There is no set time for how long Topps Redemptions take, as redemption fulfillment depends on the card and the player. For example, redemptions can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, or even more than a year. On Topps Redemption Reports – which lists out recently completed redemption cards – it states “Please allow four weeks for your redemption to be processed and shipped.”
How to Check Redemption Turnaround
While the amount of time you’ll be waiting for a redemption to be fulfilled is largely unknown, there are a few different ways to track progress and estimated turnaround times.
Topps Redemption Reports
As mentioned above, Topps releases weekly redemption reports where you can check which cards have been recently fulfilled. They are PDFs that look something like this:
Track on Social Media
One other thing I like to do is go to Twitter and simply search words like “redemptions” together with “how long” and then sort by “latest” to find any recent developments.
How long does a Topps redemption usually take from code entry to at your door? @CardPurchaser
— Dwight Whiteman (@defkon1223) March 4, 2023
If you read through the thread above, you’ll see things like:
“I see some ppl saying they never received them back/took months/ or right away”
“Already waited a year for this dual of Goldy and Arenado. Who knows how long this could take.”
That said, one thing that is nice to also see is the fact that some say it’s more on Topps than it is the player, and thus when the card is signed, Topps does its part to get the card to the consumer.
With Topps, it’s 100% on the player. Once they receive the cards from the players, they are very quick.
— cliffyscardshop (@cliffyscardshop) March 4, 2023
Track via Card Forums
Similar to the above, there is always lively discussion about redemptions on online sports card forums like Blowout Buzz and others.
Alternative Options
All in all, I’d say you should expect to wait a month at least, and of course, longer. If you don’t want to wait, you might have a few options, still.
Sell the Redemption
One, you can always take your redemption to eBay and place it for sale. The thing is, though, you’d need to do so before attempting to redeem, because once the redemption has been submitted, the ability to sell goes out the window for the most part.
Likewise, if you sell, you should also take extra precautions to make sure the card isn’t purchased, the code taken, and the card returned, etc. Some people might also just request the code so they don’t have to pay for shipping.
Again, check out what other people have done or are talking about on social media, online forums, etc. You can also contact eBay to ask for their guidance on how to go about it.
I'd send it with insurance. I also send them an eBay message saying that they need to be very careful when scratching to reveal the code. I had a customer try to return a Luka redemption because he ruined the code. 😬 Luckily he was able to figure it out.
— DisguisedShark (@DisguisedShark) October 25, 2022
Similarly, if you choose to sell, also be sure to never scratch and post the redemption code for others to see, as they can easily take your code and redeem the card for themselves.
Request a Sub
If you do submit, and it ends up being quite a while, you might receive the “request sub” option. This is essentially a “button” option that, if clicked, allows the submitter to request a substitute card for the one they redeemed.
Sounds good, right? The downside here is that it is a bit of a gamble because there isn’t any promise the card or cards received as replacements will match (or even come close to) the value of the card you were waiting to be fulfilled.
