If you’re a collector of trading cards – be they fantasy, sports, or anything in between – you’ll want to jump on this one! eBay has just launched a special Spend & Save promotion, where buyers of rare cards or packs can get up to $100 off their purchase for a limited time.
If you’re already a trading card enthusiast, that might be all you need to know, but for those who only have a passing interest in trading cards – or perhaps used to have an interest in trading cards – it also presents a great opportunity to dive (back) in.
Promotion details
The eBay Spend & Save* offer is separated into three brackets:
- Spend $250 – $499 and get $35 off
- Spend $500 – $999 and get $70 off
- Spend $1,000 or more and get $100 off
To activate the deal, simply use the coupon code SNSTRADE at the checkout and note that terms & conditions apply.
The offer runs for a limited time only, and qualifying cards can be found through eBay’s main Trading Card landing pages and subsections. If you fancy a browse, here’s the five most popular:
- Trading Cards & Top Trading Cards – The catch-all page for all trading cards, and the most popular items across the category, respectively.
- Collectible card games & accessories – Focuses on categories like Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Sports trading cards and accessories – Incredibly popular NBA, NFL and baseball cards plus those from all other sports. It also has Aussie-centric sections for the likes of NRL and AFL.
- Non-sport trading cards & accessories – Everything else trading card-related, including cards, albums, sleeves and spots on box-breaking teams (see below).
New to trading cards? Now’s a great time to start
If you’re a casual or new collector and are wondering, ‘How many people regularly spend over $1,000 on trading cards to warrant eBay running a promotion like this?’ The answer is… a lot. The trading card industry experienced another explosion in popularity during Covid, as global lockdowns saw many attics cleared out, old cards unearthed and new hobbies developed. Prices subsequently skyrocketed and arguably played a big part in the subsequent popularity in their digital counterparts – non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs.
Particularly rare cards can be worth seven figures – and that isn’t just for antique cards that subsequently developed historical significance. While there’s always been demand for sporting memorabilia, like cigarette cards featuring Don Bradman or Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup card or anything Babe Ruth related, some of the most highly valued sports-related cards are much more recent.
American sports have led the way in card innovation. Modern, rare cards can have stars’ signatures affixed to them and/or be embedded with part of their jersey. One of the most expensive ever sold features a rookie by the name of LeBron James.
There are many non-sporting cards that carry big value for collectors but, if you’re doing a clean-out, pay particular attention to any cards featuring the likes of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. In April, at WrestleMania 38, Logan Paul wore his US$5,275,000 Pikachu card as the centrepiece of a diamond-encrusted necklace. The manga-based Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game has purportedly generated over US$10 billion, and rare cards are highly sought after by players and collectors. Finally, just have a look on YouTube for what a Black Lotus card means to Magic fans.
Box breaking and investing
If you find an unopened pack, a box containing multiple packs (especially cellophane-sealed boxes or packs) and are looking to get the best resale price, you’re likely better off not opening them at all. The communities surrounding trading cards have regular box-breaking events – both live and online – where boxes and packs are slowly opened in front of an audience. These audiences often club together to buy the box in the first place and can pay a premium for different spots (during the opening) that will see them or the team they’re part of receive cards revealed at different stages of the event. A great many rules and regulations now surround these events and they’re not dissimilar to those that govern lottery syndicates.
Spots can cost hundreds of dollars but, despite there being an element of gambling involved, they’re considered by many as a cheap way to invest in rare trading cards that could be worth a fortune. In some instances, this can be the only way to access the cards in the first place, as some stores have actually stopped selling them due to fights breaking out amongst fans and re-sellers. Such boxes and box-breaking spots can also be bid-on and bought on eBay’s Non-sport trading cards & accessories landing pages.
Grading
The condition of a rare card is extraordinarily important and there’s a reason why pack openings are often conducted wearing gloves. Official grades need to be assigned by specialist, third-party assessors and the card owner needs to pay for the service. If a card is in Mint condition, it’ll still only score a 9/10. A pristine, ‘Gem Mint’ 10/10 graded card (with no printing defects) can be worth orders of magnitude more. Internationally-renowned grading can currently take months (due to demand) and cost hundreds of dollars, but respected Australian graders are available, too.
To put the importance of grading into perspective, a Grade 7 Pikachu Illustrator card sold for US$900,000. However, Logan Paul traded his Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card, plus US$4,000,000 (!) for what would become his record-breaking Grade 10 ‘Pikachu Illustrator’ card, as worn at WrestleMania.
Why eBay is the top destination for buying and selling trading cards
With rare trading cards now being treated like works of art, trust is everything and buyer protection policies are essential. eBay’s experience in this area makes it a natural choice for anyone who wants to buy or sell rare cards, new unopened packs or boxes that can’t easily be bought in-store. Ultimately, whether you’re buying or selling (or both), there’s never been a better time to check out what’s available on eBay’s Trading Cards pages, and to make use of the current Spend & Save promotion.
* Click here for full terms and conditions of eBay Australia’s July 2022 Trading Cards Spend & Save offer.
