State of the Trading Card Industry
When thinking about collecting trading cards, there are a handful of different approaches you can take. You can purchase individual packs and hope to get good cards. You can purchase complete season sets and know basically what you are going to get, you can buy boxes that include ten or more packs, or you can buy individual cards instead of taking the risk of pulling a good card.
During quarantine and the early days of the Coronavirus, Pandemic people were stuck at home and reverted to many of their old hobbies such as collecting trading cards, playing video games, or watching movies. The pandemic worked magic on the trading card industry as it got many people back into the hobby and also saw an increase in prices for cards.
Cards Selling for Thousands
You might be aware of some sports cards that are extremely common and do not sell for more than five dollars. Other times a card can sell for over $100 or maybe even more. There have always been stories on cards that have sold for tens of thousands and even millions of dollars which might seem a bit insane for a little 2.5 inch by 3.5-inch card. Right now, the trading card industry is booming, with two Michael Jordan rookie cards selling for $738,000 each and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson selling for $45,000. Collectors are eager once again to try and get their hands on the next big money card.
What is Card Flipping?
Collectors have different methods when it comes to card flipping. A collector might take a chance and purchase rookie cards of an athlete that is either receiving a ton of hype, or maybe they just feel they will take off once making it pro. The collector will then get these cards at a rather cheap price depending on who the athlete is, and once the athlete does very well or something significant happens, the value for the card will increase, and the collector can now sell the card and make a profit.
Another area collectors flip cards are by investing in older cards and selling them years and years later after keeping the card in mint condition. The card’s value goes as far as the quality and condition of the card and the longer the card is out the more value a mint condition card earns.
When NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a plane crash, collectors all over the world purchased his memorabilia and trading cards. Since Bryant was no longer able to autograph or produce memorabilia anymore, the value in his collector’s items skyrocketed. Collectors were able to flip his items for a massive profit.
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Are Card Flippers Hurting or Helping the Hobby
Now to the real question…are card flippers hurting or helping the hobby. I feel that the card flippers are helping the hobby because it shows just how profitable the hobby is. To be good at card flipping takes time, knowledge, and risk. Not everybody will be able to flip cards for profit every time. I feel that card flippers make the average trading card collector realize just how big the industry is and how profitable some cards are.
The more exclusive the cards get, the more collectors want to continue in the hobby in hopes of landing the next great card. I feel that card flippers add an extra edge of competition to trading card collecting and offer an incredible opportunity to make money. If you are not big into collecting trading cards, then you don’t have to worry. You can and will always be able to get your hands on cheap cards, but card flippers are showing that there are different levels to the hobby.
