How to check booster packs are factory sealed

A resealed pack in a vending machine costs more than the pack. The buyer who opens it tells their friends, and the machine stops earning. These checks take seconds per pack once you know them.

1. The crimps

The top and bottom of a factory pack are pressed shut with an even, ridged crimp across the full width. Look for crimps that are flattened, uneven, doubled, or shiny with glue.

2. The back seam

The long seam down the back should be straight and flat from end to end. A seam that lifts, bubbles or looks melted is a warning.

3. The wrapper

Factory wrappers are tight around the cards. A loose wrapper, wrinkles near the ends, or a pack that feels like the cards slide around can mean it has been opened and closed.

4. Pinholes and tears

Hold the pack up to a light. Small holes or slits, often near the crimps, are how some packs are searched without opening them fully.

5. Compare with a pack you trust

Keep one pack from the same set that you know is untouched. Side by side, a bad crimp or a shifted print is easy to see.

What "never weighed or searched" means

Some sellers weigh packs or feel them to find the ones with rare cards, then sell the rest. A machine stocked from those leftovers pays out less, and buyers notice. Every pack Plutos sells is factory sealed and never weighed or searched: you get packs as they came from the factory.

If a pack fails a check

Set it aside, do not load it, and tell your supplier with a photo. Ours ship from the United States, loose and in tens, so a pack that fails is easy to spot when you count.