General Forum

Hey everyone, I’m a brand new member that originally was just using this as a database with an idea to maybe sell some of my cards eventually.

Ive researched the site and noticed the cards are listed on eBay....I have read hottie stories about selling singles on eBay. The issues stem around selling singles and/or a few cards at a time for basically no profit b/c of the shippIng charges and eBay percentage. Have you found this to be accurate?

Also, I’m not a dealer or in business, just looking to decrease my collection. I’ve heard if you’re not a dealer then it’s useless to sale on sites like this. Is this an accurate assessment as well?

thanks for any help you can offer.

- Jay 

Hi Jay,

First, welcome.

Second, the site works best when you have entered the cards you wish to sell (in your case) or the colelction (in most cases) along with a want list (also in most cases). The site has tools that will help you match potential buyers with sellers, and potential traders (in other cases).

You CAN sell here. In fact, you may do better as a smaller hobbyist than as a large corporation here.

I don't know what you mean though by saying you see the cards listed here are also listed on ebay. If you're speaking of the ads on the pages, they are simply using the set or the card's page you're on to create an ebay search and returns the results on the page. They could be TCDB members' listings, but they may not be.

All the best in your endeavors here!

Welcome. Good luck finding a good way to sell your collection. I don't think such a thing exists. Luckily I am collecting because I like to. I thought maybe you were referring to members who post links to their ebay auctions in the for sale/trade section. They are just using that posting as another way of spreding the word that they have something for sale on ebay. Most of the time they ae also regulars here for trading or discussion. Ebay or here are good avenues for selling individual cards that are more than commons. If you are looking to move lots of cards that are mostly commons shipping costs kill and value so you are probably best moving those through local ad sites like craigslist or facebook I would think. 

Welcome to the site. It's a great place to trade cards and discuss collecting. I have sold very little on here but as I said I have been very happy trading and discussing collecting here.

Welcome  Am I wrong but I'm seeing more new members and that is great.   To you and all new members This is the best site to learn about the world of card collecting.   Even if you only collection a small area of cards (like me) The people here are very knownelgeable in all areas. 

The best way to use the site is vroomed way add your want list , your for sale/trade list and your PC.   Others add more the one collection as they break their collection up for better tracking.

I love the trading part but I have had a little better luck selling here.  BECAUSE my want list is very tough.   

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I’m still navigating the site as I’m trying to add my cards to the database. I’m about half way through my cards and still trying to figure out all of the potential that is here. 

I’m trying to figure out how to select cards now for a want list without having to select all missing cards from a set. I have quite a few unfinished sets so I may just go that route. 

I have always been a collector/consumer....have never sold any cards before and the last time I traded cards I must have been 12 years old (I’m 47 now, yikes!). 

If you are looking to complete sets, may I suggest you follow a couple of rules of thumb (my own) in building your want list.

1. Your want list should be large enough to give potential traders an opportunity to build a worthwhile trade -one card trades are not economical unless you are trading higher priced cards.

2. Add the rest of the cards you need to sets that you already have 50% of the set. My philosophy is that I may find a large lot of cards for a good price that will help me get the majority of the cards from sets I haven't started or have very few of.  This applies to sets from the mid-80s to the present. By following this rule, the cards I get offered in trade help me get closer to completing sets that are already nearing completion and not just adding a few toaset I have barely any cards from. The site does not indicate to any potential trader the sets you are close to completing so they offer what they have, many times in sets where they have the most of to trade in your want list.

3. If there is a potential trader that has a few cards that are on your want list but you have many that he needs and you wish to build the trade to a larger trade so as to economize shipping costs, then see what he has to trade (on his profile page, go to his collection and see his for sale / trade list).  If there is a set you have not added to your wantlist because it did not meet rule 2 above, then add that set's missing cards to your wantlist.  This willincrease the matches fromhis traders to your wants and allow you to expand the trade.

4.  if this fits your collecting style, keep your want list to around 40,000 cards.  As a set builder, this is not difficult to do especially if you are looking to collect sets in the modern era frommid-90s to the present. This will not clog the system but will be more than plenty to attract traders.  Of course, you need an extensive Trade list to provide bait to those who wish to trade.

This has worked for me quite well in attracting trades.  Of the over 200 trades I have made, I have only proposed a handful of them.

Last, enjoy the hobby and the site (it is a hobby, not life and death), don't get too over-anxious to accept trades where you lose track of those you are already in the process of completing (some members here have demonstrated that this is a sure way not to get any more trade offers or proposed trades accepted) and continue to maintain both your want and your trade lists (so you don't promise cards to someone when you already sent them in another trade).