The sports card industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, and it continues to grow as collectors and investors become more educated. Out of 34 different card indexes, there are currently 24 that have an increase in price percentage. While there are numerous sharks who continue to make money, grow their personal collections, and deal thousands of dollars of cards, there continues to be one major hurdle for novice hobbyists: buying and selling.
As simple as it may sound, buying and selling are the two main ingredients to moving cards, but it is the one aspect that can make or break a hobby enthusiast. That being said, there are key terms and ideas to be aware of before making a deal in the market.
Buying
Many people have the misconception that money is made in the card market when they sell. However, profit begins when someone realizes that they will need enough room to flip their purchase for a positive profit. One of the best ways to do this is buying cards in bulk. 90% of card dealers will offer better deals when a buyer is buying in bulk, because ultimately they also want a larger deal to be completed.
It is important to note that the standard percentage of offers being negotiated is roughly 80%. This means that a specific card would be purchased for 80% of that card's market at the time. For example, if a card has sold on average for $100 over the past month, a buyer should be comfortable with offering around $80. Ultimately, buying more cards in bulk at this percentage will leave you with more room to flip individually, thus creating profit.
Selling
The supreme advice for selling any type of card is to be well-researched and knowledgeable on the prices of the cards you are selling. To do this, eBay or Card Ladder are excellent tools for “comping” cards (comping cards will be explained in another article). Taking the average sold listings over the course of the past few months is typically a good starting point to set as the market value of a card. It is also important to mark this price somewhere on cards by placing a sale sticker on it, so buyers can see prices without asking about each individual card.
Negotiating the prices of cards should be like a conversation: one side starts and then the other side counters if they would like. In the end, deals are made by being flexible and allowing both the buyer and seller to feel comfortable with the sale.