[53toppscollector]

In my opinion, trades work best between two collectors, because collectors are going to be searching for particular things, and if you find someone who has what you want, and you have something they want, it is easier to just swap your products.

Dealers are looking to make profit, because it is how they make their living. Swapping their $300 card for someone else's $300 card, especially if we are talking vintage where the expected growth will be slow, doesn't really make sense for the dealer, unless he is trading a card that isn't very liquid and is more obscure and he'll have a tougher time selling.

I consistently look for cards that are undervalued or priced incorrectly, because if I can pick them up and then either trade them or sell them for a profit, I can use that profit to buy something I am looking to keep permanently in my collection. Cards are my hobby, not my job, but I have a finite card budget, so anything that helps me add money to my card budget is a win for me.