15 Tips for How to Trade Baseball Cards Successfully
When you think of baseball cards, you might think of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. While these are famous baseball card players, they are not the first baseball cards printed. Baseball cards are a tradition that dates back to 1865 when the "visiting card" of the Brooklyn Atlantics team was printed and handed out to opposing teams and fans as a souvenir.
Nothing beats that satisfying crinkle of the package as you tear it open, hoping you'll find that coveted card inside. But sometimes it's necessary to trade baseball cards to get the right one.
The sports trading cards industry encountered a boom in 2020 that doesn't look like it has any intention of slowing down. In 2021 the Sports Trading Cards Market was valued at $12,927.3 million, with a projected market value of $49,373.2 million by 2032.
If you are looking for ways to trade baseball cards that are safe and successful, this guide can help you. Whether you're building a full collection, only looking for rookie baseball cards, or searching for rare baseball cards, you want to do it properly to ensure a satisfactory transaction.
Keep reading below for more information on 15 tips you can use for trading baseball cards online or in person.
15. Use Sports Card Stores for Trade Days
Your local sports card stores are a great place to trade baseball cards with someone else. It's a safe and neutral location to ensure the trade is fair and successful. It gives you the opportunity to look at the baseball cards up close to assure that they are in the condition and the quality specified.
Many sports trading card shops hold special trade days in store where you can meet up and trade. Skilled sports card workers can also help you verify their authenticity. Not only is this a great place for trading baseball cards, it's also a great place to connect to your local sports card community.
14. Attend Sports Card and Memorabilia Shows
Sports card and memorabilia shows are also fantastic places to find and trade baseball cards. Collectors come from all over to partake in these shows. If you're looking to buy, sell, or trade baseball cards, you'll find a great selection of trading cards from rookie baseball cards to rare baseball cards.
When trading baseball cards, bring your best cards for trade that you're willing to part with. You need to be able to sweeten the deal to accomplish the trades you want the most. This requires giving a card or cards of equal value in the trading process to make the trade worthwhile for both parties involved.
13. Always Bring Someone Else with You to Meet-Ups
If you must meet up with someone outside of a sports card store or show setting to trade baseball cards, use common sense. People on the internet may try to bait you with the prospect of rare baseball cards to lure you into meeting them in an area that isn't safe.
You need to bring someone else with you when you trade baseball cards so they can see that you're not alone and won't take advantage of you. Maybe the person only has good intentions, but you must always exercise caution when taking part in trading baseball cards and other sports memorabilia items. It's the smart thing to do.
12. Only Meet Up in Well-Lit Public Places
If you're not using your local sports card store for a meet-up place, find another location that is close by and in an area that is well-lit. Do not attempt to trade baseball cards at night in a parking lot of a closed store.
Only go to malls, stores, and coffee shops at times when they are open with other people inside. You need to be safe, especially if you're attempting to trade for rare baseball cards. You also need to be able to see the condition of the cards under good lighting before you make the trade.
Going to public places adds an extra element of safety to your transaction.
11. Trade Baseball Cards on Established Sports Card Forums
Sports card forums are an ideal, fun, and safe place to trade baseball cards. Here you'll be able to find cards from all over the world that other trading card enthusiasts are looking to trade with you.
Because of the tight-knit sports card community, forum members actively weed out and block any members who aren't maintaining legitimate practices on the site.
Some of the top Sports Card Forums are:
- Sports Card Forum
- The Bench Trading
- Blowout Cards Forum
- The Cardboard Connection Forum
- Sports Card Club
- Collectors Forums
On a sports card forum, you just might be able to finally find that baseball card you've been searching for.
10. Buy Into Card Breaks
Card breaks are a somewhat new way to buy and trade baseball cards online. It allows you to potentially get those elusive and rare baseball cards out of a pack without buying whole boxes of cards at a time.
You pay towards a break and the breaker opens the box live and shows you the cards inside. Depending on how many people buy into a break, you can receive a random or more targeted selection of cards from these packs, like a specific team.
While there have been some reports of unscrupulous card breakers pulling a bait and switch with packs, they have been quickly found out about and exposed by the sports card community. Follow card breakers who have been vetted by the card community and avoid going with new fly-by-night breaker sites.
9. Join Facebook Baseball Sports Card Trading Groups
Facebook can be a great source to find and trade baseball cards with like-minded individuals online. The broad reach of Facebook means you can connect with people in your city or state or find someone across the nation with the baseball cards you want.
You can get feedback from other collectors about the approximate worth or history of the card, especially for rare baseball cards. It's a terrific way to stay connected to the community even if you live in a place that doesn't seem to have a big community of sports card collectors.
Facebook groups are also patrolled by admins who monitor posted content for safety and accuracy.
8. Consider NFT Sports Trading Cards
While it's hard to beat the tactile look and feel of old-school baseball cards, maybe it's time to branch out into other more modern forms of trading baseball cards. Sports NFTs include baseball cards, as well as accessories, video clips, images, and even video clips.
