Selling your baseball card collection can be a great way to earn some extra cash or find good homes for cards you no longer want. While you can try selling locally through websites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, many card collectors prefer to use dedicated online marketplaces that cater specifically to the hobby. Here are some of the most popular sites to sell baseball cards and the pros and cons of each:
eBay – Without question, eBay is the largest online marketplace for buying and selling all types of collectibles, including baseball cards. There are millions of active buyers searching for cards on eBay every day, so you have a very good chance of finding interested bidders. EBay takes a final value fee of around 12-13% of the sale price, so you won’t keep the full amount. They also charge additional fees for features like adding photos. Still, the massive audience makes eBay a good first choice for moving mid-to-high value baseball cards quickly. Just be sure to carefully research sold values to price your cards competitively.
CardSwap – A niche site specifically for trading cards, CardSwap has a much smaller user base than eBay but also charges lower fees of just 5-10% depending on the sale price. Since it’s focused solely on cards, buyers and sellers tend to be very knowledgeable about values. There are fewer daily visitors compared to a giant marketplace, so cards may take longer to sell. CardSwap’s mobile app is also more limited than eBay’s. Still, if you want to reach serious card collectors without as high of fees, CardSwap is a solid option.
COMC (Cardboard Connection) – One of the largest online sellers of sports cards overall, COMC allows you to send in your cards bulk to be photographed, described and listed for sale by their team. This takes longer than individually listing items yourself but means you don’t need to deal with photography, packing or shipping individually. COMC charges 8-15% in fees depending on sales volume but their large database means high visibility. Cards can sell relatively quickly on COMC. Just beware, it may take a couple months to receive payment after a sale completes as they batch process payments.
Sportlots – More focused on higher-end vintage and star cards, Sportlots skews to a more experienced collector base. Their website interface is less user-friendly than eBay, but has excellent search and filter options once you learn to navigate it. Sellers are charged 11-13% in fees depending on monthly volume, with a cheaper flat-fee option as an alternative too. Their authentication service for vintage cards offers collectors assurance, though it comes at a cost. Overall Sportlots is best for moving valuable vintage cards to advanced collectors.
Facebook Groups – Joining private Facebook groups for trading or selling baseball cards can be a good alternative to websites, as they have lower fees (or none in many cases). You’ll have a smaller potential buyer pool than the top sites above. It also takes more effort to build trust within groups over time. Photography standards may vary more too. Groups work best if you have valuable vintage cards to trade directly with other experienced collectors. For casual lots, the sites above provide more visibility.
When determining where to sell your baseball cards, consider factors like the value and types of cards, your time commitment, desired payment speed and fees. Higher value vintage cards might do best on Sportlots, while common lots could sell faster on eBay due to sheer traffic. CardSwap strikes a nice balance with modest fees and an engaged collector base. Sites like COMC remove much of the legwork but involve longer wait times. Evaluate your options to find the best fit for your collection. With the right online marketplace, you can earn some cash selling off duplicate baseball cards.
