Frequently Asked Questions

Everything about CardSense Pro — the AI scanner, Decision Engine, Grading Planner, Japanese imports, sealed tracking, pricing, and privacy.

Getting Started

How do I add cards to my portfolio?
Three ways: (1) search the full Pokémon TCG database by name, set code, or card number — e.g. typing "sv3pt5-199" jumps straight to Charizard ex SIR; (2) scan a physical card with your phone camera — Claude Vision identifies it in 2 seconds and adds it; (3) bulk CSV import if you already track elsewhere.
Where do prices come from?
All prices come directly from Cardmarket, the largest European trading-card marketplace. We pull Cardmarket trend, avg7, and avg30 prices twice a day. No USD-to-EUR conversion anywhere — if a card is listed in euros on Cardmarket, that is the price you see here.
Is CardSense free?
Yes. The free tier includes unlimited cards (and unlimited sealed products), automatic Cardmarket price updates, the basic card scanner, 1 binder, and set progress tracking. No credit card required. Elite (€5.99/month) unlocks the Decision Engine, full grading analysis on scans, the Grading Planner, 1-year price history, unlimited binders, and daily Decision Engine refresh.
Can I import my existing collection from another tool?
Yes — CSV import is supported on both tiers. If you track elsewhere (Collectr, Mana, a spreadsheet, etc.), export to CSV and upload. Common formats are auto-detected. Email support@cardsense.pro if your format isn't picked up and we'll add it.

AI Card Scanner

How does the card scanner work?
Point your phone camera at a Pokémon card and Claude Vision (Anthropic's vision AI model) identifies the card — set, card number, rarity — in under 2 seconds. One tap to add to your portfolio. Works on iOS via Safari and Android via Chrome.
What does ELITE unlock on the scanner?
ELITE users also get a full grading analysis on every scan: centering ratio, corner condition, edge quality, surface grade, plus a predicted PSA/CGC grade ceiling. Free users get the card identification; ELITE users also get the insight that tells them whether a card is worth grading at all.
Is there a scan limit?
Free tier: 5 scans per month. ELITE: 500 per month (effectively unlimited for all normal use). The monthly cap on free exists to keep Claude Vision API costs predictable — if you routinely scan more than a handful of cards a month, ELITE pays for itself in minutes saved.

Decision Engine

What is the Decision Engine?
An AI-powered per-card recommendation that reads momentum, ROI, grading expected value, and data quality — then outputs one of four verdicts: GRADE (send to PSA/CGC/BGS), SELL (momentum + ROI say flip it), HOLD (stable, keep going), or WATCH (low data quality, revisit). Every call shows the evidence: raw price, predicted graded price, grading cost, break-even odds, and expected value.
How accurate is it?
The Decision Engine is an opinion with numbers behind it — not a guarantee. We show every input so you can make your own call. It's designed to stop you second-guessing obvious decisions (a 30%+ gain with a recent PSA 10 comp trading at 4× raw is a clear GRADE) and flag the ones that actually need thought.
How often does it update?
Free tier: recomputed weekly. ELITE: recomputed daily after the Cardmarket sync runs (06:00 + 18:00 UTC). Momentum signals move fast — daily refresh matters for cards that just started running.

Grading — Calculator vs. Planner

What's the difference between the Grading Calculator and Grading Planner?
The Grading Calculator (free, at /tools/grading-calculator) tells you whether grading a card is worth it at all: raw price, graded comps, grading cost, break-even math. The Grading Planner (ELITE, at /grading-planner) goes further: it compares three routes side-by-side — PSA US, CGC UK, and PSA Europe (opening Frankfurt this summer) — with real shipping, customs, and VAT math per route. The planner tells you the cheapest path to a slab.
Where do graded prices come from?
Cardmarket — we pull actual sale prices for graded slabs (PSA 10/9/8, CGC 10/9.5/9, BGS 10/9.5) when available. For cards without recent graded sales, we use estimated multipliers based on card tier (vintage, chase, modern). The calculator clearly indicates estimates vs. real sales.
Does the planner include the new €3 EU duty?
Yes — since July 2026 every non-EU parcel carries a flat €3 customs duty plus VAT on the declared value. For JP raw cards going to PSA US and back, or CGC UK to/from the EU, this stacks quickly. The Grading Planner models all of it — including your local VAT rate by country — so the total is honest.

Japanese card imports

Can I track Japanese Pokémon cards?
Yes — the full Japanese card database is in the search. When you view a JP card, the JP Buy Box surfaces current prices on Buyee, ZenMarket, and SNKRDUNK (the three main proxy marketplaces) with the full EU landed cost next to each.
What does "landed cost" include?
Item price + proxy fee (~7% at Buyee) + international shipping (€22 default for EMS small packet, configurable) + the €3 EU duty + VAT on goods + shipping at your country's rate (21% NL, 19% DE, 20% FR, 20% UK, etc.) + courier handling fee. Nothing is hidden — every line item is shown.
Is there a way to save on JP imports?
Consolidate. The fixed-cost floor per parcel is ~€25-30 before you buy anything (duty + VAT on shipping + handling). Batching 3-5 cards per parcel via Buyee's "have it shipped together" feature turns that floor into €5-8 per card. Single-card orders under €50 are genuinely not worth it under the new rules.