The rise of Sports NFTs has doubled in value in 2022 with a worth of $2.6 billion. This number is only expected to grow over time. Not only are NFT Sports Trading Cards a lucrative endeavor, but they also offer unique features.
NFT Trading Cards allow playability within NFT games and offer exclusive access to events. The digital aspect of NFT trading cards means they are wear-and-tear resistant so there is less worry about theft, loss, or damage.
NFT Fantasy Sports offers a new trend in the industry that changes and enhances the way you collect, play with, and trade baseball cards and other trading cards.
7. Do Your Research on Baseball Cards
One of the best ways to ensure a successful transaction before you attempt to trade baseball cards is to understand what you have first. Don't rely on internet hearsay to fill in the blanks. You could end up with conflicting information that can complicate things.
Do your research to learn about the specific card, player, or team you're looking to collect. Find out what makes it special or valuable. Learn about the unique attributes of the cards you want so that you know exactly what you're looking for.
Doing this can help you better prepare yourself for the buying or trading baseball cards process and make it much smoother and enjoyable.
6. Use Consignment, Marketplace, and Auction Sites
When it comes to trading baseball cards, there are several established sites you can look to first. eBay has long been a preferred platform for listing, buying, selling, and bidding on rare baseball cards and other memorabilia.
The site COMC, which stands for "Check Out My Collectibles" is an online consignment site where sellers send in the cards they want to sell. COMC handles the card cataloging, payment processing, and ships out the cards to the buyers. As of August 2021, COMC has over 1.8 million baseball cards alone listed on its online site.
Even Facebook's Marketplace can be a prime area to trade baseball cards locally or nationally.
5. Find Established Sellers and Traders with High Ratings
This should go without saying, but not every seller or trader on the internet is 100% trustworthy. Ratings are the best way to cut through the numerous posts to find a credible dealer, particularly on sites like eBay and COMC.
High-rated and reputable sellers and traders spend a lot of time in the industry to build up their reputations. They strive to offer the best experience for buying, selling, and trading baseball cards.
While it may be tempting to jump on an offer to buy or trade baseball cards, you need to make certain that the person behind the listing follows through on what they say they will. This means what you order is what you get. No tricks, bait-and-switch tactics, and unfulfilled orders.
4. Ask For Multiple Angles and Views of Baseball Card Listings Online
Buying and trading baseball cards online can be risky. Although you can view pictures of the product, you can hold it in your hands and fully inspect it. You need to be able to see all of the cards displayed with well-lit and clear pictures.
Any legitimate seller or trader would not hesitate to offer you additional views of the baseball cards you wish to view before completing a transaction. They don't want to have to deal with getting bad feedback or becoming banned by the sports card trading community for a less-than-stellar exchange.
If you encounter a seller or trader who refuses to offer you other views of the baseball cards you're thinking about trading for, it may be a scam that could result in a bad trade.
3. Use Caution with Baseball Card Trades Involving Money
If your baseball card trade involves a payment of some kind in exchange for baseball cards, use caution. A trade usually denotes a swap of cards evenly across the board with no money involved.
Verify that this trade will be worth the extra money spent. Only engage in baseball card trades for money with those you have traded baseball cards with before who are trustworthy and legitimate.
Do not haphazardly send money off for a too-good-to-be-true deal because chances are it is and you are going to get scammed in the process. Be smart online where anyone can claim anything is true to lull you into a false sense of security.
2. Use Certified Payment Platforms
If you must send a payment to trade baseball cards, use trusted and certified payment platforms. Payment processing platforms like PayPal provide support for customers in case they experience a problem with a transaction. They work as the middleman to accept and process payments between sellers online.
If the cards you receive aren't up to the proper specifications, you can file a report through the PayPal payment portal. While it may not get your baseball cards back, they may be able to get you a refund for your payment made to a seller profile on their platform. PayPal has long been a trusted payment platform for the auction site eBay.
1. Remember to Have Fun
The most important part of trading baseball cards is to have fun. If you only think of it as a job, then every time you trade baseball cards, you're taking the fun out of them.
Kids used to trade baseball cards on the playground for their favorite players. It was a treasured pastime for parents and grandparents to bequeath their baseball cards to the next generation and spread the joy around.
While we've come a long way since then to more modern and digital forms of baseball card trading, sports card traders must remember to enjoy the hobby above all.
While some still see baseball cards as a potential investment, you'll enjoy them so much more if you're a long-haul collector rather than a card flipper seeking out a fast payday.
Find Baseball Cards and Other Trading Cards at Breaking Bangers
Trading baseball cards is an integral part of the hobby of collecting baseball cards. When you trade baseball cards, you have a better chance of getting the cards you've been missing from your collection. You also get the opportunity to interact with other members of the sports card trading community.
You can find a wide variety of baseball cards and other trading card products at Breaking Bangers. From baseball to basketball, hockey, football, soccer, and UFC. You can also find Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and more.
Browse our full selection of baseball card products on our website today.