Collecting Sports Cards: Tips for Online Trading

Collecting sports cards is a hobby shared by thousands. Whether it is football, baseball, basketball or any other sport, kids and adults alike love collecting trading cards. Sports cards though have also become a big business and with the increasing costs it isn't always easy for a person to keep buying cards of their favorite teams or players, not to mention buying packs of cards to open. That is why trading your unwanted cards is so important; it gives you a way to move the cards you don't necessarily collect in order to get ones you want to keep for your own collection. If you are like me though, it can sometimes be tough to find people locally to trade with. That is why on-line trading can be such a valuable asset for collectors. If done right, it can help you add to your collection and be a lot of fun.

To maximize a person's on-line trading experience there are certain features one should look for in an on-line trading site. Simply because they have message boards and allow trading doesn't mean it is a fun or safe place to trade. Some of the better on-line sites offer trade posting areas, a place where trades are recorded and kept track of and where problems can be worked out if any arise. They also have active moderators who oversee the postings and help members with questions or problems they may have. These sites also have specific sections for listing the many varieties of cards one might be looking for. This makes it easier to find what you want and list what you have. Another nice feature is the private messaging options that some of the better sites have. They allow you to discuss and manage your individual dealings. And perhaps one of the most important features to look for in a site is the member ranking system. The better sites give credit to members who have completed deals and these rankings can be seen by anyone. It is nice to know that the person you are sending your cards off to has completed a certain number of trades already. It is not only reassuring but helps protect members from being taken advantage of as many new members are often to required to send first to veteran members when a deal has been made. These are just some of the key features that well established on-line trading sites offer.

Once you have decided to join an on-line trading community there are certain rules or protocol that you should follow to make your experience worthwhile. First, as a new member you will probably be expected to send first when you have agreed to a trade. Make sure you check out the person's trading history before you go sending off any of your valuable cards. If this is uncomfortable for you, you may choose to make some deals with some very highly ranked members first or to make smaller deals so as to build a better reputation for yourself and establish a few friendships. Second, once you agree to a deal it is important to keep your end of the bargain and do so in a timely fashion. Not everyone runs to the post office daily, but if you agree to send some cards to someone you should do so in a timely fashion. If you do not, this can also hurt your trading credibility. Third, make sure the cards you send are well protected. Using a plain white envelope to send cards is not recommended. You should be packaging your cards in standard top loaders, holders which protect cards, and mailing them in a bubble mailer when at all possible. You can buy bubble mailers for .25 cents or less and even cheaper in bulk. Finally, whenever you send cards to anyone it is a good idea to use delivery confirmation, to insure your package, or both depending upon the value of the cards. This gives you a way to track the package in case any disputes should arise.

This leads us to where you should begin to look for an on-line trading site. There are numerous on-line sites where a person can go to trade his or her cards, but not all of them offer the safety features one would like to see when dealing with people they do not necessarily know. The Topps Company, one of the leaders in the production of trading cards, has a message board which over the years has evolved into a trading site. This site however offers none of the features I mentioned as being really important keys to look for. Another site run by Beckett, the leading producer in trading card price guides, also has a site. They offer trading boards which do have private messaging but like Topps, the members are ranked by number of posts, not by the number of trades. This can be very misleading as it can be easy to build your post count without ever having actually done a deal. While there are many good members on these sites, they probably aren't where you would want to begin. Although by browsing through the Beckett site a collector is able to see many interesting cards, discussions, and features. A few sites that a new on-line trader might want to consider starting with are Sports Card Forum (SCF), The Bench, Trader Retreat, or Trade Cards Now. These first three are well established sites which offer all of the key features I mentioned and many others. They offer helpful posts to get you started, moderators to answer questions, important member ranking features, and some offer you an inventory system to manage your cards. Trade Cards Now is a relatively new site which offers many of these features as well, but it also has a live chat room which can be a fun way to learn and talk about the hobby with fellow collectors. Trading sports cards on-line is a great way to help any collector build their own personal collection. It is a great way for you to move those unwanted cards while adding valuable additions to your own collection. There are a lot of important details to keep in mind when seeking out a trading community as well as once you have decided to join one. These tips should help you get started on your way to experiencing how much fun on-line trading can be. Happy trading and I hope to see you on the boards.