What’s the secret to selling cards on a large scale?

[BobC]

Originally Posted by bnorth

How about some simple math fun.

20 minimum wage employees after workers comp, insurance, matching taxes, and several other expenses is around $600K per year. Then add another $100K for rent and utilities. Then easily another $100K start up cost for equipment. we are at a measly $800K without any inventory.

Then lets get crazy and say not including the above expenses we can make $1 profit per card selling only cheap junk. Lets also say someone is in the 1/10 of 1% of people that have all the skills needed to start and run a successful business long term.

They would only have to sell 2,192 cards per day to break even. Seems doable to me.

Pretty good analysis Ben, and I'm not joking or being sarcastic in the least. To try and start up to be a big-time card dealership overnight is virtually impossible, unless you already have more than enough money AND the cards to do it with. Even if you go out and hire a bunch of people to list, sell, handle, and ship cards, who is out there acquiring the cards to start with, and then continuing to acquire them to keep replacing the ones you're selling?

The competition to acquire more and more cards is already out there, and with the recent price surges during the pandemic, more and more people are aware of these cards increased/increasing values, and not as prone to just give them away. And as others had opined, when you buy cards at the right/lowest prices is when you actually make your money. To me, the way to go about becoming a big card seller/dealer is to start out small, maybe just by yourself to begin with. And as others have said, use that trial period to figure out your own system/way of doing things, and see if you can be successful (ie: profitable). And if you succeed to that point, try expanding and going forward and building up the business.

Otherwise, if you insist on being a bit-time seller/dealer right out of the gate, be sure to have a boatload of money (or a hell of a credit line) and be willing to spend it to acquire a big, desirable inventory, pray you can find (and retain) good, honest, qualified people to work with/for you, be sure to also find some good/ qualified support professionals to help set the business up and keep track of things going forward (attorney and accountant/CPA at least), and then hope to God that nothing drastic or bad happens or changes the economy, the hobby, or anything else you could have never reasonably predicted or expected, and that you otherwise have absolutely no control over. Not sure any of this is exactly secret. A lot of effort, desire, hard work, dedication, and especially a lot of luck, is the formula for pretty much every kind of business out there becoming a success.

Possibly the easiest (but certainly not cheapest) way to go about getting into a successful, big-time card selling business is to find one that is already successful and operating, and simply buy it (if you even can). And then just pray you don't do something stupid to screw it up, or have something beyond your control happen to screw it up for you.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by BobC

Pretty good analysis Ben, and I'm not joking or being sarcastic in the least. To try and start up to be a big-time card dealership overnight is virtually impossible, unless you already have more than enough money AND the cards to do it with. Even if you go out and hire a bunch of people to list, sell, handle, and ship cards, who is out there acquiring the cards to start with, and then continuing to acquire them to keep replacing the ones you're selling?

The competition to acquire more and more cards is already out there, and with the recent price surges during the pandemic, more and more people are aware of these cards increased/increasing values, and not as prone to just give them away. And as others had opined, when you buy cards at the right/lowest prices is when you actually make your money. To me, the way to go about becoming a big card seller/dealer is to start out small, maybe just by yourself to begin with. And as others have said, use that trial period to figure out your own system/way of doing things, and see if you can be successful (ie: profitable). And if you succeed to that point, try expanding and going forward and building up the business.

Otherwise, if you insist on being a bit-time seller/dealer right out of the gate, be sure to have a boatload of money (or a hell of a credit line) and be willing to spend it to acquire a big, desirable inventory, pray you can find (and retain) good, honest, qualified people to work with/for you, be sure to also find some good/ qualified support professionals to help set the business up and keep track of things going forward (attorney and accountant/CPA at least), and then hope to God that nothing drastic or bad happens or changes the economy, the hobby, or anything else you could have never reasonably predicted or expected, and that you otherwise have absolutely no control over. Not sure any of this is exactly secret. A lot of effort, desire, hard work, dedication, and especially a lot of luck, is the formula for pretty much every kind of business out there becoming a success.

Possibly the easiest (but certainly not cheapest) way to go about getting into a successful, big-time card selling business is to find one that is already successful and operating, and simply buy it (if you even can). And then just pray you don't do something stupid to screw it up, or have something beyond your control happen to screw it up for you.

