Vendor scammed 10-year-old out of her $119 Pokémon card for a $30 card. Another seller smelled something was off — and took her back to confront him
She returned to his booth with a new card. He wanted to know what she’d given up for it.
Although unfair trade and pricing discrepancies are not uncommon, each time they occur, someone gets duped out of their money or cards. For instance, recently, a 10-year-old got deceived by a vendor who traded her £90 ($119) card for a £23 ($30) card. It wasn’t until a card seller, Pokémon content creator Ash’s Voltz (@AshsVoltz), intervened that the girl got her money back. He wanted to keep the disappointing trade from spoiling her first Pokémon card show. His September 22, 2026 video has been viewed 566,000 times. Plus, the girl probably will remember Ash for saving her for the rest of her life.
Scamming the innocent
Ash was giving away some cards for free. That’s when a 10-year-old girl turned up at his booth along with her father. While interacting with the girl, he came to know that Pikachu and Gengar were some of her favorite Pokémon cards and she had just started collecting them. “Be careful if you're selling anything. People might try to mug you,” he cautioned the girl and her father. He also showed them an app called Pulse TCG to help them accurately assess the rate of a card. Her father said they’d return for trading after taking a stroll across other booths. They shook hands and walked away.
A few minutes later, the girl returned to Ash’s booth and showed him the binder with the cards she had gotten from other booths. He noticed that she had traded her Meowth card for an Umbreon card. “How much did you get for it?” Ash asked the girl. She replied £30 ($39.74). According to Ash, it was supposed to be a £90 ($119.2) card that the vendor traded for a £23 ($30.7) Umbreon card. The vendor had told her that he was lowering the price due to scratches and dents on the Meowth card. “I think we should go back and get your money back,” Ash said, asking her to bring her dad back.
Settling the Score
Ash walked to the booth with the girl and her father and tried to squeeze an explanation from the vendor who had traded the Meowth card at a lower price. He clarified that the vendor had priced the card as damaged, but the card, in fact, was not damaged. Ash disputed the vendor’s assessment of the card’s condition and asked him to reverse the trade. He kept on insisting that the card wasn’t damaged. The vendor agreed to give the girl her card back. Back at his booth, Ash offered the girl £80 (about $106) for the card. He later sold it for £75 (about $99), noting some whitening and a slight lift.
Reality of card shows
According to Hawaii Card Show, a card show is an “in-person event where collectors, dealers, and hobbyists buy, sell, and trade trading cards.” Vendors rent tables and booths, set up their inventory, and the public comes through to shop, trade, browse, and talk cards, ranging from sports cards to trading card games (TCGs) and more. On YouTube, Siki from TCG Bandits explained that an average trading price lies somewhere between an average of 80% and 85%, but could go down to 70% and rise to 90% given the condition of the card.
Diabolical and disgusting
Meanwhile, viewers praised Ash for helping the little girl recover her card and learn about the scammers. @chill_f82 said, “He doubled down and didn't apologize. The prick doesn't deserve his privacy at that point. Good on you though for going out of your way to help and get the situation sorted.” @pokepony64 commented, “The vendor was making it sound like the Meowth card went through a washing machine with all that 'damage' he was talking about—actually disgusting.”
You can follow Ash (@ashsvoltz) on YouTube for card-related and trading content.
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