Open almost any K-pop album for the first time and you'll find more than a CD. Tucked among the booklet and the posters is a small glossy card with a member's photo on it — a photocard. For many fans, that little card is the part they open first, and sometimes the part they care about most. If you've seen people online talking about "pulls" and "trades" and felt lost, this guide explains what photocards are, why they spark such a lively collecting culture, and how to take part without spending more than you can afford.
The short version: photocards are collectible trading cards of idol members, packed more or less randomly into albums, which makes getting the member you want a bit of a lucky draw. That randomness is the whole engine behind collecting and trading. Let's unpack it gently.
What a photocard actually is
A photocard — almost always shortened to PC — is a small printed card, roughly the size of a credit card, featuring a posed photo of one group member. Each album release usually comes with a set of photocards designed for that comeback, with a different design for every member. When you buy a sealed album, you don't get to choose which member's card is inside; it's sealed at the factory and assigned at random.
That single design choice is why photocards became their own hobby. If you have a favourite member — your "bias," in fan shorthand — there's no guarantee a given album will contain their card. You might get a member you weren't collecting, or a duplicate of one you already have. Multiply that across a group of seven, nine or more members, and completing a set by luck alone becomes genuinely hard.
"Pulls" and "inclusions": the words you'll meet first
Two terms come up constantly. A pull is simply the card you got when you opened an album — "my pull was the maknae," meaning the youngest member's card came out. Because it's random, your pull is down to chance.
An inclusion is the broader word for anything extra packed inside an album besides the CD and booklet: photocards, but also stickers, postcards, folded posters and so on. Different versions of the same album sometimes have different inclusions, and special editions or store-exclusive copies may carry rarer photocards you can't get any other way. We cover what's in a typical album, and the different versions, in our guide to how to buy K-pop albums.
Why randomness drives collecting and trading
Because you can't pick your pull, two fans almost always end up with cards the other one wants. One person pulls your bias; you pull theirs. The natural fix is to trade — and from that simple exchange grew an entire community of buying, selling and swapping cards across the world.
You'll see this community speak in a shorthand built from a few three-letter codes. Learning them makes fan posts instantly readable:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| PC | Photocard — a collectible card of one member, packed in albums |
| Pull | The card you got from opening an album (it's random) |
| Inclusion | Any extra item inside an album — photocards, posters, stickers |
| WTS | Want To Sell — this person is selling cards |
| WTT | Want To Trade — they'll swap a card for another card |
| WTB | Want To Buy — they're looking to buy a specific card |
| Proof | Photos or feedback showing a trader is trustworthy and ships as promised |
So a post reading "WTS/WTT, have bias photocards, looking for [member]" translates to: I'm selling or swapping the cards I have, and I'm hoping to get a particular member in return. Once these codes click, the marketplace stops looking like a secret language. For more shorthand like this, our fan slang glossary lays out the everyday terms in plain English.
How condition and rarity affect value
Not every photocard is treated the same. Two things mostly shape how sought-after a card is: how rare it is, and what condition it's in.
- Rarity. Cards from limited editions, early pressings, store exclusives or special events are harder to find, so more collectors chase them.
- Condition. Collectors care a lot about corners, scratches, bends and printing flaws. A pristine, perfectly cut card is valued more highly than one with dinged corners.
- Demand for the member. Cards of more popular members, or of a member during a memorable era, naturally attract more interest.
- Set completeness. A full matching set from one release can be worth more together than the same cards sold one by one.
Because of all this, collectors handle cards carefully — using sleeves and toploaders (rigid plastic holders), avoiding sunlight, and never writing on them. We're not going to quote prices here, because they shift constantly and vary by region; just know that condition and rarity, not the photo alone, are what move a card's value.
Safe trading basics
Most traders are honest fans who simply want the cards they love. But because money and shipping are involved, a little caution protects you. The backbone of safe trading is proof: clear photos of the actual card (often with the date or a username written on a sticky note beside it), plus a trader's feedback history from past deals.
A few habits keep trades clean. Use a payment method that offers buyer protection rather than irreversible transfers. Ask for time-stamped photos of the exact card. Check whether the person has positive feedback others have left them. Agree clearly on who pays shipping and how the card will be packaged. And take screenshots of your conversation so both sides remember what was agreed.
The cost reality — and collecting within your means
Here's the honest part. Because cards are random, the temptation is to buy multiple copies of an album chasing one member's photocard. That can add up fast, and it's worth naming plainly: buying albums purely for the cards inside is a choice to make carefully, not a requirement of being a fan.
You can love a group deeply and own zero photocards. You can also collect happily by trading for cards rather than mass-buying albums, which is often cheaper and more reliable. Set a budget you're comfortable with and treat it as a ceiling. The hobby is meant to add joy, not strain your finances, and no amount of cards makes someone a "better" fan.
Official versus unofficial cards
One last distinction saves a lot of confusion. Official photocards are the ones produced by the company and packed into real albums or official merchandise. Unofficial or fan-made cards are printed by third parties and fans — sometimes sold openly as fan goods, sometimes passed off dishonestly as official.
There's nothing wrong with knowingly enjoying fan-made cards; many are lovingly designed. The problem is only when an unofficial card is sold as the real thing. If you're collecting official cards specifically, look closely at print quality, the finish, and how it matches known images of that release, and ask the seller directly whether it's official. Honest traders will tell you straight away.
The short version
Photocards are random collectible cards of group members, and that randomness is what built a whole world of pulls, trades and friendly swaps. Learn the shorthand — PC, pull, inclusion, WTS, WTT, WTB and proof — and the marketplace opens up. Mind condition and rarity, always ask for proof, know that official and unofficial cards both exist, and collect only as far as your budget happily allows. Done that way, photocard culture is one of the warmest, most social corners of being a K-pop fan.