I wasn't being sarcastic either. I was actually trying to be helpful. When I am being a smart ass I usually say I am or try to make it obvious.

I just figured I would throw up a few realistic numbers. I understand how businesses work. I run an extremely successful one that let me retire in my early 40s.

I believe the OP is just looking for a get rich quick scheme. He kept being very unrealistic and for some silly reason gave a list of sellers that sell all price ranges of cards and somehow wanted to focus on selling cheap garbage.

You are correct about hiring a CPA. I complained all the time about their beyond silly bills. Then I got audited by everyone in the same year and was very happy I paid those silly fees. Not sure who I pissed off but seriously everyone who could audit me did.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I wasn't being sarcastic either. I was actually trying to be helpful. When I am being a smart ass I usually say I am or try to make it obvious.

I just figured I would throw up a few realistic numbers. I understand how businesses work. I run an extremely successful one that let me retire in my early 40s.

I believe the OP is just looking for a get rich quick scheme. He kept being very unrealistic and for some silly reason gave a list of sellers that sell all price ranges of cards and somehow wanted to focus on selling cheap garbage.

You are correct about hiring a CPA. I complained all the time about their beyond silly bills. Then I got audited by everyone in the same year and was very happy I paid those silly fees. Not sure who I pissed off but seriously everyone who could audit me did.

I never thought you were being sarcastic in the least Ben, and not sure why you got jumped like you did for merely trying to be helpful. Sorry about that. In pretty much every kind of business idea/venture, there really is/are no secret(s). As I had said, you either start out small and build up till you can get big, or just buy someone that is big already and go from there. Not sure what other "secrets" there really can be, besides being dedicated and working your ass off, and being lucky as hell! And that is pretty much true for virtually every business someone may ask or think about.

As you pointed out with your analysis, trying to start out from scratch as a big-time seller will not be cheap, or easy. You'll need a ton of money, and even more luck. If you instead decide to start small and build up, you may not need as much money, at least initially up front, but you eventually will start needing a lot more, and you're still going to need a heck of a lot of luck to succeed and grow. And if you're extremely lucky enough to already have tons of money, or a large enough credit line, you can just go out and try to buy a big-time dealer/business that you want to be like. But you again have to be extremely lucky, and also hopefully not dumb enough to screw things up. There's a very good, and relatable, current business example we're all pretty much aware of right now out in the business world, that demonstrates exactly how having all the money in the world and just going out and buying the company you think you want, may not always work out as you originally hoped and planned, and some of the decisions you make after such an acquisition can end up seeming to be really stupid. LOL

Hang in there.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by BobC

I never thought you were being sarcastic in the least Ben, and not sure why you got jumped like you did for merely trying to be helpful. Sorry about that. In pretty much every kind of business idea/venture, there really is/are no secret(s). As I had said, you either start out small and build up till you can get big, or just buy someone that is big already and go from there. Not sure what other "secrets" there really can be, besides being dedicated and working your ass off, and being lucky as hell! And that is pretty much true for virtually every business someone may ask or think about.

As you pointed out with your analysis, trying to start out from scratch as a big-time seller will not be cheap, or easy. You'll need a ton of money, and even more luck. If you instead decide to start small and build up, you may not need as much money, at least initially up front, but you eventually will start needing a lot more, and you're still going to need a heck of a lot of luck to succeed and grow. And if you're extremely lucky enough to already have tons of money, or a large enough credit line, you can just go out and try to buy a big-time dealer/business that you want to be like. But you again have to be extremely lucky, and also hopefully not dumb enough to screw things up. There's a very good, and relatable, current business example we're all pretty much aware of right now out in the business world, that demonstrates exactly how having all the money in the world and just going out and buying the company you think you want, may not always work out as you originally hoped and planned, and some of the decisions you make after such an acquisition can end up seeming to be really stupid. LOL

Hang in there.

Bob, you're spot on.

Just remember, everyone, what the best thing is about owning your own business:

You get to choose which seventy hours you work every week.

