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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There are three big factors that hold people back from listing sports cards on eBay. Time is a big one, as many people just don’t have a lot of if to dedicate to listing their cards for sale (here is the fastest way to list cards on eBay, if you’re curious).
Second is not knowing all of the ins and outs of shipping, etc. Meaning, it’s not the act of listing the card on eBay, but rather what to do with it after it sells.
Last, to go along with the above, people simply don’t know what to list their card for, and are afraid of undervaluing it. Then, when they ask others for help in arriving at a price, they get the answer of “check sold comps.” This not only opens up another set of questions (like, where to find eBay data for sold sports cards), but it’s only half of the full answer.
For those struggling with pricing, the equation is actually quite easy. First, as mentioned above, check sold comps, or said differently, check what the card has been recently selling for. You can do this on eBay by going to “filters” and then clicking the “sold” checkbox.
You can also use the 130 point price checker for “hidden” values when a card is sold on eBay at Best Offer (and thus eBay doesn’t display the true sales figure).
Also, a number of the best baseball card apps will provide ways to check sold comps while providing other information that will help you price your card.
@ballcardgenius How much is your card worth and how much should you list it for on ebay? Check both sold comps AND what other cards like it are currently selling for.
♬ original sound – ballcardgenius
Why? Because others are currently selling the card for $10-$15 less. So, while $71 might be the going rate, it doesn’t really matter because the card can be obtained right this moment for about $60.
This begs the question, in what world would someone buy your card for $71 when they could buy someone else’s for $59? (This is of course assuming all other factors are equal, especially condition).
Good? Now that we know how to find this piece, there is another crucial data point to consider: what is that same card being sold for currently by other sellers?
For example, we can see that this Anthony Volpe Topps Gold Rookie Card last sold for $71. But, if you wanted to sell this card and listed it for sale at that $71, you might not sell right away.
All of this together, don’t be afraid of listing your cards for sale on eBay. But when doing so, if your goal is to sell a card quickly, you need to also check what others are selling that same card for. Of course, if your goal is to get top dollar, then all of this goes out the window and you price it wherever you want.
