BEFORE buying ANY Pokemon game on ebay, be aware that that many of these games have internal batteries that are dead, and you will be unable to save your game progress. These games will work fine when you play them; you won't realize there is a problem until after you have saved a game, and then try to resume play when you turn the game back on: There will be no CONTINUE option--you will have to start a new game. Most sellers only check that the game loads and may list them as working--well, they do work, you just can't save your game!

DO NOT BUY A POKEMON GAME WITH AN EXPIRED INTERNAL BATTERY. The only way to be sure the battery still works is to ask the seller if there is a saved game on the cartridge. Ask the seller to turn the game on and check for a CONTINUE option. If there is not a saved game on the cartridge, and the only option is to start a new game, then the internal battery is probably dead. (After all, these games ARE used and would surely have a game saved on the cartridge.) These games work perfectly, but when you save your game, it doesn't get stored on the battery. After saving your game, it will say that you did, in fact, save the game. But when you turn the game back on to resume play, it will not be there. Your only choice will be to start a new game--there will not be a CONTINUE option. So you can play your heart out, but never be able to save your game progress.