Over the last 22 years, the hobby has moved almost entirely online, with most in person interactions still having a lot of major aspects dominated by a presence on the internet. The fact that you are reading this post means you understand that, and it should be expected that you do.
All that being said, there are thousands of new collectors joining the hobby each week, and for the majority of them, being a part of the community is a foreign concept. Its not easy to be indoctrinated either, there are a lot of nuances and challenges to existing without being labeled or ostracized. I wanted to put this together as a feeble, yet comprehensive guide to joining up. Its not going to get into the tiny minutiae of everything, but hopefully enough for people to get started.
I have recently done business (both successfully and unsuccessfully) with very new people to the community, and some are savvy enough to get it on their own. Others, not so much. I wanted to give them a link to a guide, so I thought that this would be the best way to accomplish it. Who knows, maybe some of the established people can add their suggestions or learn a bit themselves too!
If you want to read about something specifically – use cntrl+F because this is going to get long. I dont expect anyone to sit down and read this, but hopefully you can use this link to help new people to your groups or individual businesses.
Getting Started Online
There are a few main places that every collector should familiarize themselves with. These are the main online hubs of the hobby and everyone should absolutely have a presence on all of them, even if you dont plan on using them frequently. Ill get more into the hubs in depth later on, but this is the starting point.
eBay – If you are unfamiliar with what eBay is all about at this point, that’s pretty shocking. However, many people dont have a lot of good context on how to do multiple things to accomplish goals. Ebay can be as much about buying and selling, as it is about tracking value and being able to sense market trends. If you arent on eBay to at least find a good idea of what you have and what you want, start there.
Twitter – For the most part, the hobby community growth started in two places back in 2015. One was Instagram, and the other was Facebook. Twitter has become a place for people with a different mindset, more focused on collecting and chatting rather than moving cards. If you follow me (@SCUncensored) there, and follow who I follow, I have a good mix of people.
Instagram – Its not shocking that a photo focused application would be the new home of sharing your collecting. Originally it was photobucket, followed by any number of photo sharing apps. Now its all about flex culture and its all on Instagram. The culture is its own little world, but you can immediately start to look at certain hashtags to see who the biggest influencers are.
Facebook – I stayed away from this hub early on, mainly because it can be the wild west. Tens of thousands of people all doing things their own way gets overwhelming. The more you can get familiarized with the facebook culture, the easier it will be to find places to engage across the hobby. There will be a whole section on Facebook down the page, but its time to start getting back on and figuring out if you want to be a cowboy in this game, or just an observer.
Breakers.tv – Ill get into Group Breaks later on, but this rudimentary hub has become a great place to figure out what is going on and when. Breakers set up here and either fill breaks through the channels or through the chats. Im not going to give a full rundown in the intro, but this is a place to check out and create an account. Even if you arent going to participate, group breaks drive a HUGE portion of the hobby.
Valuation Apps – tracking value in the hobby can be both difficult and hard to understand. A new trend is getting established around APIs that are plugged into many different platforms to track sales of specific cards. Apps like CardLadder were just acquired to help Collector’s Universe bring this to their portfolio. Ill dive into grading further down, but I would check this out just to see how investors get their information.
Breaking Apps – There are now a number of applications that offer breaks on demand, mostly like a virtual cardshop or a group break atmosphere. Most feature lots of vendors who take payment through these apps and can give you access to products and wax. The two most common are WhatNot and Loupe, and can be downloaded from the app store. If you dont have a shop near you, this is a great way to get product into your hands easily.
COMC.com – A giant online single card hub that offers millions of cards for sale and can hold them for you to resell or ship to your house. A number of other services are offered, but this is a one stop shop for a lot of buying and selling that is likely the largest dedicated selling platform outside of eBay.
Message Boards – As you might expect there are a ton of message boards out there and many are community specific. The larger ones like Blowout Cards Message Boards are easily accessible, and easy to join. Go search them out.
