Why Scan a Pokémon Card?
Last updated: August 21, 2026
Every collector eventually asks the same question about a stack of cards: what do I actually have here? Scanning answers that in seconds, card by card, instead of you guessing from memory or typing set numbers into a search bar one at a time.
You find out what you actually have
A lot of collections build up faster than anyone can keep track of. Old binders, bulk lots, cards inherited from someone else's shoebox: most people can't identify every set and rarity on sight. Scanning does that part for you, matching the card to its exact set and printing instead of relying on what you remember.
You get a real price, not a guess
Price guides go stale fast, and "I think it's worth around..." isn't the same as a current number. Scanning pulls a live price from the market at the moment you check, so you're working with what the card is actually selling for right now, not what it sold for six months ago.
You won't miss a valuable card
The card worth real money doesn't always look rare. Some of the most valuable cards in a collection are ones the owner walked past for years because the symbol didn't mean anything to them. Scanning every card in a pile takes seconds each, so nothing gets skipped just because it didn't look special.
It's faster than looking anything up by hand
Typing a set name and card number into a search bar works, until you're doing it fifty times in a row. Long alphanumeric codes are easy to mistype, and one wrong character pulls up the wrong card entirely. Scanning skips all of that: point the camera, get a match.
It works on cards you can't read
Japanese and Chinese Simplified cards are tough to look up manually if you don't read the language, since you can't search for text you can't identify. Scan 'Em All reads the card directly regardless of language, and can also look up PSA graded cards by certification number, so a slab doesn't slow you down either.
Find out what your cards are really worth
Point your camera at any card for an instant match and a live price, no manual lookups required.
Get Scan 'Em AllFAQ
Is scanning more accurate than looking up a card manually?
Yes. Manual lookups depend on typing the exact set and number correctly, which is easy to get wrong. Scanning reads the card directly, so there's no room for a transcription mistake.
Can scanning find valuable cards I didn't know I had?
Yes. If you have a bulk pile or an old collection you haven't sorted, scanning each card takes seconds and flags anything worth real money, even a card you didn't recognize as rare.
Do I need to know the set or rarity before scanning?
No. That's the point of scanning: it identifies the card, set, and rarity for you. You don't need to already know what you have.
Does scanning work on Japanese or Chinese Pokémon cards?
With Scan 'Em All, yes. It identifies Japanese and Chinese Simplified cards using multiple data sources, including sets that aren't indexed anywhere else.
