Online Marketplaces – Some of the largest and most well known online marketplaces for collecting items like baseball cards include eBay, Amazon Marketplace, and Mercari. eBay has been around the longest and likely has the largest pool of potential buyers. You can make a listing for individual cards or your entire collection and let bidding drive up the price. Payment is handled through the site. Shipping is your responsibility. eBay and other sites take a small listing/final value fee from completed sales.
Sport Card Trading Sites – Sites catered specifically to trading and selling sports cards include Sites like COMC (Cardboard Connection), Blowout Cards, and Sportlots. On these sites, you send your cards to their warehouse where they are then professionally photographed, graded if you request, and listed for sale online. When a card sells, they take a commission typically around 13-15% and handle shipping. This takes almost no work on your part once the initial sending in is done.
Local Card Shops – Brick and mortar card shops are still very common in most major cities and surrounding areas. They will buy collections outright or let you consign individual cards to sell on their shelves. Prices offered for outright buys are usually lower than what you could potentially get selling yourself online. Consigning lets them display the card and they take a cut (often 50%) if it sells. Payments are usually weekly or monthly for consigned items.
Facebook Marketplace/Buy Sell Trade Groups – Facebook has numerous local and category specific buy/sell groups. You can post individual cards or your entire collection for sale locally. Payment is handled directly between you and the buyer. Great way to avoid fees if you don’t mind meeting up for a sale. Risk of scams is higher than big marketplaces.
Card Shows/Conventions – Large comic book/card shows are held regularly in many cities and nationally. Vendors pay for tables to display inventory for sale. As an individual seller, you can rent a small table space and bring your cards to sell directly to attendees. These draw big crowds of collectors but table/booth space is extra cost on top of transportation.
Auctions – Live auction houses like Heritage Auctions specialize in collectibles including sports memorabilia and cards. High value/rare cards that could fetch $1000s or more are best suited here. Heritage and others also do internet-only auctions which have lower entry costs than live events. Commission fees are typically around 15-20% plus shipping costs.
When deciding where to sell, consider factors like ease of use, potential cost of fees, size of buyer pool, and desired timeline for a sale. Taking the time to properly organize, grade if warranted, and research values can help maximize profits no matter the chosen outlet. With some effort, old baseball cards that may be collecting dust can be turned intocash.
