This Guy Sold His Brother’s Rare Pokémon Cards for Over $4,000 Behind His Back, and Then Refused to Give Him the Money Because He “Found Them”

We all know the Pokémon card market has absolutely exploded in the last few years. What used to be a fun childhood hobby involving shiny cardboard and trading on the playground has turned into a high-stakes investment game where a single Charizard can pay off your student loans. But as the prices go up, apparently, so does the audacity of siblings who think they are entitled to a “finder’s fee” for selling things that do not belong to them. One younger brother on Reddit just learned that treating your sibling’s property like a treasure chest you just discovered is a quick way to destroy a relationship.

The OP (Original Poster) is nineteen, and his older brother is twenty-two. Like many kids who grew up in the 2000s, they amassed a massive collection of Pokémon cards—around a thousand of them—over a decade. The trouble started when the older brother began the stressful process of moving out of the family home. The OP claims he was “helping,” but while sifting through his brother’s stuff, he stumbled across a deck of cards and decided to do a little appraisal work without asking permission.

Recognizing that the market is hot right now, the OP started looking for the heavy hitters. He found a few rare cards in what he describes as “excellent condition.” Instead of running to his brother and saying, “Hey, look what I found, these might be worth something,” he took matters entirely into his own hands. He took the cards to get appraised the very next day. The estimate came back at a staggering $4,300. That is a life-changing amount of cash for a twenty-two-year-old trying to move into his first apartment.

Here is where the story goes from “entrepreneurial spirit” to “grand larceny.” The OP didn’t just get a quote; he went ahead and sold the cards for more than the $4,300 estimate through a private collector. He did all of this without sending a single text to his brother. He cashed out on his brother’s childhood memories before the guy even knew they were missing from the box.

The OP then “eagerly” told his brother about the earnings, expecting a high-five for his business acumen. Instead, the brother was infuriated. He rightfully demanded the full value of the cards. The OP, however, felt entitled to the money. He refused to give his brother the full amount, arguing that without him, the cards “never would’ve even seen the light of day.” He tried to “negotiate” giving his brother a mere cut of the profits. Imagine selling someone’s car while they are sleeping and then offering them a tip for your hard work.

The audacity to claim you deserve the lion’s share of the profit because you “put in the effort” to sell stolen goods is wild. The OP tries to justify it in the key details by saying the collection was likely a combination of both of theirs, but the fact remains that he found “his deck” while the brother was packing. Even if the collection was split 50/50, the OP had zero right to sell 100% of the assets without a conversation.

Now, the brother is sulking around the house and refusing to speak to the OP, which is the only appropriate reaction to being robbed by your own flesh and blood. The OP is worried because his brother is leaving in a few days and he doesn’t want to end on bad terms. Well, he might want to consider that the “bad terms” are entirely his fault. He took advantage of a chaotic time in his brother’s life to make a quick buck.

The OP claims he only requests a cut because he did the legwork, but that legwork was unauthorized. You don’t get a commission for fencing your family’s property. The brother likely could have used that $4,000+ for a security deposit, furniture, or just a safety net for moving out. Instead, he has a younger brother who thinks he is the Wolf of Wall Street because he knows how to use eBay.

So, is the OP the ahole? Without a doubt. If the collection was truly shared, it should have been a discussion. If the cards belonged to the brother, the OP owes him every single cent plus an apology tax.

What would you do if your sibling sold your childhood collection and tried to keep the cash? Would you sue them, or just never speak to them again? Let us know in the comments if you think the OP owes his brother a full refund!