[Exhibitman]

Burbank Sportscards is my LCS; been going there for over 20 years. They started out as a small family enterprise in a small space. Family was the initial labor pool. As they got bigger, they bought out other dealers and expanded their holdings, moved to a mixed space that was primarily warehouse with a showroom front. They now have a warehouse that handles fulfillment, and the retail storefront down the block (very nice place, BTW, if you are in town). In other words, it grew organically as their business grew. They got the inventory then built the infrastructure to turn it out, not the other way around.

[Bcwcardz]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Burbank Sportscards is my LCS; been going there for over 20 years. They started out as a small family enterprise in a small space. Family was the initial labor pool. As they got bigger, they bought out other dealers and expanded their holdings, moved to a mixed space that was primarily warehouse with a showroom front. They now have a warehouse that handles fulfillment, and the retail storefront down the block (very nice place, BTW, if you are in town). In other words, it grew organically as their business grew. They got the inventory then built the infrastructure to turn it out, not the other way around.

I’ve been there a few times. They are ok. Years ago I had to sit on a computer select the cards I needed for a set I was working on then they went and pulled from somewhere else. The cards weren’t exactly as described but they spent the time and I already paid. But they did GROW into the business they are now. You just don’t start out as a gigantic card business. You build and find what works for you. Even on EBay over the years you can see how they have gotten larger. It just comes with time and success.


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[Bigdaddy]

There's a LCS near me that has been in business since the 1980s and just recently changed ownership for the first time. I thought they had a lot of cards in their store (you would have to turn sideways to pass someone in the walkways they were so narrow) and then I found out that there were two more storage units full of product. And I believe they had a very small online footprint and never really got into the graded card business.

Will be interesting to see how the new ownership tackles this. They've moved the store across the street into a new storefront. A much different feel than the previous store. Will be interesting to see how they tackle the huge inventory.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Bob, you're spot on.

Just remember, everyone, what the best thing is about owning your own business:

You get to choose which seventy hours you work every week.

Eric, only 70 hours a week?!?!?!? LOL

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by BobC

Eric, only 70 hours a week?!?!?!? LOL

I turned 50 recently. Guess my stamina isn't what it used to be...

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Bob, you're spot on.

Just remember, everyone, what the best thing is about owning your own business:

You get to choose which seventy hours you work every week.

LOL, I wish I could have chosen which 70+ hours a week I worked. I would get calls from 6am till 11pm every day of the week. The real early ones and the really late ones got a slightly higher bid/bill than the others usually.

[David W]

There is a local auction house in Northern Indiana selling cards on their own auction website.

When I've gone to pick up cards I've bought, they usually have 3-5 college students sitting at tables taking pics with their phone and writing a basic (often wrong) description.

I bought a zip lock bag full of 1973 topps, mistyped as 1983 for $9. Got 2 G-VG Clementes and 2 Ryans, plus 300 other cards.

I Bought a lot of 200 or so 1978's with 2 Murrays, a Trammel/Whitaker in G-VG for $3.

Sometimes they take the time to list each individual junk era common. Since starting price is always $1 they might have 15% of the lots with no bids.

So if you have the wrong people doing the data entry you can lose money pretty easily.

[homerunhitter]

Show me anywhere in my post where I even mentioned that I was looking for advice on how to do it. Not once did I say I wanted to do it I was just asking a basic simple question.

[G1911]

[QUOTE=homerunhitter;2301495]Show me anywhere in my post where I even mentioned that I was looking for advice on how to go it. /QUOTE]

The title of the thread is asking what the secret to large scale selling is. Thus there are answers to the difficulties, because the naive assumption is false.

[homerunhitter]

True,
But I was not asking for myself. Just a very generic curious question that’s all.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

True,
But I was not asking for myself. Just a very generic curious question that’s all.

To which you got answers. You just don't like the answers. That does not make everyone else creepy, obsessive and weird. Message boards are to respond to the topic, not to parrot the OP's assumptions. If you want an echo chamber where only your assumptions are stated, write yourself an email.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Show me anywhere in my post where I even mentioned that I was looking for advice on how to do it. Not once did I say I wanted to do it I was just asking a basic simple question.

Yeah, I never thought you were actually interested in doing anything.

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