Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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As a paid subscriber of both Card Ladder and Market Movers, here is my expert take:
While both platforms offer robust card tracking and sales histories, Card Ladder is geared more toward collecting and connecting with other hobbyists, while Market Movers goes heavy on the research for those looking for market inefficiencies.
| Card Ladder | Market Movers | |
| Subscription Price | Free or $15/month (7-day trial) | $9.99/month (14-day trial and 20% discount) |
| Card Database Size | 49,000 cards | 2,000,000 cards (and 7,000 sealed products) |
| Card Identification | Text search or photo | Text search or photo |
| Price History | 19 years of data | TBD (varies by card) |
| Sales History | See examples below | See examples below |
| Compare Card Values & Grades | Very easy | Very easy |
| Social & Current Events | Yes | Not really |
| Actionable Reporting | Not really | Yes (with paid memberships) |
Pricing
Market Movers is the cheaper of the two options at the base level, with a “starter subscription” at $9.99/monthly compared to Card Ladder’s “Pro” $15/month option. You can also grab a 14-day trial with Market Movers compared to a 7-day trial with Card Ladder. Not to mention that with promo code BALLCARDGENIUS, you get a 20% lifetime discount off your subscription. Card Ladder does offer a limited free membership.
Now, I also put pricing as a top section here because while Card Ladder has one paid level, Market Movers has three, and thus some of the options below might not be available to lower subscription levels.
Card Database
In terms of research, each platform is only as good as the card it allows you to track. Market Movers boasts price information for over 2 million cards, while Card Ladder offers info on over 49,000 cards. Market Movers also provides data and tracking for over 7,000 sealed products.
Card Identification
If you have cards in front of you and don’t want to have to search by typing each one in one by one, you can opt to take a picture of them for photo identification. (Card Ladder even allows you to upload a photo you already have saved on your camera roll.)
Frankly, I don’t see this is a valuable tool for either platform and would rather just type in the info and not have to deal with taking the perfect picture or receiving the right information.
Price History
When checking the price history on a particular card, how far you can look back really depends on the card. For example, I can track both a 1964 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 6 and a 1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds PSA 9 all the way back to 2009 with Card Ladder, but with Market Movers, I can only tack the Bonds back to 2014:
Sales History
One of the most valuable features of either platform is the sales history data, and being able to look as far back as you need to find a comp. Meaning, while eBay is great, cards (especially high-end) are sold on a number of different platforms, so you really need a tool that will bring all of that information together.
Again, the amount of data you’re able to dig up will depend on the card. Here are a few quick examples.
1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF
- Card Ladder: 2004
- Market Movers: 2015
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
- Card Ladder: 2004
- Market Movers 2010
1980 Topps Rickey Henderson
- Card Ladder: 2004
- Market Movers: 2009
For the most part, you’re able to look all the way back to 2004 with Card Ladder, and with these examples, back to 2009. In my opinion, the market has changed so much compared to before the pandemic, there really isn’t much to be gained from looking back so far (unless it’s an extremely rare card that only has a sale or two per year).
Compare Card Values & Grades
Both Market Movers and Card Ladder make it easy to compare cards and really just involves searching for the card and comparing it to others of your choosing (like the same card in a different grade, variations, etc.).
Social & Current Events
As mentioned above Card Ladder seems better suited for those wanting to connect with other collectors. One feature is “showcase” where you can easily take a look through collections of other members in Card Ladder PRO, or search for any card and then message the owner to try and work out a deal (the couple “message the owner” links I clicked directed me to the card owner’s instagram page).
Another feature is the “feed” where card content in the form of videos, articles, podcasts, and more are aggregated and compiled for easy searching (including Card Ladder’s own articles).
Last, you can subscribe to the “Card Ladder Daily” that is filled with updates ranging from those unique to you and your collection to headlines, recaps, and more.
Finding Deals
Now, my favorite part. With so much data on hand it’s easy to get lost in the numbers. So, it’s certainly nice to have actionable insights.
Unique to Market Movers is the “deal finder” which identifies cards that are listed below their “current price” (last sale).
So in this example, the “current price” of the 1970 Topps Willie McCovey PSA 8 is $129 based on a sale on 12/15/23, but that same card is listed for sale for $99, or $30 less.
It’s not a perfect tool, and you definitely need to do due diligence (there are many instances where a card might sell at a much higher price than the previous five sales, so you need to question “why?”) but it’s a great starting point to find a deal.
Second, for those interested in how different card grade values compare to each other, Market Movers features a “grade ratio” tool where you can easily see how much more valuable a card in one grade is compared to another.
In this example, we are comparing PSA and SGC with a 1993 Topps Derek Jeter Rookie Card—over the last 14 days, the PSA 10 has sold for an average of $295 where an SGC 10 has been selling for an average of $155.
So, what’s the play? One, if you want a Derek Jeter in “10” condition, you can get one for much cheaper if you buy SGC. Alternatively, others trying to make money off the card might look to buy an SGC 10 and then resubmit to PSA in hopes of earning that PSA 10. There is risk, of course, but there is also the reward if everything works out.
