New trading card marketplace Ungraded announces pre-launch auctions to showcase game-changing 3D imaging technology

• Ungraded unveils five weekly pre-launch auction drops, from 31st May 2024.
• Showstopper card to star in each drop, including 1st Edition Base Set Charizard in week 1.
• Wild Card winner prizes on offer each week.

Ungraded, the revolutionary new marketplace for ‘raw’ cards, has announced that it will be running a series of on-off auction drops ahead of its official launch in July.

Featuring up to 50 cards each week, with a wide range of values and conditions for all collectors, the weekly auctions will kick off with Pokémon on the 31st of May, starring a mint-condition, 1st Edition Base Set Charizard as the auction showstopper.

The drops are designed to show off the platform’s unique ability to give buyers a full picture of card condition through Ungraded’s cutting-edge 3D imaging technology.

Details of the much-anticipated drops, which will focus on a different product line each week, will be trailed on social media. Week one will feature Pokémon; week two Yu-Gi-Oh!; week three Football (Soccer); week four Magic: The Gathering; week five American Sports.

As a bonus, individuals signing up during the drops on Ungraded will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win weekly Wild Cards ranging in value from £50 through to £300.

Commenting on the pre-launch promotion series, Josh Williams, Co-Founder of Ungraded, said: “We want to give card collectors and sellers the full Ungraded experience in all its glory ahead of our official launch. This is an incredible opportunity for collectors to see how the site works and to pick up some great condition, highly desirable cards.

“Those registering will be able to view cards in an entirely new way thanks to our high-definition tech, utilising photos taken from hundreds of angles and stitched together into a 3D viewing experience unlike any other. This allows users to tilt, zoom and pan across the card surface, enabling them to see the play of light on the surface, leaving no scratch, scuff or other value-defining defect hidden from view.

“Providing a level of detail that has never previously been possible, users can zoom in enough to see even the CMYK patterns, and therefore spot even the tiniest of imperfections on a card’s surface. We also offer tools to help evaluate other aspects of a card’s quality – such as its centering – delivering an all-round game-changing experience for collectors. Gone are the days of basing bids on blurry photos and inadequate descriptions. Combined with our authenticity guarantee on every card, we’re putting the trust back into buying raw cards.

“Now, for the first time ever, users can have absolute certainty about the condition of raw cards that they are looking to buy.”

John Brame, Co-Founder of Ungraded, added: “We are hugely excited about our five weeks of pre-launch drops. We’ve collated a stellar line up of cards across a great range of product lines, from desirable cards to showstoppers rarely seen outside of graded slabs. These include a 1st Edition Base Set Charizard and a 1st Edition Dark Magician LOB-005 – both in unbelievable condition.”

Buyers and sellers can set up member accounts from the start of the pre-launch drops, on 31st May. Submissions will also be accepted from this date, with sellers choosing between Weekly and Premium auctions or Fixed Price listings, ready to go live at full launch from the 5th July.

Buyers of auction-based listings are charged on a sliding scale, starting at 20% of the card value for cards sold up to £250. This reduces to 17.5% for cards sold for £251-£1,000, dropping further to 15% for cards sold over £1,000. Buyers are not charged a fee for purchasing fixed price cards.

There are no seller fees for auction-based listings with a hammer price of £25 or over. For sales under that figure, the seller makes up the difference between the buyer’s 20% premium and a minimum £5 fee.

For fixed price listings, reserved only for cards worth over £250, sellers are charged a 15% premium. If unsold after 30 days, a storage fee of 1% of the card’s average listing price is charged every additional 30 days the card remains unsold. This encourages sellers to review pricing.

To view the Ungraded pre-launch drops film, click here.