Best US vs EU Arbitrage Opportunities Right Now
What is TCG Arbitrage?
Card arbitrage means buying a card in a cheaper market and selling it in a more expensive one to capture the price difference as profit. For Pokémon TCG, the two main markets are the US (primarily TCGPlayer) and Europe (primarily CardTrader). Due to regional demand differences, import costs, and market inefficiencies, the same card can trade at significantly different prices on each platform.
When a card is priced lower in the US than in Europe, savvy buyers can purchase there and resell in Europe at a premium — and vice versa. The cards below have the largest current price gaps between the two markets, making them the most interesting candidates for cross-market arbitrage.
Top Arbitrage Cards
Ordered by arbitrage spread (%). Cards with 5–200% spread shown — extreme outliers excluded.
Chansey
Lopunny
Rotom
Tangrowth
![Unown [Q]](https://images.pokemontcg.io/dp5/49.png)
Unown [Q]
Natu
Professor Birch
Exploud
Kirlia
Garchomp
Deoxys δ
Solrock
Charmeleon
Slakoth
Vaporeon
Trapinch
Chikorita
Dark Dragonair
Gengar
Misty's Horsea
Sableye
Snorlax
Celebi ★
Magneton
Charizard
Rapidash
Sabrina's Kadabra
Treecko
Quagsire
Poké Kid
How to Use This Data
Understanding the Spread
The arbitrage percentage shown is calculated as ((US price − EU price) / EU price) × 100. A positive value means the card trades at a premium in the US; negative means EU premium.
Factor in Fees and Shipping
Platform fees (TCGPlayer charges ~12.9%, CardTrader ~6–10%) and international shipping ($3–15 for tracked) will eat into your margin. As a rule of thumb, only spreads above 25–30% are reliably profitable after all costs.
Watch for Liquidity
A large spread on a low-volume card may reflect a stale listing rather than a true market gap. Check the actual supply depth on each platform before committing to a purchase.
Currency Risk
USD/EUR fluctuations affect the real spread. At current rates, factor in ~2–3% currency conversion costs when calculating actual profit.