Collecting cards can be a thrilling hobby, but it can also be a lucrative venture if you know how to navigate the market when selling football cards, too.
Selling Football Cards Today
The area of selling football cards has changed dramatically over recent years.
Not only in the case of how many options there are out there, but also the concept of grading, storing, preserving and searching for them – which has grown in positive and negative ways.
In this article, I will be providing some tips I’ve picked up myself along with some research I’ve done to give you the best grounding when it comes to selling football cards in the current market.
Whether you’re looking to sell a few cards or liquidate an entire collection, these five tips will help you maximize your profits and ensure a smooth selling process.
Firstly, let’s start with the most obvious one:
Know the Value of Your Cards
Before selling, it’s crucial to understand the value of your football cards.
So, research is key – and there are plenty of ways to do it.
- Price Guides: Use resources like Beckett, PSA, or online price guides to get an idea of your cards’ value before going to list them on any marketplace or when selling privately.
- Marketplaces: Check platforms like eBay for completed listings to see what similar cards have sold for recently. You can do this on the web version by clicking ‘sold items’ on the checklist to the right when filtering through search queries for your items.
- Grading Services: Consider getting your cards graded by a professional service like PSA or BGS. Graded cards often fetch higher prices, especially if they receive a high grade. Note, this will come with an additional cost when looking at how many cards you’re grading and with whom. For more information on what gets considered when grading cards, click here.
When it comes to grading from places like the UK, you may want to consider using a middle-person service like The Sub Centre, to handle the annoying admin part of this process.
Understanding the market value of your cards helps you set realistic prices and avoid underselling valuable items. It also avoids you overpricing them, which may not be an immediate problem when selling football cards, but could damage your reputation in the long run.
Presentation Matters
The way you present your football cards can significantly impact their selling price:
- Condition: Ensure your cards are in the best possible condition. Clean them carefully and store them in protective sleeves or cases. For a more in-depth guide on this, click here.
- Photography: Take clear, high-quality photos. Use good lighting and capture both the front and back of the card. Highlight any unique features or imperfections.
- Description: Write detailed descriptions for each card. Include information such as the player’s name, team, year, card number, and any notable achievements or stats.
A well-presented listing attracts more potential buyers and can justify higher prices. It also, once again, helps to build your reputation and selling presence in the market.
Choose the Right Selling Platform
Selecting the right platform to sell your football cards can make a significant difference:
- Online Marketplaces: eBay, COMC, and other online marketplaces offer a broad audience and auction-style or fixed-price listings. But you’ll have to work hard to break into this space and hoover up some of the market space that’s currently being held by a competing seller.
- Social Media Groups: Facebook groups and other social media communities dedicated to card collecting can be excellent places to find interested buyers. Growing your own social media presence online is an option but very time-consuming to do properly nowadays.
- Card Shows and Local Shops: Attend card shows or visit local hobby shops to sell your cards in person. These venues often attract serious collectors willing to pay top dollar. Then again, this is usually only an option for selling football cards in the US – and they call it ‘soccer’, so…
Build a Good Reputation
A good reputation can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth:
- Honesty: Always be honest about the condition of your cards and any defects they may have.
- Delivery: It’s really worth investing time (and some money) into making sure your sold items arrive in a timely manner and in presentable condition to buyers. Nothing can hurt your reputation more than being known as a low-attention seller who doesn’t show much care for their buyers.
- Communication: Respond promptly to inquiries and provide excellent customer service, which will no doubt help spread the word that you’re somebody worth dealing with.
- Feedback: Encourage satisfied buyers to leave positive feedback if you’re selling on a platform that supports reviews. When starting out on your journey of selling football cards, it might be a good idea to reach out directly to buyers and politely ask for feedback to build that reputation.
Presenting yourself as a trusted and reliable seller can only help to increase your chances of success in the long run. So it’s always worth looking into when starting out, as I say!
Summary
Selling football cards can be a rewarding experience if you approach it with the right strategies.
By understanding the value of your cards, presenting them well, choosing the appropriate selling platforms, setting competitive prices, and building a good reputation, you can maximize your profits and enjoy the process.
Happy selling!
What are your biggest tips for selling football cards?