Selling & Buying Basketball Cards

Selling Your Cards

• 1

  Decide what you want to keep, and sort out the rest. How you arrange them is up to you, but make sure they're easy to flip through. Nobody wants to thumb aimlessly through scattered collections.

• 2

  Buy a price guide, then study it. "Beckett Basketball" is the industry standard when it comes to card pricing, and can be found in most major bookstores and card shops. Card prices are sorted by year, and each product is listed alphabetically, making it easy to find whichever card you're researching.

• 3

  Visit to your local card shop and talk swap. Most stores will only buy high-end new cards or vintage items in immaculate condition, but they're almost always willing to made trades. Unload some of your duplicates in exchange for something you want, or can get rid of easily to someone else. (Also, be sure to pick up supplies like plastic sleeves and hard-plastic card holders.)

• 4

  Establish a PayPal account. Most card selling takes place online, and PayPal is the most popular option among sites where the majority of card buying and selling takes place. Occasionally, a buyer will prefer to pay by check or money order, but for the masses, PayPal is the method of choice.

• 5

  Hit the Internet to peddle your cardboard. eBay is an obvious place to start, but there are countless collector Web sites (like Sports Card Forum) and various other auction sites (such as eBid), so don't limit yourself. Once you have a good idea of what your cards are worth, feel free to post them on message boards with accompanying prices, or list them on auction sites and have the bidders decide your cards' fates. Be sure to use sleeves and holders when you ship your cards, so the cards don't arrive damaged.

Buying New (or Old) Cards

• 6

  Shop around. There are hundreds of vendors online, each of whom has some sort of sale in an effort to entice buyers. Get a good cross-section of prices, and choose the best one. Or, check out your local card shop. Stores will often reward loyal customers with discounts.

• 7

  Peruse auction sites and message boards for people selling single cards cheaply. If you collect cards of a particular player, entering that player's name in search bars will give you a good idea of what you should expect to spend for his high- and low-end cards.

• 8

  Look everywhere. People traded basketball cards long before the invention of the Internet, and some still prefer the old-fashioned methods. Check out garage sales near you. Read the "For Sale" section in your local newspaper. Visit any card or memorabilia shows being held nearby. Be diligent, and you could be rewarded.