Selling baseball cards online can be a lucrative way to make some extra cash, especially if you have a valuable collection taking up space. With so many options available, it’s not always clear what the best approach is. Here are some of the top methods for selling baseball cards online and tips to help you get the best returns.
One of the most popular options is to sell individually on eBay. eBay has the largest user base of any online marketplace, so you have a good chance of finding buyers there. Listing cards individually takes a lot of time. You’ll need to research each card to find a fair price, take photos, write descriptions, and package and ship each sale individually. The fees can also add up – eBay and PayPal each take around 10% of the final sale price.
A better eBay strategy if you have a large collection is to bundle similar cards together and sell in lots. For example, you could group all the 2020 Topps cards together in one lot rather than listing each one separately. This reduces the time spent listing while still allowing buyers to purchase multiple cards at once. Be sure to clearly describe what’s included in each lot. You’ll earn a bit less per card on average but the reduced workload makes it worthwhile.
Another marketplace worth considering is COMC (Cardboard Connection). They specialize in trading cards of all sports and charge flat monthly listing fees rather than a percentage of each sale. This can be cheaper overall than eBay if you have a large collection to sell. They also handle the photography, descriptions, and fulfillment for you. The tradeoff is that COMC has a smaller buyer base than eBay so it may take longer for your cards to sell.
For valuable vintage or rare cards graded by authentication companies like PSA or BGS, your best option is to consign them to an established auction house like Heritage Auctions or Robert Edward Auctions. They have deep pools of serious collectors bidding and can maximize prices for high-end cards. Auction houses take larger commissions, around 15-20% plus other fees. This approach only makes sense if the card is truly valuable, say $500 or more.
Selling directly to local card shops is another potential avenue, though you likely won’t get top dollar that way. Card shops need to make a profit when reselling so they’ll offer you 50-70% of what they think they can resell the card for. It has the advantage of being a quick, cash sale without fees. Call around to local shops and ask what they pay for different types and conditions of cards.
If you want to avoid fees altogether, consider selling on Facebook Marketplace or sports card trading groups on Facebook. Post photos of your collection with prices and wait for interested buyers to message you. The tradeoff is a much smaller potential buyer pool. You’ll need to meet up locally for the sale and accept only cash. Take precautions like meeting in a public place for safety.
No matter where you sell, carefully grading card conditions accurately is crucial. Use the standard 1-10 grading scale and describe flaws transparently. Take high quality photos showing the front and back of each card. Price fairly based on sold listings of similar graded cards on platforms like eBay. Overpricing will cause your cards to sit unsold. Proper packaging is also important to avoid damage during shipping.
With some effort, you can maximize the returns from your baseball card collection by choosing the right sales method based on the type and value of cards you have. Following best practices like clear descriptions, competitive pricing and secure shipping will help move your cards quickly to collectors eager to grow their own collections. With the right approach, selling online can be an effective way to cash in on cards taking up space.
