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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While it’s easy to run to the many popular places where you can buy baseball cards like comc.com, sportlots.com, and others that you might already know about, there is an entire online sports card store landscape just waiting to be explored.
I’ll mention them all in the bulleted list, but will only expand upon those that are strictly online card stores. Please note: A shop’s listing here isn’t a recommendation but is purely for informational purposes. While I’ve purchased from each one, and some a few times, I encourage you to do your own research before making a purchase.
1. eBay
Might as well get it out of the way, right? Really, it’s insane the amount of stuff you can find on eBay, and if you search and can’t seem to find whatever it is you’re looking for, it’s a good chance what you’re seeking is pretty rare or perhaps doesn’t even exist.
I should know—I have over 2200 transactions!
In my opinion, eBay is best for those who are looking for something in particular, whether it’s a team or player, autograph, etc. It’s so easy to use the available filtering, and at the volume of cards that are made available, you’re probably going to find what you’re looking for.
eBay is also great from a pure research perspective. If you want to spend time getting to know what’s out there and what’s of value, you can’t beat eBay…It’s probably the best free baseball card price guide available, as you’re dealing with a real-time market, and can search what’s for sale now, along with seeing what has sold in the past.
2. COMC
If you’re just getting back into the hobby, your previous collecting days probably exclusively involved buying cards in person, or, at least as of late, buying them online and then having them physically shipped to you.
COMC serves two main purposes—one, it can be looked at as a major “stack sale,” which is a term used for a card sale where buyers can “stack” cards and have them shipped later. So, similarly, COMC allows buyers to purchase cards and keep them in the COMC warehouse until they are ready to ship.
In addition, though and the second big benefit of COMC is the fact that while your cards are stored with COMC, you can sell them to other buyers as well. So, you can literally buy a card in a matter of seconds and then immediately re-price the card for sale if they wanted. Or, as mentioned above, they can just store it in their inventory.
So, do I approve? Well in 2023 I bought 1,453 and sold 715 cards. It’s absolutely a favorite card source.
COMC has a huge following, and in addition, you can still access the vast sea of eBay buyers thanks to COMC’s integration with the auction platform. This means that most of the cards you list for sale on COMC will be automatically listed on eBay as well at their fixed prices.
And if you prefer to go the traditional auction route, you can also push cards from your COMC inventory to eBay as well. Again, all of the legwork is performed by COMC, requiring you to only click the few buttons needed to actually list the card.
I bring it up because as a buyer, you can also buy from COMC eBay auctions and have the cards immediately transferred into your COMC account…again, without even ever touching the card.
3. BuySportsCards.com
Fresh on to the scene, BuySportsCards.com is quickly becoming a go-to spot for anyone looking for a particular card, or is in the mood to simply browse and see what cardboard might catch their eye. Filled with “buy it now” and “best offer” types of deals, more and more great cards are uploaded by users each day.
There are still some minor bugs and things that need to be worked out, but the site has shown growth and appears genuinely interested in creating the best card marketplace experience.
Blowout Cards
I won’t gatekeep this—the majority of the Topps flagship jumbo boxes I’ve bought from Blowout Cards has arrived the day before the actual product release date. Thus, I was able to rip and sell before the influx of cards hit the market. This is huge from a value perspective and end recouping much more than I’d be able to had I ripped after release day.
All this said, it might be my California location that helps with the quick shipping, so don’t buy solely on this “tip.” Rather, buy because Blowout is a trusted name in the card game, and every purchase has arrived without issue.
4. Alt
Alt is a site I talk about a lot on here, because behind COMC and eBay, it’s the platform I frequent the most. Like MySlabs mentioned, you can only find graded cards, but aside from that, it’s an entirely different experience.
Built on the fact that cards can be considered “alternative investments” Alt is heavy on the data and visuals, which I love. The best features in my opinion is that any card you’re considering buying on the Alt platform comes with a list of previous transactions, and a glance at how much that same card is being listed for on eBay at this very moment.
Alt has also gone all in on the “vault” process, where, like COMC and the eBay Vault, you can buy a card and store, relist it, or ship it home—your choice.
There is of course a lot more that goes into it, so I encourage you to check out my guide on buying and selling sports cards with ALT.
5. Real Sports Cards
I recently found Real Sports Cards by chance, and have purchased a few great singles deals of late.
Each transaction was smooth and seamless; cards were great. The first on this list to offer sealed wax, breaks, and singles, Real Sports Cards has some really great Google reviews as well with 4.7 stars across 100+ customers. Here is a sweet Ke’Bryan Hayes & Charlie Hayes father and son dual auto I purchased:
6. 4 Sharp Corners
I first came across 4 Sharp Corners after purchasing a few cards from them off eBay and realizing they had a large online store presence as well. True to their name, 4 Sharp Corners is a site that only offers graded cards for sale, but what I really like is the fact that it’s not all super high-end cards, and as an A’s collector, can find things like a 1983 Fleer Stamp Rickey Henderson and other obscure cards.
They too seem to be running a promotion with 10% off purchases less than $1,000, and have a loyalty program called the Champions Club, offering a way to earn points with purchases, unlock perks, and more.
7. Dollar Box Cards
This is a fun one, but you’ve got to be quick! It’s exactly what it sounds like—cheap sports cards, and a bunch of card from $1-$5 primarily, with a few bigger cards sprinkled in from time to time. I’ve made a few orders, always pleased, and some great deals.
Read More: 7 Apps to Sell Sports Cards
I suggest you subscribe and be notified of each nightly upload, in case you forget, because you will forget. And their shipping policy really helps—$2.99 flat rate shipping and free Shipping on orders $25+.
8. Diamond Cards
My first and only Diamond Cards purchased came last year, with a 2023 Topps Chrome Baseball Hobby Jumbo Box. It was delivered flawlessly, which earns my stamp of approval.
Not to mention that I bought with them specifically because they had the lower price for that product. Sports, non-sports, and gaming card boxes look to be available. A “Flash Sale” link will always earn my click, too!
9. Sports Card King
Just like I happen to be Ballcard Genius, and thus know the expectations placed on me because of the name (kidding), if you’re Sports Card King, you must be good! Looks like singles only here, which I personally like.
One of the best deals I’ve found online was a March 2023 purchase of Jordan Walker 2021 Leaf Flash Baseball Red Sparkle Auto SSP 4/5. Such a pretty card, at such an amazing price,
And I’ll say, revisiting the site now, one thing that will always get me coming back is a “new arrivals” section or the ability to sort cards by “recently added.” I’m going to pause here and see if I can find any deals! (Awesome scans too, by the way!)
10. Wahoo Sports Cards
I was scouring the web not too long ago looking for Orelvis Martinez cards, and my search led me to a sweet Bowman Sterling auto which I promptly picked up. I’ve been a fan ever since. Inventory includes the aforementioned singles, complete sets, and packs. Some really cool stuff.
