Selling A Local Card Show

Trends may come and go but the popularity of sports cards is here for good when selling a local card show. While it may seem that the card trading community has lost its sparkle because of the lack of brick-and-mortar stores these days, it is actually the opposite for those in the community.

With the advent of online platforms, the practice of trading sports cards with other collectors has become easier. Thanks to the likes of websites like eBay and Craigslist, as well as payment avenues like PayPal and Venmo, finding a card to complete your deck is quicker and more convenient.

But there are still those who prefer face-to-face interactions with sellers and fellow collectors, those who do not implicitly trust online forums, those who simply want to be introduced to the latest collections, which means holding local card shows are still relevant.

Selling a Local Card Show: Getting started

In the past, card shows were pretty much everywhere. A local card shop would often post classifieds wherever possible, advertising an upcoming card show in their area. If you are in the business, it’s likely that you already have an idea where and when card shows in your area are often held. Now, what you need to familiarize yourself with is how to make the most of it and help your business benefit.
What to bring and sell?

The first thing you need to prepare is a list of items you need for the show. Whether you are putting up the card show to gain new customers or to showcase your new collections, it is important to come armed with the basic items.

These include the following:

• Pens and markers
• Signs for your booth
• A paper of your laptop to keep track of your inventory
• A table or two for the setup
• Price labels for each of your products, plus a few blank ones as extra
• Business cards to hand out to customers and fellow shop owners

Of course, you also can’t forget the most important items, which are:

• The cards you are going to sell
• A few other decks or collections you’d want to display (would make for a nice photo spot that can attract potential customers)
• A couple of sealed decks for which you can conduct a card unboxing during the show or if you are considering a card breaking event for customers
• Top loaders to ensure the quality of your cards
• Penny sleeves as containers for every transaction (because you can’t expect people to have one on them and it’s always better to be prepared)

Once you have these, you are pretty much set up to hold your own sports card show. Now, you just have to make the final preparations to keep everything smooth-sailing on the day of the event.

Final Preparations

1. Organize a system

Arrange the cards by sport, by names of the athletes, by teams, or whatever system that would make it easier for the buyers and you to find what you are looking for.

2. Price your items ahead of time

This takes time, especially if you have both low-end and high-end cards to sell, so be sure to do it before the show.

3. Think of creative ways to display your collection

You might want to go traditional and put the cards in binders for easy flipping or go with a display case that would make the setup more attractive. Either way, make sure it’s practical and a breeze to build.

With all of these in place, it’d be hard for your show not to flow smoothly. And one final tip: don’t forget to build a contact list of your customers for future shows and reference. If you need help with selling a local card show, you can look for streamers or breakers that can sell it for you.