Native-script Pokemon titles on eBay — when Japanese letters move cards faster

A US dealer lists a 1996 Japanese Base Set Charizard with the title "1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set Charizard #6 Holo Rare NM." It sits for three weeks.

A different dealer lists the same card with "1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set Charizard リザードン #6 Holo Rare NM." It sells in four days.

The two listings cost the same to create. The title-character budget is the same (eBay allows 80 characters). The only difference: the second one adds リザードン (Charizard in Japanese) inside the eBay title field.

This post is the full rule set for when native script in titles moves cards, when it doesn't, and the specific kanji / hiragana / katakana I include on every JP listing.

Why native script works

Three reasons:

1. eBay's search index treats native-script tokens as keyword matches. A Japanese-residing buyer searching リザードン on ebay.com (or worse, ebay.co.jp) finds your listing without having to translate.
2. eBay's "search by language" filter weighs native-script presence. Listings with Country=Japan + Language=Japanese + native-script tokens in title surface higher in JP-Pokemon filtered searches.
3. Trust signal. A US seller who took the time to add native script is read as a more knowledgeable seller. Buyers pay slightly higher prices to sellers they trust.

The result is roughly 2-3x faster sell-through on my listings that include native script vs my older listings (same cards, same condition, English-only).

When to include native script

Always for these card types:

• Vintage Japanese Pokemon (1996-2003)
• Japanese exclusives (CoroCoro inserts, Pokémon Center promos, tournament promos)
• High-end Japanese cards above $40 of raw value
• Any Japanese card with a Japanese-only chase status (Special Art Rares, Master Ball patterns, etc.)

Sometimes for these:

• Mid-range modern Japanese ($15-40 raw). The benefit is real but the title-character budget is tight.
• Japanese cards I expect to sell to a US-based JP collector (the audience speaks English; native script is courtesy but not necessary).

Never for these:

• English-language cards. Adding Japanese to an English Charizard title hurts your impressions because you're matching irrelevant queries.
• Foreign-language cards that aren't Japanese. Korean / Chinese / German cards need their own native script, not Japanese.

The character budget

eBay gives you 80 characters in a title. Japanese characters count as 2 bytes each on the back end but only count as 1 character each in eBay's title length (this changed in 2023, when eBay updated their character handling). You can fit substantial Japanese in 80 characters.

Worked budget for a modern JP card:

2024 Pokemon Japanese Mask of Change カイリュー ex SAR #109 NM

That's 53 characters. Plenty of budget remaining.

Worked budget for a vintage JP card:

1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set リザードン Charizard #6 Holo NM

That's 56 characters. Note both Japanese AND English card names — surfaces on both audiences' searches.

The four levels of native-script inclusion

Level 0 — English only

1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set Charizard #6 Holo NM

Default for most US sellers. Works for the US-based JP-collector audience.

Level 1 — Card name in Japanese

1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set リザードン Charizard #6 Holo NM

Add the Pokemon's Japanese name. Single biggest improvement. Use the official katakana spelling.

Level 2 — Card name + set in Japanese

1996 Pokemon ベースセット リザードン Charizard #6 Holo NM

Add the Japanese set name. Slightly more JP-relevance. Drops "Japanese Base Set" English wording.

Level 3 — Card name + set code

2024 Pokemon Japanese SV6 Mask of Change カイリュー ex SAR #109 NM

For modern cards, the set code (SV6, SV5a, etc.) is what JP collectors actually filter on. Set codes are short — typically 3-4 characters. Add them.

The set codes that matter (Sword & Shield + Scarlet & Violet)

Memorize these. JP collectors filter on them constantly.

Sword & Shield era (English / JP equivalent)

Scarlet & Violet era

Note that English sets and Japanese sets don't always map 1:1 — sometimes a JP set is split into two parts for the EN release, sometimes vice versa. Always verify.

Common Pokemon names in Japanese (the high-frequency hits)

The 30 most-searched Pokemon native names in my last-12-months sales data:

The vault auto-populates these on any Japanese card you import — no hand-typing of kanji required.

Title patterns I've stress-tested

For modern Japanese chase cards (post-2020):

{year} Pokemon Japanese {JP set code} {EN set name} {JP card name} {EN card name} {parallel/rarity} #{number} NM

Example: 2024 Pokemon Japanese SV6 Mask of Change カイリュー ex Dragonite SAR #109 NM

For vintage Japanese:

{year} Pokemon Japanese {EN set name} {JP card name} {EN card name} #{number} {rarity} {condition}

Example: 1999 Pokemon Japanese Jungle ピジョン Pidgeon #14 Holo NM

For Japanese promos and exclusives:

{year} Pokemon Japanese {Promo type} {JP card name} {EN card name} #{number} {NM/condition}

Example: 1998 Pokemon Japanese CoroCoro Promo ピカチュウ Pikachu #PROMO NM

What happens if you do this wrong

Three failure modes I've seen:

1. Wrong kanji for the Pokemon name. Picking the wrong character variant turns a Japanese-search match into a no-match. Use a reliable source (PokemonCard.io's catalog or the vault's auto-populate); don't trust Google Translate's output for Pokemon names.
2. Including Japanese for non-Japanese cards. A US Charizard with リザードン in the title pulls JP-collector traffic, which doesn't convert because they want the JP print, not the US print. Net: worse impressions on cards that needed broader US search relevance.
3. Mismatched set names. Crown Zenith ≠ VSTAR Universe in JP collector minds, even though they share many cards. Use the actual set the card came from; don't translate-as-equivalent.

Two minutes of bonus practice

Pull up your three most expensive raw Japanese cards in your eBay store right now. Open each listing. Edit the title to add native script for the card name and set code per the pattern above. Save.

Watch impressions over the next 7 days. Compare to the prior 7. If you don't see a 30%+ lift, I'll be surprised.

— Jamie

The vault auto-titles every Japanese card you import with bilingual native-script + English. Configure the title template once; ship 500 JP cards with perfect titles in an afternoon.