The sports trading card industry has developed exponentially over the past few decades, with more collectors than ever before looking to move and shake their haul around, in the hope of making some cash.
Consequently, the weight of expectation on collectors and buyers has grown, with such a broad tapestry of cards available and a multitude of vehicles from which enthusiasts can purchase cards from.
One of the knock on effects of this has been the influx of trading card websites that have worked their way onto the market, offering to value any sports trading card – which inevitably comes at a cost.
This combined with the use of grading services such as PSA and Beckett, has enabled buyers and sellers to have a much more organised structure to their sports trading card dealings.
Having to pay a price for a valuation however, isn’t ideal for all collectors, especially those with smaller budgets and lower financial aspiration from their sports trading card hobby.
Developments within the market are starting to be made though, for collectors to be able to check the value of their sports trading card value for free, a potential gamechanger within the industry, for both buyers and sellers.
Here are some of the best options when it comes to checking sporting card values for free:
Market Movers
Being able to keep track of card prices over a period of time and identify any ongoing trends is key for collectors and Market Movers are a market leader in that regard.
With in-depth trading patterns, from both a buying and selling perspective, Market Movers keep all levels of collector firmly in the loop, a hugely useful resource when looking to keep updated with any given card.
Direct comparisons between specific cards are also available with Market Movers, making it a very handy tool for collectors with plenty of cards at their disposal – enabling them to easily identify any emerging price patterns.
In addition, collectors can also identify how many units of each card are being sold at any one time, ideal for those who are looking to pinpoint the very best time to move their cards on.
All of these ground-breaking tools are available for free with Market Movers and they are a potentially invaluable tool to all levels of collector.
Such is the popularity of the service Market Movers offer to their customers, that there is now a paid option on the market, with the ‘basic’ plan and the ‘pro’ plan coming at a monthly cost but for those with extensive collections, it is becoming a resource that is simply too important to not have.
Inevitably, Market Movers is targeting the higher end of the card collecting fraternity and it perhaps wouldn’t be the go-to tool for casual enthusiasts but there are plenty of other services available.
Sell the Peak
Quickly being able to ascertain the trend within the market for any given card is essential for any level of sports trading card collector and Sell the Peak offer one of the very best services on the market.
Users can simply search for a specific card using the search tool and Sell the Peak lists the most recent sales prices for the allocated card on eBay, giving users a real barometer as to how the card is performing on the market and how much it could potentially be worth.
Of course, using eBay as the ultimate resource isn’t always the be all and end all for users but it is a working guide that all levels of collector can operate from and it certainly does the job of providing ball park figures.
Convenience is also key with Sell the Peak, as users can easily navigate their search system and check the relative value of any card, for free, using their services.
Beckett Price Guides
In the professional valuation and grading game, Beckett, along with PSA completely dominate the market, with both companies able to provide collectors with a pinpoint grading on any given sports trading card.
One of the USP’s with the Beckett Price Guide feature, is that it is from the horse’s mouth itself, with Beckett having graded millions of cards, then been privy to their sale – so they certainly have their finger on the pulse when it comes to the exact valuation of most cards out there on the market.
Beckett have a vortex of data to call upon, which is a godsend for most collectors but once again, it is a resource that carries more weight for those users with substantial card collections, rather than those who indulge in some sports card trading now and again.
PSA
In a very similar vein, PSA have long held the monopoly on the sports trading card grading scene and they too are able to inform buyers and sellers of developing trends, simply by scanning their statistics from decades in operation.
In the view of many, PSA have the ultimate database of sports trading card and consequently, a peruse through the sales history of a particular card can be hugely enlightening for collectors.
PSA have also made plenty of effort to assist users with their research, with price charts and graphs available for collectors to call upon and study in relation to their trading card endeavours.
Star Stock
Whilst seeing the trends of what people are selling specific cards for is always handy, getting a better idea of what buyers are willing to pay for a trading card is often more eye opening.
Star Stock have originally made a name for themselves in the congested sports kit market, particularly in the world of trainers but they have now ventured into the sports trading card sphere.
The ownness is very much on the buyers, who dictate the prices at which they would be happy to purchase a specific item and sellers reply in kind, by offering their item for that price.
This is arguably a better working option for more occasional collectors, as they look to move on a few cards, for a good price, maximising their potential returns from each sale.