Can You Make Money Selling Trading Cards?

Trading cards are one of the most popular collectibles. Whether you own trading cards for baseball or one of the many fictional properties that have created a trading card line, you might be interested in making some quick cash. Every once in a while, you might hear a story or see an article about someone selling a rare card for an insane sum of money. And while those stories are definitely outliers, it is possible to make some decent money if you have the right cards. But in order to make money selling trading cards you need to know what makes cards valuable, who to sell them to, and how to sell them. If you live in the NYC area and are interested in selling trading cards, our pawn shops in the Bronx buy, sell, and provide pawn loans for a variety of different categories of items. 

What Makes Trading Cards Valuable?

Rarity is the largest contributor to the value of a trading card. Almost every trading card company has ways to display just how rare a card is. Whether it is by creating an intentionally small supply, or doing first prints that are marked with their status, or doing a special release, trading cards are often sought for their uniqueness and rarity. Because cards are often sold in a way where consumers aren’t sure what they might get in a pack, there is often a large demand for buying a special card. This is especially true for first prints or limited runs where it would be impossible to find that card organically. Of course, condition is as if not more important than rarity. Preserving a rare card is crucial to ensuring that it has a resale value. 

Where Do You Sell Trading Cards?

You could try to sell trading cards directly to a buyer but this presents many issues. First and foremost, finding the right buyer(s) can be difficult. Moreover, a buyer might offer significantly less than what you could get by selling it to a reseller. Resellers like pawn shops have to know the exact value of what they are buying since they will be reselling it down the line. While this does mean they will likely purchase your card for less than what they think they can sell it for, the amount they provide is often based on known values of cards instead of what someone is simply willing to pay. 

How Do You Sell Trading Cards?

Most buyers especially resellers will require you to have your cards graded or authenticated before you sell them. Valuable cards are usually sold one at a time and need to be evaluated and protected. There are companies that provide grading services but usually at a cost. Professional grading services are usually only worth it if the cost of grading the card is lower than what you think you will be able to sell it for. 

Sell High-Value Trading Cards In NYC

If you live in New York City and are looking to sell a graded card, we might be willing to take it. Here at Paradise Pawn we buy high value authentic cards. If you have questions about what we buy, please contact us for more information.