Sealed products

Can I track sealed booster boxes, ETBs, and bundles?
Yes. 40+ curated Scarlet & Violet and Sword & Shield sealed products are in the catalog. Add them to your portfolio the same way you add singles — they're tracked with reference prices plus Cardmarket deeplinks for live market data.
Are sealed products in the free tier?
Yes. Free tier includes unlimited sealed tracking alongside unlimited cards.
Do you have every product?
Not every SKU — we curate 40 recent products that actually trade on Cardmarket. Request additions via support@cardsense.pro and we'll add them within a week if they meet the volume threshold.

Pricing & billing

What's on the free tier?
Unlimited cards, unlimited sealed products, Cardmarket EUR pricing, 1 binder, set progress tracking, basic card scanner (5 scans/month), price history (7 days), public portfolio sharing, referral program. Everything you need to track a real collection — not a "teaser" tier.
What does Elite unlock?
The Decision Engine (GRADE/SELL/HOLD/WATCH with daily refresh), full AI grading analysis on every scan, unlimited scans, the Grading Planner with cross-border customs math, 1-year price history, unlimited binders, CSV export, price + wishlist alerts, and priority support.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel in Settings at any point and keep Elite access until the end of your current billing period. No dark patterns, no retention emails, no phone calls.
Is there an annual plan?
Yes — €49.99/year saves ~€22 vs monthly. Same 7-day free trial. You can switch from monthly to annual mid-cycle.
What payment methods do you accept?
SEPA direct debit, iDEAL, major credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay — via Stripe. We chose Stripe specifically because SEPA + iDEAL are first-class EU payment methods, not awkward fallbacks.

Portfolio features

How often are prices updated?
Prices sync from Cardmarket twice daily (06:00 and 18:00 UTC) via the Cardmarket API. Your dashboard always shows the most recent sync. You can also force a manual sync on any card from the portfolio page.
Can I track cards from all Pokémon TCG sets?
Yes — the full TCGdex database is integrated, covering every set from Base Set (1999) through the latest Scarlet & Violet releases. New sets are added within 24 hours of release.
What conditions can I track?
Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Good, Light Played, Played, and Poor. Condition affects both the displayed value (Cardmarket weights condition automatically) and the Grading Calculator's probability estimates.
What is Collection Companion?
A feature on every card detail page that shows (1) the full evolution line with checkmarks for what you own; (2) set completion with your progress bar and top 5 missing cards ranked by rarity; (3) "collectors like you also own" based on co-occurrence with other CardSense users (requires ≥3 distinct co-owners to prevent single-user skew).
What are Micro-learnings?
Three AI-generated educational facts per card, across three categories: artist (illustrator context), market (set performance + reprint patterns), and collector tips (centering issues, variants, grading specifics). Cached for 30 days and shared across all users so they stay fast and inexpensive.
Can I organise cards into collections?
Yes. Free tier: 1 binder. Elite: unlimited binders. Many users set up separate binders for investments, personal collection, trade stock, graded slabs.

Privacy & data

Is my data secure?
Yes — EU-hosted (Neon Postgres in Frankfurt), TLS everywhere, bcrypt password hashing, no third-party trackers on the dashboard. Portfolio data is private by default; nothing is shared unless you explicitly opt in to public sharing or the leaderboard.
Can I delete my account?
Yes — Settings → Danger Zone → Delete Account. Everything is removed from the database within 24 hours: portfolio, activity, attribution, referral links, uploaded images. GDPR-compliant and actually complete (no "account soft-deleted" where your data lingers).
Do you export my data?
Elite users can export their full portfolio to CSV at any time. Free users can request a full GDPR data export via support@cardsense.pro — we return everything we hold on you within 30 days.

Technical

Does CardSense work on mobile?
Yes — it's a PWA (Progressive Web App). Install to your home screen (Chrome/Android prompts automatically after 5s; iOS: Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen) and it runs like a native app. Offline portfolio view, offline scanner, full feature parity with desktop.
Is there a native iOS / Android app?
Not yet. The PWA approach gives us install + offline + full features without app store review delays. We'll ship a Capacitor wrap to the stores once PWA MAU justifies it — specifically 1k+ monthly active users with ≥20% in standalone (installed) mode.
What browsers are supported?
Latest 2 versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and their mobile equivalents. The camera-based scanner needs Safari 14+ or Chrome 90+ for WebRTC support.

Ready to start tracking?

Join collectors across Europe using CardSense Pro to manage their portfolios.

Free tier: unlimited cards · No credit card required

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