Finding Your Community and Getting Established
Now that you see the hubs, there are a ton of wonderful communities out there to join. Most of them are either housed on specific websites dedicated to a part of the hobby, or through groups on facebook. Ill use Facebook as an example, because it is usually the one that is the most difficult to get established. On the platform, you can search for groups based on what you are looking to do. From there, you can request membership, and see if they will accept you into their group.
At that point, its important to get established. Read the rules of the community, usually posted in a very prominent spot. If you cant find it, go to an admin and ask for the rules. Its best to be a model of good behavior at the start, so that people wont assign undue suspicion to your membership. After you figure out what to do and not to do, read through some of the posts, comment as you feel applicable, and start establishing your brand. Its probably best to wait on diving into selling and flaunting goods until you have been around for a while, but sometimes thats the best way to get involved.
On platforms like twitter and instagram, search out like minded people and engage with them. The best way to do this is to start with official news sources or trusted community members and follow who they follow. If you were brought into the hobby by a friend, ask for some suggestions. Otherwise, just use the search bars on any platform and find someone with a ton of followers. Then just look at who they follow and start weaving a web. To get followers of your own, you will need to bring value to the community, either through insight or showing off your goods. I started commenting on people’s posts and chatting with them across many different topics. Some were more willing to mentor than others, so be conscious of what role they play in the community if they are an individual.
Outside of that, connect with the manufacturers. Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, Leaf and others all have official accounts, so its good to see how they work with the community as a whole too.
Lastly, start reading, watching and learning. Go on youtube and watch breaks. Try to figure out what drives people in the hobby to go and do what they do. There are a ton of resources out there, and some are better than others. Make sure to try to separate the best educators from the lesser ones to avoid content that isn’t relevant.
Payments
Before you get started with any presence, you will need a way to get cash to people and receive. I would suggest getting online with PayPal, which is the most widely used form of payment. Go to Paypal.com and set up your account and link a card and a bank account as soon as you can. It will take some time to get you to a point where Paypal will recognize you as a seller and a buyer, so you will need to establish yourself. Buying and selling online cannot be something you go from zero to 100 miles per hour.
Establishing Your Profile – First, add a bank and a credit card. I would feel absolutely comfortable with this in Paypal. Other apps like Venmo as well. Outside of that, my trust is limited. Similarly, add a shipping profile to your Paypal account that will function as your home base. All information will take time for them to confirm, so you need to do this now, even if you arent expecting payments in the future. They will need to make sure your address is real, and likely confirm a bank account is actually there. Credit cards are easier to verify through some of these apps, but its not instant. Do NOT add information that is different than what you will use to buy and sell.
Types of Payment – There are two types of Payment in/out in the hobby, and both have their benefits and challenges associated. They are broken down into the following – buyer protected payments and fee avoidance payments. Paypal can support both types, but most of the other apps have only limited availability for any buyer protected. Paypal offers a payment called goods and services, which means that there is expectations that the seller will be transacting business with the money. This usually includes a small percentage of fees that are provided to paypal that come out of the final number. So if you send 100 dollars G&S, the seller may only receive 97 dollars. As a result, the seller and buyer also have access to dispute resolution, which means the buyers can reclaim the cash if something doesnt go as planned. The other type of payment is Friends and Family, which is a fee-free method of payment. Basically, its the equivalent of handing cash to another individual. No one pays fees, but there is also no dispute resolution. Venmo, CashApp, FacebookPay, all have this method, and it should only be used in trustworthy situations.
Buyer Protected Payment Limitations and Benefits – The reason most hubs and groups require payment in PayPal goods is because of this. Sometimes abbreviated (G&S) this makes sure there is accountability in most transactions. Its not FULL protection, but at least there is SOME. Sending G&S does not mean you are guaranteed anything. Receiving payments through G&S does not mean you are free from responsibility. Unfortunately, Paypal also recognized a few things for 2022. If you receive more than $600 dollars to your account, a tax form will be generated. This means that all profits are subject to income tax, leading to a need for more tracking of purchases and tax forms to ensure that the government gets the right cut. Paypal used to have a MUCH higher threshold, but the boom of the collectibles industry has put pressure on them from a number of places to make buyers get their taxes done more appropriately. As I get into buying and selling more in depth, ill mention its important to track your stuff. This is a main reason.
