So, as some of you probably know, I almost never sell cards. Mostly because I’ve been too lazy to, I’m not even gonna lie about that. But also because I never really had the need to.
Well, right now, that ‘need’ finally arrived, since I’ve bought a bit too much at once lately. (The latest being one of the 9 Pikachu cards I was missing, an opportunity I couldn’t let pass when it presented itself, even if it meant paying groceries on credit for the rest of the month. But more on that later.)
I figured it was a good opportunity to distract myself with selling instead of buying for a change.
Anyway, I have over 10k duplicated cards which I would eventually like to sell. Currently they’re mostly grouped per Pokémon species, since the few times I do sell it’s usually to people whom contact me regarding their Pokémon species collections, or Pikachu in particular.
Here a picture of all those duplicates to get a general idea (the holos and rare cards are sleeved, everything else not):
I’m gonna try to re-organize and perhaps catalog everything so I have a better idea of what I have, and can determine the values of the more expensive/rarer cards among them. Most of these cards are likely only worth a few cents/USD each, but there or possibly also multiple 100+ or even some 1k+ USD cards among them somewhere.
So, here is where my question comes in to the more advanced sellers among us: how would you go about organizing and selling this (over a long period of time, I’m not in a hurry). Any and all tips and tricks are welcome.
One thing I’ve been thinking about myself: making small lots for species collectors. I remember back in 2015-2018 I’ve bought loads of Pikachu/Pichu/Raichu lots just because it contained one or two Pikachu among them I had been missing, and I honestly barely see those type of listings anymore these days. I also feel it’s a good way to get rid of some MP/LP quality cards, by putting them (with clear description and pictures) in such lots among other NM cards.
I assume you have an eye for when a card could potentially be worth more than an arbitrarily selected amount. The question is then how much time do you have? 10k cards isnt too bad to sort into worth something or not depending on if you have time and a system.
I would suggest listing cards above a threshold value or rarity individually to maximize your value from them, potentially sending for grading and auction through fanatics or similar depending on the specifics because of their quicker turn around.
For bulk lp-mp cards, ones that are truly bulk, bundles of 100. Whether they are specie bundles, or rarity bundles, or jumbled bundles, your local area/marketplace is the place to try selling these at whatever the going rate is ($5-10 per bundle usually for modern bulk). There isnt a terribly large desire for bulk, although older bulk may have more demand due to card scarcity.
I do like the specie bundle idea but im more of a naive and optimistic collector so im not sure theyll sell with the purpose you intend, but its pokemon and anything pokemon will sell right now if the price is reasonable.
(I also spy some mini-cards in that pile i’d be interested in knowing more about… that unique stuff is my wallets kryptonite)
In general yes, although there have been a lot of times I’ve been surprised about the value of a certain card (mostly Pikachu I own and don’t have duplicates of).
I don’t really have a system yet, since it’s my first time selling all of this. Mostly just organizing what I have and go from there.
This was indeed the idea for the higher value and rarer cards among them.
I don’t think this is a viable option for me, unless the cards are both rare and NM+, of which I don’t have a lot. Keep in mind that I’m from The Netherlands (Europe), so grading and auction houses (almost all located in the US) in general will add additional expenses and shipping times/fees and such. And since they’re duplicates, I’ve kept the better condition copies in my own collection. Out of the top of my heads, there are likely only a handful worth grading.
I’d say halve of it is NM modern bulk from boxes I opened myself or cards I received as gifts with orders. The other halve is mostly Japanese non-holo bulk from the DP through XY eras, varying from NM to MP. I once bought a lot of 10k cards for 150 bucks many years ago, which already earned it’s money back a few times by the unlimited L2/L3 cards and such among them that I’ve mostly already sold.
I bought a complete miniature Zeraora deck including the Pikachu, and the ones you’ve spotted are the duplicates of that deck. I’d likely sell the Pikachu to another Pikachu collector eventually, but if you have any interests in any of the other duplicates (mostly trainers and Lightning Energy cards tbh - although there are three Pokémon among them), lmk.
Something else I’ve seen (that I’m not sure if it works or not), is bundles for popular artists (like the species bundles). E.g. Komiya, Yuka Morii, Asako Ito, sowsow, etc. Since people often artist collect these artists.
Another thing to consider is that CardMarket doesn’t require pictures (and maybe CardTrader too? Though I’m not sure how much traffic you’d get there vs CardMarket), which should probably save you a lot of time listing cards.
Sounds like it’s going to be a fun slog though! (Unless you really hate the tedium of selling)
I offloaded a similar amount of cards over the past couple of years (maybe closer to 7k?) and it was truly bulk. After sorting through anything that could be made money off of, I did sell some, and then ultimately, I donated the rest to a local charity.
-I would try separating NM vintage bulk (pre- XY era) and sell those on cardmarket/ebay/vinted.
EDIT: I think it would work nicely with pre-DpPT era ones, but I’m reading that we’re mainly talking about more recent stuff. Still, it could be worth trying. If you have both time & energy for such effort, of course
-The others could be sorted and sold by species or artist bundles (like other said, could be a great idea). Probably works best with popular Pokemon, or artists like Komiya.
-What remains should be perfect for “garbage lots”: throw them of vinted/ebay and best offer gets their pile of 200-300 cards.
The “best way” is more a question of how much your time is worth relative to the cards - this lot could be sold in bulk to one buyer or pieced out individually. The best option is probably somewhere in between. How much do you like/dislike the process of selling and the customer service that comes with it?
I would start by figuring out a value threshold where a card becomes worth your time and effort to sell individually. Any Pokemon cards below that I would sell as a bulk lot or just sit on it and wait for the value to become worth your time. Bulk lots of Pokemon from mixed eras around the $1-5 average $ per card range can be attractive to streamers.
Trainers are tougher, even if they’re cheap, it might be worth throwing quantities of these on a CardMarket account and sell them slowly over time. If they’re playable they’ll move. True ultra modern bulk should probably just be sorted and sold at bulk price. I wouldn’t bother with the bulk energies at all.
But more on that later.)
