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Almost everything I bought this week was cards. It was simply what I won from the consigners who I check every day. There have been a lot of weeks this summer where I won big full-sized autographed jerseys for $6 plus shipping, or random oddball collectibles for $15 or less. This week, that wasn’t meant to be. I put in the bids and lost, lost, lost. But I won more cards than usual. It’s funny how that works sometimes.
I’ve had a nice buying system in place this year, where the vast majority of my inventory purchases for my trading card reselling business have been under $5. This gives me the flexibility to spend more when an expensive flip comes along, and it gives me a decent guideline to set target prices and keep everything organized. If my target sold price is $7 and up, I send it (as part of a large shipment) to my consignment port — keeping in mind the fees, which are higher for graded cards and oversized items, and the processing time, which is anywhere from about a month to four months depending, again, on how much I want to pay. These Bayern Munich 2021 Topps goal rope soccer cards are a perfect example of the types of cards I like to target. I couldn’t find any selling history on them — no surprise, it’s a team-based Topps soccer set in German, who knows what keywords US eBay sellers are using. But I’ll send these to consignment and for about a little less than a buck a card, they’ll scan the cards and identify the set for me. All I have to do is set the price. Sell one for $10, and I’ve still got two more. Maybe send one to auction during the World Cup or another soccer tournament, price the other one to the moon and wait for Herr Soccer Fan to come along.
If the card doesn’t have a selling history of above $5, often I will use it as one of the “hits” in a team based lot where I hope to net $20 or $25 on the entire sale. Recently I have been buying a lot of cards from sellers who bought new sets/boxes in bulk at the National card show in late July. I do really well with adding printing plates and other cards with a 1/1 serial number into lots, so anytime I can snag a $0.99 printing plate, it’s an automatic buy. Cornelius Johnson is a rookie wide receiver who was recently cut from his team, but he was an above-average performer at the University of Michigan, so I’ll add that card to 9 other Michigan cards and hopefully sell for $20-$30 to a team collector.
The real fun of my business is buying and selling slightly more expensive cards. Those costs add up very quickly (one of my constant struggles) but so do the profits. The learning is in finding the right cards to flip. Lately I’ve been enjoying buying graded vintage cards, like this 1935 Wilbur Wright card in a PSA 7 for $20 all-in after combined shipping and consignment fees. A lot of the more expensive cards I deal in, my work is about interpreting comps, or sold listings. One sale doesn’t necessarily mean something is valuable. A pattern of solds probably does. Then you have to think about if a card’s value might have gone down since it last sold. More of a factor with ultra modern cards than vintage. Occasionally, you can come across a card so rare that there’s nothing in three years of Terapeak. Those are my favorites. Like this Wilbur Wright card! Based on the prices of other 1930s non sports cards in a high grade and other Wilbur Wright vintage cards, I expect for it to sell between $50 and $150. Will it take a week? A year? That’s the fun of this business!
Sometimes a card doesn’t fit in any group. I have a few monster boxes of cards like this, at least a couple thousand in total. All part of the cost of doing business, at least for my kind of business. This month, my goal is to make a few flat rate boxes full of these cards (plus a few “hits” to seed the lots) and really put in the work to get them sold. I could use the extra space and cash. I know I can make a few $200 sales once I figure out the right system to organize the boxes, take good pictures and create the listing so it will sell.
What did you find this week?
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I’m not buying much at all right now. I’m not doing thrift stores and yard sales are dead. I did pick up a few interesting items though.
At my mother-in-laws I raided her death pile and got a silver plated flute, and two talking sesame street Teddy Ruxbin style 80’s toys. She is a hoarder and has ROOMS full of junk she has bought. It’s sad. I try to raid a few items here and there just to get her comfortable with getting rid of some stuff. If I get something with value I always take her out to a nice dinner to further encourage her to let go of more, even if it is just to take to Goodwill. Thankfully the high prices at Goodwill mostly cured her buying problem (that and she ran out of space).
At the only decent yard sale I bought some vintage Chevy hubcaps – 3 sets for $20. Hopefully when I research/list them they will be decent. At a minimum I will get at least $100 even if they aren’t super great.
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My parents were in town, so I took my mom to some yard sales just for fun. We both didn’t buy anything. However, my mom brought books and art for me to sell. I just listed this one called Calder Jewelry. I priced it a bit too high at $425 OBO, but I wasn’t sure about how to adjust it for a paperback. Most of what I saw in the solds were for hardback.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186667221171
I’m currently working on listing “The Intimate World Of Alexander Calder”. The prices seem all over the place, but I’m thinking around $75.
Not sure why Calder’s books are so high priced, but he is a great artist, and one that I can recognize. I noticed a sculpture or two of his on the high ceiling of the JFK airport when I was there about five years ago.
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Oh wait, I did have a scavenge of the week!
I forgot about this until I listed them at lunch today. Every time I’m at Walmart (I’m there ALOT!!!) I check their clearance aisle. It hasn’t been lucrative in a few years, but occasionally they do a real clearance, such as this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266976960451
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266976958777
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266976957915
I bought all of these for $1 each. It’s definitely a long term pipeline but they’ll all sell eventually as people love 2 things – Lego and Animal Crossing.
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My favorite scavenge this week are some vintage tinted photographs. The paper around them has water damage, so I will need to add custom mats but I liked them enough to go for it at $25 for the pair. They look something like this https://www.etsy.com/listing/1623422529/vintage-f-e-garrett-hand-tinted-antique?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=old+hand+tinted+photos+photographs&ref=sr_gallery-1-9&frs=1&content_source=00315f5dc5b78ef67ecb54ac8e841fc5e26cfae7%253A1623422529&organic_search_click=1
I’ve been selling a ton of art in my pop up booth and so now I’m really on the hunt for that.
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I picked up a “Campaign-style” writing slope at the junk market this morning for £15. I found inside a Victoria half-penny that’s been flattened out and a horseshoe brooch that’s either gold with emeralds, or brass with glass. I also got round to asking a lady who buys a lot of stuff there what she does with it. She runs a stall at a flea market in Chesterfield, so now I know where I go at 4 o’clock on a dark misty Saturday morning is one rung below a flea market.
Out of curiousity I once tried to find out what was at the bottom of the English football league (you know, like Manchester United is in the Premier League at the top). It was six amateur football clubs sharing a pitch on the Clifton Downs in Bristol. I wonder what’s at the bottom of the flea market league?
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