Fee Avoidance Payments Limitations and Benefits – As a collector, be prepared to be asked for this type of payment more and more frequently now that taxation enforcement by PayPal has changed so drastically. BE VERY, VERRRRRRY careful with this type of payment as a whole. You should treat this like you are handing money to someone, and NEVER send any money you cant afford to lose. Reputations are so important in this hobby, but things happen. If someone requests Venmo or CashApp, and wont take G&S, there needs to be additional questions you ask. Is this person established enough to trust them? Do they have something to lose if the transaction does not go as planned. There are a lot of people that have indeed established themselves as worthy of Paypal F&F or Venmo, as they have enough to lose if they walk away with your payment.
Etiquette Around Payment Types – When you send as goods, it automatically assigns a shipment profile that you have set up in Paypal. That’s why that is so important to do BEFORE all this goes down. Some sellers may ask you to cover the fees they have to pay, this is understood and worth it. Some sellers wont request. Dont be taken aback if you are asked to cover or provide payment in “Net” – which means you pay enough to get them what they want. For the fee-free payments, make sure to send them your shipping address along with payment so they know where to ship. There is no ship profile that is attached when you send through this method.
Preparing Yourself to Sell Cards
There are a few different things you need to be prepared for as you begin to consider selling cards online. You need a way to show what you have, a way to receive payments, a way to protect the sold cards, and supplies to ship to the buyer. Ill cover each of them.
Showcasing Your Item – Find a way to take a good picture of your card. Well lit, clear, and able to be zoomed. The photos should highlight a few areas to ensure the buyer has a good understanding of the card’s condition. Edges, corners, surface and centering are all important in Grading, so photos should make an effort to be clear on those areas. If its low value, there might be more wiggle room, but the higher the value, the more important it is to get high quality photos. I would consider a light box or a specific light designed for this if you plan on selling frequently. They are inexpensive and make a bunch of difference.
Receiving Payments – If you sell, there are two things you need to understand. First, If its hard to pay you, the deal could fall through. Second, you wont get your money TODAY, likely. So be prepared to wait. Ebay will handle all of this automatically through your selling portal, but Paypal will require you to get established before they will release G&S payments to you without hold up. Venmo and Cashapp will be easier to cash out of, but few people will give those payments to you as a new seller.
Protecting Cards You Are Selling – Every card you ship needs protection of some sort. DO NOT try to sell cards you cant protect. It will give your buyers a lot of heartburn and likely disputes if the card doesnt arrive safely. Top loaders and penny sleeves are available at a local shop or on Amazon, and should be purchased immediately. Some higher end cards may requrie magnetic hard cases or “mags” to ensure that nothing is damaged. Again, look on Amazon or at a local shop. Low value cards still require protection, do not take a low value as a situation that precludes you from it. As a seller, YOU are responsible for protection, not the USPS, not anyone else but you. If it gets to the buyer and it is at all damaged, that’s on you.
Shipping Supplies – All shipments should be sent in padded mailers, unless you have advertised that it will be sent in a plain white envelope or “PWE.” Padded mailers are available at Target, Walmart or the post office, so you can get them very easily. Bulk orders are often easy. Once you have protected the card, you need to secure it, which means adding tape to the protective case and likely buying a supply of soft baggies called “team bags” to ensure the card stays in the case when you ship it.
Tracking – It is essential to ensure the buyer has a way to track the shipment of the cards. You need to provide this information immediately, and likely a picture of the package you are sending as well. This is a major part of dispute resolution, should something go wrong. If someone provides tracking to you, and it doesnt move on the website in a reasonable amount of time (a day or two), that’s when you need to get in contact with people.
