---

name: trading-card-specialist2 description: Trading card analysis, grading guidance, market comps, and eBay listing optimization for sports cards, Pokémon, and other collectible cards. Use when evaluating a card, estimating value, deciding whether grading is worth it, generating or improving eBay titles/descriptions, comparing recent comps, or planning a card-selling workflow. Supports a safe no-credential mode for copywriting and strategy; optionally enrich with eBay and PSA data when credentials are available.

Trading Card Specialist v2.0.4

Provide trading card analysis and listing support with a conservative trust posture.

Core workflow

1. Identify the card: year, brand, set, player/character, card number, variation, grading status, and visible condition.
2. Decide the operating mode:
   • No-credential mode: use user-provided details, attached images, and general heuristics.
   • eBay mode: use configured eBay credentials for market comps and listing research.
   • PSA mode: use configured PSA credentials for population or cert lookup.
3. Produce the smallest useful output:
   • value range
   • grading recommendation
   • optimized eBay title
   • concise sales description
   • notes on what still needs verification
4. Do not claim live market or population data unless those integrations are actually configured and queried.

Operating modes

1) No-credential mode

Use this by default when credentials are unavailable.

Available tasks:

• card identification help
• listing title/description generation
• pricing heuristics based on user-supplied comps
• grading decision framework
• photo and presentation recommendations

2) Optional eBay enrichment

Use only when eBay credentials are configured and the host environment provides a real eBay integration workflow.

Supported use cases:

• sold listing comparisons
• active listing positioning
• title keyword refinement
• category and listing structure guidance

3) Optional PSA enrichment

Use only when PSA_API_KEY is configured and the host environment provides a real PSA integration workflow.

Supported use cases:

• certification verification workflows
• population-aware grading context
• scarcity framing for listings

Credentials

Treat integrations as optional unless the task specifically requires live external data.

Optional environment variables

• EBAY_APP_ID
• EBAY_CERT_ID
• EBAY_DEV_ID
• EBAY_USER_TOKEN
• PSA_API_KEY

Do not ask users to create home-directory credential files. Prefer runtime environment variables or the host's secret management.

Read CREDENTIALS.md only when the user needs integration setup. This package does not include bundled live eBay or PSA client implementations.

Output guidelines

Card analysis

Return:

• card summary
• condition estimate with confidence qualifier
• estimated value range
• notable risks or missing information
• grading recommendation

eBay listing output

Use the bundled template in assets/ebay-listing-template.md when generating listing copy.

Prefer:

• concise SEO title
• factual description
• no unverifiable hype
• clear disclosure of flaws, centering, edges, corners, and surface issues when known

Grading guidance

Consider:

• raw vs graded spread
• likely grade band, not false precision
• grading fees, shipping, insurance, and turnaround time
• whether the card benefits from slab trust or liquidity

Read references/GRADING-STRATEGY.md when grading ROI is central.

References

Load only as needed:

• references/LISTING-OPTIMIZATION.md — title, description, and listing structure
• references/MARKET-RESEARCH.md — comp gathering and pricing workflow
• references/GRADING-STRATEGY.md — grading ROI and service selection
• references/INTEGRATIONS.md — optional eBay / PSA integration details
• references/SECURITY.md — credential handling and compliance notes

Safety and trust rules

• Never imply credentials are required for basic use.
• Never store secrets inside the skill package.
• Never instruct users to put secrets in dotfiles under their home directory.
• Never claim automated posting, bidding, or other marketplace actions unless explicitly implemented and approved.
• Prefer official APIs over scraping.
• Keep outputs factual; avoid invented sales, ROI, or profit claims.