to determine the authenticity of an autographed item or trading card, we may request additional proof of the authenticity of the item(s). For these cases, Mercari will accept authenticity documentation for the item(s) in question from the following reputable third-party authenticators:
For Trading Cards:
- PSA - Professional Sports Authenticator
- BGS - Beckett Grading Service
- SGC - Sportscard Guaranty Corporation
- CSG - Certified Sports Guaranty & CGC - Certified Guaranty Company
For Autographs:
- PSA/DNA - Autograph authentication service offered by Professional Sports Authenticator
- BAS - Beckett Authentication Services
- JSA - James Spence Authentication
Online autograph quick opinion and raw card review services from the above-identified third-party authenticators are acceptable in most situations.
Trading cards authenticated or graded by a company not mentioned on one of the lists above are considered raw/ungraded and may be removed if the authenticity of the item cannot be determined.
Disclaimer: Any items possessing questionable or unverifiable authenticity may be removed by Mercari at our discretion.
While Mercari has in-house experts to assist in trying to remove items with questionable or unverifiable authenticity, we are not a third-party trading card or autograph authentication company. We recommend purchasing items that have been authenticated and certified by one of the trusted companies listed above.
A couple of tips to help determine if the item you’re looking at is the real deal:
- Cards from Sports, Non-sports, and Trading card games that are encased in protective plastic holders or “slabs” bearing the distinct labels of the most trusted trading card authentication companies can be readily found for purchase on Mercari. Written on each label will be identification information about the encased card, the grade the card received, as well as a unique serial number that can be verified at the authenticator’s website.
- Autographed items will have affixed stickers or holograms if they have been authenticated which include serial numbers that match the ones on accompanying letters of authenticity which can be verified online to ensure you’re getting only genuine signatures. Mercari recommends referencing the list of trusted third-party authenticators on this page when reviewing certificates of authenticity for listed items.
Shopping Tip: Please always remember to conduct due diligence prior to purchasing any collectible by first messaging the seller to ask any questions you may have about the item and to confirm availability before purchasing.