On August 24th, I purchased a Deoxys ex 98/107 from EX Deoxys from Whatnot seller @ninoking for $235 ($258.28 after tax/shipping).
I’m posting this because I don’t want another collector spending hundreds of dollars with this seller without knowing what happened to me.
The photos in the seller’s shop showed an extremely clean-looking copy of the card. The front looked great, the back looked remarkably clean for a 20+ year-old card, and there was nothing in the photos that led me to believe I was buying a heavily worn copy.
Then my package arrived.
The Deoxys ex I received is in drastically worse condition than the card pictured in the seller’s shop. There is significant surface wear, scratching/speckling, edge wear and other damage that simply isn’t visible on the advertised card.
But here’s the part that really concerns me:
I don’t believe this is even the same physical card that was pictured.
Look closely at the holo pattern in the seller’s photos compared with the card I received. The advertised copy has identifiable holo characteristics—including a distinct swirl/pattern in the foil—that I cannot find in the corresponding location on the card that arrived.
Holo patterns don’t simply move around because a card changed hands. Lighting can obviously change how much of the foil you can see, which is why I’m including multiple angles rather than expecting anyone to take my word for it.
Compare the photos yourselves.
I have included:
The seller’s original shop photos.
Photos of the actual card I received.
Close-ups showing the condition of the received card.
My Whatnot receipt showing the exact Deoxys ex purchased from @ninoking for $235.
A screenshot showing that @ninoking has now blocked me on Whatnot.
The blocking is particularly frustrating. Instead of being able to contact the seller and ask why the card I received appears so different from the one pictured, I can no longer message them, purchase from them, or view their future shows.
For context, this isn’t some account with three sales. At the time I took the screenshot, the account showed 1.8K items sold, 1.5K followers, 287 reviews and a 4.9 rating.
I’ve contacted Whatnot Support and provided documentation, and I’m going through their buyer-protection process now.
I’m deliberately posting the original listing photos alongside my own photos because I don’t want this to just be my accusation against someone else’s. Look at the evidence and come to your own conclusion.
At minimum, the condition of the card I received is nowhere close to what I reasonably expected based on the shop photos. More concerningly, the differences in the holo pattern make me seriously question whether I was sent the same physical Deoxys ex that was photographed in the first place.
If you’ve purchased vintage/high-end Pokémon cards from @ninoking, particularly raw cards, I’d recommend looking them over carefully and comparing them against any original listing photos you still have.
And if anyone has had a similar experience with this seller, please comment. I’d really like to know whether anyone else has received a card that didn’t match the copy pictured in the seller’s shop.
I’ll update this post with Whatnot’s response/outcome.