'I bought a Pokémon card worth £80 online but what turned up instead floored me'

Daily Mirror

06-08-2025

A man who bought a rare Pokémon card worth up to £80 from a seller online thought he'd found a great addition to his collection - but what actually turned up left him gobsmacked
Pokémon cards have become hugely popular in recent years, with adults and children alike starting collections and hunting for rare finds that can sometimes be worth thousands of pounds. But the rise in popularity does have some downsides, as there are now scalpers buying sealed packs and reselling them for way over retail price, while some scammers have popped up claiming to be selling rare cards that end up either being fake or badly damaged.
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One man thought he had been scammed when he bought a rare Pokémon card worth up to £80, as the seller messaged him shortly after to declare they'd made a "mistake" when posting it. However, what actually happened was far more bizarre than just an unfortunate scam.
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The man, named Johnny, shared a video on TikTok in which he explained he had been trying to find the Volcanion EX full art card from the Journey Together series when he came across someone selling it on eBay.
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He didn't indicate how much the listing was, but ungraded versions of the card are worth around $30 (£22), while graded PSA 10 - the highest card grade offered by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) - cards can be worth around $105 (£79).
Johnny bought the card and was later contacted by the seller, who confirmed they had posted it. But just moments later, they messaged him again to say they had made a "mistake", making Johnny worry he'd been scammed.
But it turned out the seller had genuinely made an error and posted him the wrong item - their father's ashes.
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They told him: "SOS! I messed up the order and sent my dad's ashes by mistake!"
The seller clarified that the ashes were packaged up, ready to be shipped to their mother's house for the funeral, and when they had gone to post Johnny's Pokémon card, they had accidentally picked up the wrong box.
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Johnny graciously agreed to look after the ashes until the seller could come to his house to collect them, and the seller responded: "Brilliant! He was a massive Pokémon fan, so I know he'd love hanging with you for a bit."
And as bizarre as the interaction was, Johnny then showed off the Pokémon card he was supposed to receive, suggesting the seller did actually come to his house and swap the ashes for the card.
He added: "The backstory this Pokémon card in my collection has now is insane!"
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Commenters on the post were baffled as to how the seller had made the mistake in the first place, especially as one Pokémon card could be sent in an envelope or similarly flat package, while ashes would most likely be shipped in a box.
Someone wrote: "Were the ashes flat-packed? How did they muddle them up?"
Another asked: "How does one accidentally send ashes?"
Johnny clarified in response: "She copied and pasted my address onto her next parcel as she wasn't thinking right [while] planning the funeral, etc. She got them back in the end."
But others were simply happy the man hadn't been scammed, as one person said: "My first thought was scam, but man, this is way more interesting."