Shopping Guide
HELP / FAQs
By onemall 
TL;DR
Darkrai VSTAR SAR (228/172) from VSTAR Universe costs ¥12,700 to ¥13,480 in a PSA 10 slab today, the single PSA 9 is ¥12,800 — ¥100 more than the cheapest 10 — and raw copies run ¥3,333 (wear) to ¥5,480 (Suruga-ya). The cheapest slab is 3.8× the cheapest raw; thirty PSA 10s and fifty raws were in stock.
- Cheapest PSA 10: ¥12,700 (US$87.63) on Mercari, authentication available; ¥12,800 Mercari; ¥13,000 and ¥13,480 Yahoo! Flea Market.
- The only PSA 9 is ¥12,800 — priced as a 10; ignore it.
- Raw copies: ¥3,333 slight wear, ¥3,800 clean, ¥4,290 unused — all with authentication; ¥5,480 from Suruga-ya.
- Fifty raws in stock against thirty slabs.
As of September 2026, the VSTAR Universe Darkrai VSTAR special art rare is a ¥12,700 slab with four sellers inside ¥780 of each other, an unused raw at ¥4,290, and a lone PSA 9 whose seller wants PSA 10 money.
Here is a live read of Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 across PSA 10, PSA 9 and raw on Japanese marketplaces, what the premium buys, and how to buy from Japan.
Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 PSA 10 price in Japan today: 30 slabs in stock
Thirty PSA 10 slabs, one PSA 9 and fifty raw copies were in stock this morning. The four cheapest slabs, the 9 and four raws follow.
| Grade | Price today | Platform · seller condition note | Mercari authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | ¥12,700 (US$87.63) | Mercari · No obvious damage or stains | +¥1,700 available |
| PSA 10 | ¥12,800 (US$88.32) | Mercari · Unused | — |
| PSA 10 | ¥13,000 (US$89.70) | Yahoo! Flea Market · No Obvious Damage or Stains | — |
| PSA 10 | ¥13,480 (US$93.01) | Yahoo! Flea Market · Unused | — |
| PSA 9 | ¥12,800 (US$88.32) | Mercari · Nearly unused | +¥1,700 available |
| Raw (ungraded) | ¥3,333 (US$23.00) | Mercari · Slight damage or stain | +¥1,700 available |
| Raw (ungraded) | ¥3,800 (US$26.22) | Mercari · No obvious damage or stains | +¥1,700 available |
| Raw (ungraded) | ¥4,290 (US$29.60) | Mercari · Unused | +¥1,700 available |
| Raw (ungraded) | ¥5,480 (US$37.81) | Suruga-ya · Shop stock | — |
Every price in this table is the seller’s listed price for that Darkrai VSTAR copy, read from the item page on 2026-09-20; the USD figure is the checkout conversion shown alongside it. All rows are Japanese-language prints of the Pokémon TCG[5], and condition notes are the seller’s own Mercari / Yahoo! Flea Market condition field, translated — Suruga-ya rows are shop stock without one. Seller titles are in Japanese; the tiles further down link to each listing. Mercari itself permits overseas purchases through partner proxy services[3].
Mercari has the slab floor at ¥12,700 with authentication and ¥12,800 (shipped with a PSA-case sleeve); Yahoo! Flea Market follows at ¥13,000 and ¥13,480. A ¥780 spread across thirty slabs. The single PSA 9 at ¥12,800 is priced level with the 10s — a seller anchored to an old figure. Raw copies are ¥3,333 with slight wear, ¥3,800 with no obvious damage and ¥4,290 unused — all three Mercari with authentication available — and ¥5,480 for Suruga-ya’s shop stock. Fifty raws in stock: a 2022 card with deep supply.
| Item | Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 |
|---|---|
| Set | VSTAR Universe high-class pack (s12a, VSTARユニバース)[4] |
| Collector number / rarity | 228/172 · Special Art Rare (SAR) |
| Cheapest PSA 10 (gem mint) in stock today | ¥12,700 (US$87.63) on Mercari |
| Cheapest raw copy in stock today | ¥3,333 (US$23.00) on Mercari |
| PSA 10 value vs raw (cheapest slab ÷ cheapest raw) | 3.81× — what the gem mint grade is worth over an ungraded copy today |
| In-stock listings found in today’s sweep | 30 PSA 10 · 1 PSA 9 · 50 raw |
| Data read | 2026-09-20 13:31 UTC, live item pages |
One scope note: this page prices the Japanese Darkrai VSTAR 228/172 from VSTAR Universe high-class pack only. English prints of the same artwork have their own collector number, set name and market, and none of the figures here apply to them[5]. Promos and full-art variants from other sets are separate cards as well — check the number on the PSA label against 228/172 before comparing.
Darkrai VSTAR PSA 10 value: is the slab worth 3.81× a raw copy?