Labels – Paypal has a function that you can print off an official postage label for USPS on your home printer. Go to the multi-order shipping link on the right hand side of the account page. From there you can purchase all sorts of postage and just get some scotch tape to affix the label to the package you are shipping. SUPER convenient, and then you can just go to a post office and drop it off. Ebay uses this functionality to print labels too, so make sure you get familiar with how to do it. Search on youtube for a step by step video of how to do it if you need to.
Actually Posting Your Sale Online
There are a few ways to sell cards, outside of just posting an item on eBay. Ill try to break down the benefits and limitations of each.
eBay – Biggest audience, but also the most rigor around the rules for selling something. You will be required to set price, provide payment application, and ship securely. As complicated as it seems, there are a million videos to watch that show how to do this effectively, and it will likely get your card the most eyes. Its also ripe with ways to be scammed, but not as much as other methods. Im not going to get into the common ways here, but there is a level of care that needs to be considered.
Facebook – this is the wild west as mentioned above, as most sales are done through the marketplace (I dont recommend), or through community groups that set their own rules of engagement. I have done more business through facebook over the last few years than I ever have in years past. I will say, it takes longer to get established and prove you are trust worthy. If you have a high demand item, some of that might be able to be done more quickly. Ill get more into Facebook in a second, but this is a quick and easy way to sell stuff to a large audience as well. Because rules are set individually, its easy to find a platform to sell with the rules you want. The problem is, Facebook is probably the most scam ridden cesspool on the planet, so be exceptionally careful dealing with people who arent established.
COMC.com – This one is a bit unique, but there are a ton of instruction and help available to assist. Go on their website and follow the instructions, the process is slower, but they handle so much of the risk that it is beyond awesome once you the hang of it. From a scam perspective, COMC is likely one of the most secure selling platforms on the planet, but you sacrifice speed to get it.
Private Auction Houses – If you are lucky enough to have something of extreme value, places like Goldin Auctions and Hertiage Auctions are a place to consider. Its all done through consignment, but there is little risk due to the security of the platform. Im not sure I would sell something above 5 figures outside of one of these places. Its worth the money.
Determining Value for Your Sale/Purchase – WHAT IS MY ITEM WORTH?
This is going to be something that many people will never agree on, but its important if you are going to do any business online. Gone are the days of price guides and static value, replaced with a much more stock market type volatility that needs to be considered on a real-time basis. Right now, because of the way the hobby functions, value is dynamic and can change so frequently, your head will spin. So, how do you figure out what to do with your card you want to buy or sell? Here are the plusses and minuses of multiple ways to do it.
eBay Completed Listings – I have always said that something is only as valuable as what someone else will pay for it. Lucky for us, we get that in spades with the sold listings on eBay. If your item is common enough, you can likely find comparative value, or “comps” on eBay. DO NOT confuse sold price with listed price. People will list things for crazy amounts, but they will never sell. Look at similar listings and similar cards, understanding that trading, buying and selling online is usually a negotiation, not a set price. In the last few years, eBay has limited access to certain final values achieved through their best offer feature, so use a site like 130point.com to get the actual numbers if they arent shown. Again, there are so many ways to figure out what your item is worth, you will likely have to piece it together from a number of data points.
Valuation apps – If you want a graphical representation of value over time there are now investment apps to showcase it. Card Ladder is one of the more relevant ones, which show ebay values, auction house values and other sales in a graph to show market trends. There are also indexes to give larger hobby value trajectory as well.
Ask the Audience – If you are on one of the community hubs, you can easily just ask opinions. Again, take everything with a grain of salt until you know what you are doing, but asking well established people on Twitter or Instagram will likely get you another reference point.
