I’ve bought cards everywhere—eBay auctions at 3am, sweaty card show floors, Facebook group deals gone wrong, and estate sale jackpots. After building inventory for tens of thousands of eBay sales, here’s what actually works.
Card Shows: Still My Best Source
Why I Keep Going
Despite everything being online now, I still hit 2-3 local card shows per month. Here’s why:
- Negotiation: Face-to-face gets me 15-25% off asking price
- Bulk deals: “I’ll take the whole box for $X” only works in person
- Condition verification: No surprises. I see exactly what I’m buying.
- Relationships: Same dealers save stuff for me now
My Show Strategy
After hundreds of shows, this is my routine:
- Arrive early: I pay for early admission. The best stuff is gone by 10am.
- Walk the floor first: See everything before buying anything.
- Bring cash: Most dealers give 5-10% cash discount.
- Check prices morning-of: I look up eBay sold listings on my phone before negotiating.
- End-of-day sweep: Come back at 3pm. Dealers would rather sell than pack.
What I’ve Scored
Best card show deals from the last year:
- PSA 8 Base Charizard for $350 (sold for $580)
- Complete WOTC Gym Heroes set for $400 (parted out for $900)
- Box of “bulk” that had 3 Gold Stars buried in it ($50 box, $600 value)
eBay Sniping: 20% of My Inventory
Why Sniping Works
Most people bid early and get outbid. I place my max bid in the final 5 seconds. No one has time to counter.
My win rate at target prices: about 35%. But when I win, I’m getting cards 20-30% below market.
Tools I Use
- Gixen (free): Web-based sniper. Set your max and forget it.
- My phone alarm: For auctions I really want, I watch live.
What I Snipe
- Misspelled listings: “Pokeman,” “Charizar,” “Basbeball”—fewer bidders
- Bad photos: Blurry photos = overlooked listings
- Odd end times: Auctions ending at 3am have less competition
- Large lots: Collections often sell under combined singles value
Snipe Math
I calculate my max bid at 70-75% of lowest eBay sold price. If I win at that price, I have margin. If someone outbids me, they overpaid.
Facebook Groups: Relationship-Based Deals
Groups I’m In
- Local Pokémon buy/sell groups
- Sports card trading groups
- “Card lots for sale” groups
- Graded card groups
How I Buy
I don’t lowball publicly. That kills your reputation. Instead:
- See a listing I like
- Send a private message with my offer
- Explain why (comps, condition concerns, etc.)
- PayPal G&S only (eat the fee, it’s worth the protection)
Building Reputation
In FB groups, reputation is everything:
- Ship fast (24-48 hours)
- Package well
- Leave feedback after every deal
- Don’t flake on agreed deals
After 100+ transactions, sellers come to me first with deals.
Estate Sales: Rare but Massive ROI
The Dream Scenario
Estate sales happen when someone dies or moves and their stuff gets sold. Sometimes that includes card collections priced by people who don’t know the market.
I check EstateSales.net twice a week. Search for “cards,” “sports,” “Pokemon,” “collection.”
My Best Estate Sale Score
Last year: bought a “box of old baseball cards” for $75. Inside was a 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie in VG condition. Sold for $400.
Estate sales are hit or miss. Most are junk wax. But when they hit, they really hit.
Local Card Shops: Mixed Results
When LCS Works
- Clearance bins: Always dig through them. Found a $50 card for $5 once.
- Damaged slab deals: Shops discount scratched cases. Crack and re-slab.
- Buy piles: Ask if they have cards they haven’t processed yet.
When LCS Doesn’t Work
Most shops price at or above eBay. They have overhead. Unless they’re running a sale or clearing old inventory, margins are thin.
Online Arbitrage
TCGplayer → eBay
TCGplayer prices vary by seller. Sometimes cards are 20-30% cheaper than eBay for the same card.
My process:
- Find card on TCGplayer, sort by “Price + Shipping”
- Check eBay sold listings for same card
- If TCGplayer is 25%+ cheaper, buy and relist on eBay
It’s work, but margins are consistent.
COMC Port Deals
COMC (Check Out My Cards) has “port” prices—cards people want shipped out. Often discounted. I check weekly.
Avoiding Scams
Red Flags I’ve Learned
- Way below market: PSA 10 Charizard for $500? It’s fake or a scam.
- Stock photos: Demand actual photos of the exact card.
- New accounts with no feedback: PayPal G&S only. No exceptions.
- “Send as friends and family”: Always a scam. Walk away.
- Won’t meet in public: For local deals, police station parking lot or nothing.
Protection
- PayPal G&S: For all private sales. Seller pays fee, buyer gets protection.
- Screenshot everything: Listings, messages, tracking
- Video for high-value: Request video of card before sending $500+
Tracking Sourcing ROI
I track every purchase source in my spreadsheet:
| Source | Time/Month | Spend | Returns | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card Shows | 10 hrs | $800 | $1,400 | 75% |
| eBay Snipes | 3 hrs | $500 | $700 | 40% |
| FB Groups | 5 hrs | $400 | $600 | 50% |
| Estate Sales | 4 hrs | $150 | $500 | 233% |
Estate sales have the best ROI but lowest volume. Card shows balance volume and margins. Adjust based on what’s available in your area.
My Weekly Sourcing Routine
- Daily (15 min): Check FB groups, set eBay snipes
- Wednesday: Check EstateSales.net for weekend sales
- Saturday: Hit a card show OR estate sale
- Sunday: Process new inventory, photograph, list
Getting Started
Month 1-2: Learn the Market
- Go to 2-3 card shows, just observe
- Track eBay sold prices for cards you’re interested in
- Join 5-10 FB groups, watch deals go by
- Don’t buy much—learn what things are worth first
Month 3-4: Start Small
- Set $500 sourcing budget
- Focus on one category (I started with WOTC Pokémon)
- Buy 20-30 cards, sell them all
- Track your ROI
Month 5+: Scale What Works
- Double down on your best sourcing channel
- Add a second channel
- Build relationships with consistent sellers
- Reinvest profits
The Mindset Shift
Most people source reactively—they see a deal and react. I source proactively:
- I know what cards I want before I see them
- I know my max price before negotiating
- I have cash ready when deals appear
- I say no to most deals because the math doesn’t work
Discipline beats luck. Track everything. Know your numbers. The deals will come.
Related Guides
- Storage & Workflow – Organize what you source
- Is Grading Worth It? – When to grade vs sell raw
- PSA vs CGC vs Beckett – From my 3,000 submissions
- Pokémon Flip Guide – My best category
- Complete Guide – Full overview