Online Auction Sites:
EBay is probably the best-known and most popular option for selling individual vintage baseball cards online through auctions. You can set a starting price and auction length, and let buyers bid against each other to determine the final selling price. Some key things to keep in mind with eBay include paying auction and final value fees, providing detailed photos and description, and properly packaging cards for shipping. Another good auction option is Heritage Auctions, which specializes more in high-end cards but will also sell lower valued vintage cards.
Online Sports Card Marketplaces:
Sites like Sportlots.com and COMC.com (Cardboard Connection) allow you to sell cards at fixed prices or take offers from buyers. You set the price and don’t have to deal with auctions. These sites charge monthly or per-card listing fees but take care of photography, description, payments, and shipping for you. They have large customer bases of collectors actively looking to buy on the sites. COMC in particular has a detailed grading system to easily see condition.
Local Card Shops:
If you have a local sports card and memorabilia shop, that can be a good option for getting cash quickly and not dealing with shipping. The downside is you likely won’t get top dollar compared to online since their inventory costs are higher. But they may buy entire collections at fair bulk prices. Be sure to shop around different local shops to compare offers.
Collectible Card conventions and Shows:
Major card shows and conventions like the National Sports Collectors Convention or Cardboard Castles bring together thousands of collectors and dealers. Here you can set up a dealer table and sell cards individually or in runs, take offers on your whole collection, and network with other collectors and dealers face-to-face. You need to factor in costs of a table or booth, travel, lodging, and it can be difficult to monetarily justify for lower end vintage finds.
Consignment with Major Dealers:
If you have truly high-value vintage rookie cards or exceptional hall-of-famers in top grades, your best bet may be consigning the cards with major vintage sports memorabilia/card dealers who have international clientele. They’ll give you a percentage of the final sale price if/when the card is sold, often after keeping the card on their shelves or showcases for some time. This also means handing your cards over long-term without necessarily a guaranteed sale.
Facebook Groups and Instagram:
There are lots of very active vintage card collectors groups on Facebook where you can post individual cards, runs, or entire collection lots for sale. Prices are usually fixed, with the option for buyers to make offers. Shipping and payments are done privately. Instagram is another popular place for collectors to sell, with the added bonus of including photos right in your postings. Both these options let you reach collectors globally.
For reliably getting the best overall prices on vintage baseball cards through a proven selling venue with the most efficient process and buyer reach, your best options are generally online auction sites like eBay or sports card marketplaces like COMC or Sportlots that take care of photography, listing, payments and shipping for a fee. But there are also viable options for a local sale through card shop trade-ins or Facebook/IG directly to collectors if you prefer to avoid fees. With some research, understand the pros and cons of each platform to choose the best fit for your collection.