Key Reference Points – Here is how I look at value. First, you want to find the exact card you have and match sales if possible. I usually start with eBay and search the person’s name, the set name, and the year. So if I have a Mike Trout Topps RC PSA 10, Im going to search 2011 Trout Topps RC PSA 10. If I want to get more specific, add in the card number. on the back in the top left corner. The next reference point is time. I want to find the most relevant and most recent sale. If a card is rare, like a serially numbered card out of 10, I might try to find a similar card of a similar player or one in a more readily available parallel. So if I have a Lebron James auto /10, I can likely compare to someone like Steph Curry or Michael Jordan even. Otherwise, I can see what the parallel that is numbered out of 25 sold for, and add some money. I may even search Lebron James autograph /10 on google and see if I can find anyone who has posted one on Instagram or Google, and ask them. Its always better to err on the high side and accept a lower offer than sell for less than something is worth by a crazy degree.
In the end, value is a guess. Finding value to buy or sell something is an acquired skill and something many collectors are rarely good at without a ton of work. Find a buddy you can trust and make sure to get opinions as best you can.
Setting a Price – If you determine a value, its best to figure out the best format to sell it in. Price setting will depend on this first and foremost. I like to set a value at 25% above my expected return and take offers. That way I know exactly what I am going to get and nothing less. Other times, especially on a highly desirable piece to run an auction. You can put it on eBay at .99 cents and let it ride. The problem is you might not get what you want for the card, or you may get even more. There are a lot of reasons to use both, but in the end, its about final value. One will be guaranteed, the other not. One could get you a larger return than expected, the other not.
It is best to avoid pricing something at a GIANT price more than 50-100% above expected cost on any platform, as it will discourage buyers from dealing with you. Similarly, you need to avoid sending offers that are 10% of the expected cost as a buyer and expecting people to take you seriously.
Sending Offers – There are a few things to consider. One MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE FUNDS before you agree on a price. If you dont have the money, then dont even try. Most sellers expect payment immediately, and they have every right to be upset if you dont follow suit. Facebook is awful for this. You will agree on a price and someone will say they cant pay until XXXX date. DONT BE THIS GUY. Additionally, consider your competition, because the strength of your offer needs to be representative of how many competitive buyers there are. A low offer with a premium item may get you blocked. Lastly, be intelligent about your language. Most people expect complete sentences and well thought out discussion, not vague texts from a burner phone. Showing that you are serious is as much about the way you present yourself as it is your offer. A high offer from a newbie might not be as trustworthy or worthy of consideration as a lower offer from a well presented established vet.
Online Breaks and Group Breaks
If you are new to the hobby, online breaking of packs, boxes or cases are everywhere. They drive a huge portion of revenue for the hobby and exist across a ton of platforms. Here is a quick rundown of how to make the most of this part of your new hobby existence.
Group Break Basics
A group break is a way for multiple people to shoulder the cost of unopened product, instead of one person. There are a few different formats, and each has benefits and limitations. Cost will also vary across each platform, so Ill do my best to explain.
Understanding Costs – As a basic concept, each group break has a basic formula. See this simplified chart. Its all factored into each break, and there should be some transparency. Some breaks are done for fun, others are run by a business. There are levels of profit that need to be factored in for each case, and some are assumed.
Type 1 – Pick Your Team / Player / Division / Etc: For this type of group break, each person selects a category of slot they want, and they get all the cards for that category. If you are in a pick your team case break, the group breaker will open all the boxes on camera, and if a card is pulled for your team, its expected to be shipped to you. The better the cards from that team in the break, the more expensive the cost. For example, the Yankees will be more expensive than the Brewers, unless the Brewers have a huge value card that is possible to get.
Type 2 – Random Team / Player / Division / Etc: For this type of group break, you do not get to select the team ahead of time, and the breaker will randomly assign one through their process advertised on the site. All slots cost the same, because everyone should have equal chance at getting what they want. For example, you will purchase one slot that consists of a unit or multiple units of a specific thing. If you had a random divisional break in the NFL, the break costs would be split into six slots and each slot would get a division. You may randomly be assigned the NFC East, and any card from a team in that division is yours.
