Comping your cards is one of the biggest issues in the sports card market, but one of the easiest things to learn how to do. "Comping" simply means comparing recent sales to determine the market value of a card.
There are two common places to find comps on sports cards - eBay and Card Ladder. Whichever one you choose, it is extremely important to look at the “completed sales” of the card. This is important, because anyone can list a card for any price, but the completed sales are what show the true value of a card. Most people take the average of the last 3-5 sales of a card, but in some cases, the most recent comp is necessary (recent news, injury, accolade, etc).
To find completed sales on eBay, there is a simple process to follow:
- Type in specific card that you want to comp
- On the left-hand side of the screen, click “Sold Items” under “Filter”
- Once that is clicked, the completed sale numbers will be in green font (shown in picture)
Something that is noteworthy is the difference between market value and seller price. The market value of a card is the price that aligns with the sold listings. For example, a card that has recent sales of $89, $104, $98, $115, and $90 would have a market price of roughly $100. However, most buyers are looking to pay 80% of market value, which means a fair offer for that same card would be around $80.
Other important aspects of comping cards and finding market values are keeping up with market trends. One easy way to do this is using Market Movers, which shows the recent percentage growth or decline of a card. The free version allows users to look at the 30 day change, while the paid offers a multitude of different options (90, 190, 365 days…total sales, number of sales, and last average sale).
Being a well-informed collector can make a huge impact on the quality of a sale, and ultimately allow for more deals to occur since the process will be much easier.