What’s the Best Way to Sell Your Sports Card Collection?

Selling your sports card collection isn't always easy — here's how to get started.

Collectors spend years – lifetimes, actually – amassing personal collections. What might start as a passing interest in baseball can quickly blossom into an obsession for baseball cards, autographs and memorabilia. With every passing year, the collection grows and takes time (and space) to accommodate.

At some point, every collector faces a difficult decision: Should I sell? Reasons might include a personal illness, paying for college, navigating a job loss, buying a home, or possibly just a change in collecting interests.

The question causes serious contemplation for veteran hobbyists. Osmosis does not guarantee understanding or appreciation of fine sports collectibles within one’s own family, so while it might seem optimal to just hand the collection down to your next of kin, that can also cause disagreements among even the steadiest of siblings. And with death a certainty, it’s not a bad idea to have a plan for what your family should do with your coveted sports collectibles when the time comes.

Joe Orlando is the Executive VP of Sports at Heritage Auctions. He is also the former president and CEO of Collectors Universe. During his three decades in the hobby, he’s heard countless stories from collectors trying to decide when it’s time to let go.

“During a lifetime, a collector often faces moments when the idea of selling something ranges from being merely attractive to a necessity based on other priorities. Of course, there are many different reasons a hobbyist may decide to part ways with a portion or all of their collection at one point or another,” he said. “Other collectors choose not to sell anything significant during their lifetimes, leaving their families to handle the liquidation process. The latter is not recommended for a host of reasons, but as a fellow collector, I understand the reluctance to sell. It can be surprisingly emotional.

“In my view, what’s most important is that the collector is comfortable with their decision, whether to sell or hold at different times in their life.”

So, what does a well-intentioned collector do?

There are plenty of options. Here are a few:

Auction Houses

With a little bit of research, it’s not hard to find reputable auction houses that would be happy to help. Depending on the one you choose, the process generally entails an auction house representative paying a visit to evaluate the collection. Once an assessment is made, the auction house provides all the heavy lifting — it takes possession of the collection, photographs the items, establishes starting bids and reserves (the latter, if applicable) and markets the collection, which often includes pursuing media coverage. Auction houses will also conduct the auction online while securing payments and fulfilling the shipment of each item to the winning bidders. All established auction houses have comprehensive lists of vetted buyers, so tens of thousands of legitimate bidders from across the globe are presented with the items.

Dan Imler is the VP of Sports Consignments & Private Sales at Heritage. He believes retirement is another driving force for many who decide to sell.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of people recently who are nearing retirement and looking to simplify and pare down their possessions,” he said.” The older people get, it seems they want less possessions to manage, protect, or worry about.”

Consigning worthy items to a respected auction house can reap outstanding results, but it takes time and patience to come to fruition. Most companies conduct just a few major auctions each year, but more and more are adding smaller events to their auction schedules. In many cases, auction houses charge a 10% consignment fee and score a 20% buyer’s premium that's tacked on to the winning bid. That means the lion’s share of the winning bid goes to the consignor.

Trade Shows

Another selling opportunity that presents itself every year is the National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC). The is the most heavily trafficked sports collectibles show in the industry. Last July, in Chicago, more than 125,000 devoted sports enthusiasts converged on the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center over a five-day period to trade, make deals, see cool stuff on display and maybe land a signature or two at the TRISTAR Sports Autograph Pavilion, which had dozens of sports legends signing every day.

“I’m often asked, if someone has a collection and is interested in selling it, what would I suggest,” said Ray Schulte, NSCC director of Communications. “Without question, I tell them, ‘The National.’ It’s the sports and entertainment industry’s largest premier collectibles event where the leading trading card manufacturers, signature and card grading services, game-used authentication companies, auction houses, and the highest profile exhibitors from around the country are all buying, selling and trading sought-after collectibles in one place.”

The 44th NSCC is scheduled to take place in Cleveland at the IX (International Exhibition) Center from July 24 to 28. It will provide a chance to see just how big the hobby has grown as well as the opportunity to make inroads with fellow collectors, dealers and auction houses that may be looking to make a deal.

There are dozens of well-established trade shows that take place throughout the year and another of the more recognized is the Toronto Sport Card Expo (TSCE) which is held twice a year at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. According to TSCE President/Show Promoter Steve Menzie, November’s two-day event boasted 400 dealers and corporate sponsors spread across 150,000 square feet of expo space. It attracted more than 25,000 visitors through the turnstiles. Local card shops are always fun to visit, but national and international trade shows offer the most bang for your buck in terms of sheer concentration of like-minded collectors.

Online Marketplaces

For the slightly more tech savvy, there’s always eBay. The online marketplace allows users to test the market and sell their cards and collectibles via auctions or through “Buy It Now” buttons on their listings. With 367 million people using the eBay app every month, chances are pretty good that one of them might like what you're selling. For more valuable items, it’s always best to use 10-day auctions in order to maximum audience reach.

Todd Tobias is a lifetime hobbyist, AFL historian and avid football and lacrosse card collector. He’s been using eBay since 1998.

“Over the years I’ve sold things in-person, as a dealer at shows and through auctions. But for ease, quickness, ability to customize myself and the number of potential buyers I reach, eBay is pretty hard to beat.” he said. “No platform is perfect but I appreciate all that eBay has to offer. I’ve been an active member for over 20 years and have recorded more than 10,000 transactions as a buyer and seller. I’ve experienced very few problems in the past two decades and continue to use eBay on a daily basis.”

So, what’s the best way to sell your collection? It all depends on who’s selling. And why.