Type 3 – Draft Your Slot: This can be a draft your team, draft your player, draft your hit, or even something like draft your pack or box. In this type, there will be a randomized draft order that allows for you to draft the advertised unit according to the prospect of something nice, or what has actually come out of the wax. For example, in a draft your hit, the breaker will open all the product, and the first pick will get to choose the best card from the break. It will then go through the next slots until everyone has picked. Usually all slots in this break are the same, but sometimes specific slots will be offered for more, if there is more prospective value. For instance, a breaker can sell the number 1 draft slot for more than the other randomed slots.
Type 4 – Serial Number: In this format, there are serial numbered cards in almost every product. A breaker will usually say the break slots correspond to the left side serial number 0-9. That means for every serial number card corresponding to the random number you receive, you will get that card. For example if you are randomly assigned #4, cards numbered 4/10, 14/25, 64/99 etc will all be yours. Some fillers are like this as well, and ill explain that next.
For group breaks, questions are usually encouraged, but so many breakers have a lot spelled out on their sites or breaker pages on the platform. Make sure to read closely and figure out the best method to participate. If you are only collecting a certain player or team, those Pick your XXXX type of break might be a great opportunity for you to get what you need without shouldering the cost of an entire case. Make sure to read the format before you buy in, especially how much product is involved. More product means more cost, but not always.
Understanding Breaker Tactics – FILLERS: As expected, not every break will always be easy to fill, especially for high cost products. Many breakers will use specific tactics to fill those unsold slots by combining them with desirable slots as what is called a filler. Collectors will have a chance to join a filler as a break within the break, mainly assigning random unsold teams to any number of slots. For example, if a breaker has 3 unsold teams, plus a desirable team, they will combine the four teams’ cost, divide by 4 and offer four slots to interested collectors. Because the desirable slot is usually expensive, collectors will gamble on receiving a less desirable slot to get the better one. Its best to watch this in action a few times before you buy in.
Buying Into Group Breaks: Most breakers have their own site, but there isnt a platform that consolidates them all into one marketplace. Usually you have to go and find them on social media and join up with their schedule to figure out when and where the breaks go down. You can also search “Sports Card Group Breaks” on google, or ask around for the top breakers. Many do gigantic amounts of scheduled breaks every year and you can easily find breaks available in multiple formats for every single product released. High value and high demand slots will be bought up fast, so be prepared to figure out when slots are made available if you want the best stuff.
What to Avoid: As imagined, there are large scale breakers out there, and also tons of smaller scale breakers, especially on social media. Make sure to follow along with a breaker before trusting them with your stuff. Every year there are tons of scams out there, and group breaks on Facebook can be a great source of new unsuspecting people. I would make sure to go to the largest breakers before diving into collectors hosting one of breaks until you get a feel of what to look for.
Other Major Suggestions
Establish a brand: Figure out the place you want to occupy in this hobby and focus your efforts and learning to get that to a point of pride. Brand is hugely important in this hobby, and its not a bad idea to see how influencers in other industries establish themselves – if thats what you want to do.
Observe before participating: This tactic is so important in this hobby and so few people actually try to crawl and walk before they run. Watch as much content as you can before driving yourself crazy learning multiple things at once. The more you can observe the more you will figure out how to engage.
Avoid FOMO: So much of this hobby is built around two tactics, Flexing and FOMO. People flex their goods and show off, which leads others to have a fear of missing out. This leads to unreasonable expectations and terrible experiences when you fall short of the previous goals.
Educate yourself: For most collectors, a lack of education or experience can be unfathomably detrimental to their presence and experience. Its better to find others in your position and learn with them, as well as find those already at goal and learn from them. The more you can learn the more dangerous you can be in this place.
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That’s all for now, more will be added here in the future as time permits.