A 3.8× multiple against the worn raw, 3.0× against the unused one, and a ¥9,367 gap: with the only PSA 9 priced as a 10, there is no honest reference for the middle grade. A self-submission on the ¥4,290 unused raw is a bet on hitting PSA’s GEM MT 10 standard[6] outright — the 10 pays ¥12,700, and a miss leaves you a certified card with no quoted market today. The ¥12,700 finished slab, with authentication available, is the certain route.
| Route | Cost today (JPY, before shipping) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Buy the cheapest PSA 10 slab | ¥12,700 | Grade already locked in; you pay the full premium, nothing to wait for. |
| Buy the cheapest raw copy as-is | ¥3,333 | Cheapest way to own the artwork; condition is whatever the photos show. |
| Buy the cheapest raw copy with Mercari authentication | ¥5,033 | ¥3,333 + ¥1,700 authentication fee[1]; the card is checked for authenticity before it ships, but it is still ungraded. |
Buy the ¥12,700 slab with Mercari authentication[1] (¥14,400 all-in) for gem mint. Buy the ¥4,290 unused raw with authentication (¥5,990 all-in) for the binder or a submission. Skip the ¥12,800 PSA 9.
Getting a Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 shipped from Japan
The purchase runs the same for the slab or a raw. Step by step:
- Step 1 — Pick the copy, not the average. Use the table above: the cheapest in-stock PSA 10 today is ¥12,700; anything above the range there is paying for a seller’s optimism.
- Step 2 — Order through OneMall. Click the tile, add to cart, and a Japan-side team places the Mercari order for you — sellers who write 海外発送不可 (no overseas shipping) still ship because the address is a Tokyo warehouse.
- Step 3 — Optional Mercari authentication. Raw copies that show the authentication option can be checked for +¥1,700[1][2]; for a PSA slab the label already does that job.
- Step 4 — First payment, then wait for arrival photos. Ask for unboxing photos if you want to see the slab corners before it flies.
- Step 5 — Second payment for international shipping. A single slab is light; batch it with other cards inside the 90-day free storage window and pay one shipping fee.
Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 copies you can buy today
Live copies, cheapest first: two raw copies, the ¥12,800 PSA 9 for reference, and the three cheapest PSA 10 slabs. Every tile opens that exact copy’s OneMall item page.
Conclusion — the buy for Darkrai VSTAR 228/172
Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172 is ¥12,700 in gem mint or ¥4,290 for an unused raw. Buy the slab or buy the card; the PSA 9 is priced for neither. See every Darkrai VSTAR 228/172 PSA 10 listing.
See also: PSA 10 Pokémon card prices in Japan: all 80 cards ranked · Zeraora VMAX SAR 219/172 PSA 10 price · Kai SAR 236/172 PSA 10 price · Pokémon card prices in Japan vs eBay · Card grading guide: PSA vs BGS vs CGC from Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a PSA 10 Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172?
In-stock Japanese listings on 2026-09-20 price it at ¥12,700 to ¥13,480 (about US$88–93 before shipping); the cheapest is a Mercari slab with authentication available.
Why is the PSA 9 the same price as a PSA 10?
One seller has listed the only PSA 9 at ¥12,800, ¥100 above the ¥12,700 PSA 10 floor. It is mispriced; ignore it.
Which raw Darkrai VSTAR 228/172 copy should I pick?
The ¥4,290 unused copy, or the ¥3,800 clean one — both on Mercari with authentication (+¥1,700)[1] available.
Which set is Darkrai VSTAR SAR from?
VSTAR Universe (s12a, VSTARユニバース), the December 2022 high-class pack; 228/172 is its special-art-rare number above the 172-card base.
Is there a PSA population report for Darkrai VSTAR SAR 228/172?
Yes — PSA’s Population Report[6] lists the census for every graded card, including this one, and it is the number to check before you buy for scarcity. It is not reproduced here because it changes constantly. The in-stock picture on 2026-09-20 — 30 PSA 10, 1 PSA 9, 50 raw copies — is the market-side supply figure this page can stand behind.
Last updated: 2026-09-21.
References
- Mercari Help Center — あんしん鑑定サービスの概要 (Mercari authentication service overview, fee ¥1,700 per card) — https://help.jp.mercari.com/guide/articles/1499/
- Mercari Help Center — あんしん鑑定サービスの利用方法（購入者） (how buyers use the authentication service) — https://help.jp.mercari.com/guide/articles/1501/
- Mercari Help Center — 海外取引サポート (overseas purchase support via partner cross-border services) — https://help.jp.mercari.com/guide/articles/1447/
- Pokémon Card Game official site (Japan), The Pokémon Company — https://www.pokemon-card.com/
- Pokémon Trading Card Game, The Pokémon Company International — https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg
- PSA — Professional Sports Authenticator, official grading company site — https://www.psacard.com/