A Pokémon slab consignment agreement should state when the consignee takes custody, whose insurance covers the card, and how an unsold slab must be returned. A "slab" is a graded card sealed in a tamper-evident holder, and consignment usually transfers possession for sale—not ownership before a sale occurs. Vague terms can leave a collector responsible for shipping damage, unexplained loss, or costly return fees. Before surrendering a slab, document its identity, condition, value basis, and complete custody path in writing.
Table of Contents
- When Does Custody Transfer?
- What Insurance Actually Covers the Slab?
- Return Terms for Unsold or Withdrawn Cards
- Sale, Payment, and Buyer Returns
- What to Check Before Handover
When Does Custody Transfer?
The collector supplying the card is the consignor. The dealer, auction house, or marketplace receiving it is the consignee. The agreement should separate physical custody from legal ownership and state that the consignee cannot pledge, trade, or use the slab outside the authorized sale. Identify the event that starts the consignee's responsibility.
It might be delivery to its premises, a carrier scan, a signed receipt, or completion of an intake inspection. "Upon receipt" is unclear unless the agreement defines whether receipt means arrival, signature, or inventory entry. Attach an inventory record containing the grading company, certification number, card name, set, card number, grade, and declared or agreed value. Dated photographs should show the label, front, back, edges, seals, and existing holder scratches. This evidence helps distinguish pre-existing damage from damage occurring during consignment.
What Insurance Actually Covers the Slab?
A statement that a business is "fully insured" does not establish that your card is covered. The insurance policy controls coverage, including limits, deductibles, exclusions, locations, and valuation methods. General business insurance may not cover customers' collectibles held for sale. Ask for written answers to these questions: The agreement should also define how a loss is valued.
Market value, replacement value, declared value, and an agreed fixed value can produce different results. For example, writing $5,000 on an intake form does not guarantee a $5,000 payment unless the policy and agreement support that valuation. Require prompt notice of any loss, damage, security breach, or insurance denial. The consignee should preserve photographs, shipping records, surveillance footage, and carrier documents needed for a claim. For a high-value slab, ask an insurance professional to confirm the proposed coverage rather than relying only on the consignment contract.
- Does coverage include property belonging to consignors?
- When does coverage begin and end?
- Are inbound and return shipments covered?
- Does coverage continue at card shows, vaults, or third-party auction sites?
- Are theft, employee dishonesty, fire, water damage, and mysterious disappearance covered?
Return Terms for Unsold or Withdrawn Cards
return terms should cover expiration, withdrawal, failure to meet a reserve price, termination for breach, and closure of the consignee's business. Replace words such as "promptly" with a specific dispatch deadline measured from a clearly defined event. The agreement should identify the return address, carrier service, packaging standard, signature requirement, insurance amount, and party paying the cost. It should also say whether the consignee remains responsible until delivery or only until the package enters the carrier's system. Withdrawal fees deserve close attention.
A consignee may incur photography, listing, grading-review, vault, or auction expenses, but the contract should state each permitted charge or its calculation method. Avoid terms allowing unlimited "administrative costs" without documentation. Inspect a returned slab immediately against the intake photographs. Record the unopened package and the unboxing when practical, especially for a valuable card. Report a cracked holder, altered label, mismatched certification number, or missing slab within the agreement's notice period.
Sale, Payment, and Buyer Returns
Custody terms cannot be separated from the definition of a completed sale. The agreement should state where the slab may be listed, whether the consignee may reduce the price, and whether a reserve refers to the gross sale price or the collector's net proceeds after fees. List every deduction, including commission, marketplace charges, payment processing, shipping, storage, and optional promotion. The payment clause should specify when proceeds become payable and whether the consignee may wait for buyer payment, authentication, or expiration of a return window.
Buyer disputes create another custody gap. State who bears chargebacks, fraudulent payments, buyer returns, and damage during delivery to or return from the buyer. If a returned card differs from the consigned slab, the certification number and intake images provide the clearest comparison. The contract should also define when ownership passes and when the consignee's insurance ends. Those moments should not leave the slab uninsured while it is being packed, shipped, authenticated, or returned by a buyer.
What to Check Before Handover
Read the full agreement and any incorporated fee schedule, insurance summary, marketplace policy, or auction rules. Terms hosted on another page may change, so save the version that applies when the consignee accepts the slab.
Before transfer, confirm that the signed documents contain: Treat missing inventory records, refusal to explain insurance, unrestricted price-cutting authority, open-ended fees, and no firm return deadline as warning signs. Keep the signed agreement, intake receipt, photographs, tracking records, and all later amendments together until the slab or sale proceeds are safely returned.
- The parties' legal names and contact details
- A complete slab inventory with photographs
- The custody start and end points
- Permitted storage, display, and sales locations
- Insurance limits, valuation rules, and claim duties
