A set is identified by a small symbol that is either in the bottom right-hand corner of the Pokémon illustration (old sets), or on the bottom right-hand corner of the whole card (new sets). To learn which symbols stand for which sets, look up the Pokémon on eBay and match the illustrations with ones you see—the set should be listed.

There should be two numbers: one for the number of the actual card, a slash (/) and then one for the number of cards in the entire set (i. e. a Charizard with 5/102 is number 5 out of 102 cards). There are a few exceptions to these: Base set cards, which were one of the first three sets released in America, do not have a symbol on the card. They are the only ones like this; and Promos, which only have one number denoting what number the card is (Ivy Pikachu, for example, is number 1 out of the first released series of Black Star Promos).

After you’ve put them in sleeves, it’s a good idea to put them either in “top loaders” (hard plastic cases to prevent bending) or in 9-pocket card sleeves that are held in binders. you can also use Ultra Pro deck Protector Sleeves which come in red, blue, green, etc. And both are fairly Cheap. Use plastic Binders and page Sleeves for easy storage. All of these things can be purchased at a Walmart store or a card collecting store, and the best brands to get are Ultra-Pro or Dragon Shield.

Once your cards are organized by number, you’ll see the stars first, the diamonds next, and the circles last. Then you see the trainers, and the cycle repeats, and if there are any Secret Rares, there will be a Pokémon at the end of your set with stars. If not, that’s fine too. Stars mean a Pokémon is Rare, diamonds mean it is Uncommon, and circles mean Common. Rare cards sell, of course, for much more than the others. Note: If your cards are Japanese, and the star/diamond/circle symbol is white instead of black, it denotes an ultra rare card. Also, with Japanese cards, if the symbol is that of three stars, it is an ultra rare premium card—the hardest cards to find!

Most of the time cards sell for more than they are listed as they’re worth in magazines, though some times they sell for less. The only way to tell is to see what’s going on with the actual buyers.

Describe them down to every detail so the buyer knows for sure what they’re getting! Of course, make sure to tell them if the card has any bends or scratches—it’ll hurt the value if it does, but it’s better for the price to go down a few pennies than you to get bad feedback and lose buyers.

Sort your Pokémon out into piles of each type, eg.
Pikachu, Ratatta. Sort Trainer out into each type, eg.
Switch, Potion. Sort Energy out into piles of each eg.
Lightning, Grass.