Offers as a share of comps
At card shows and shops, offers are usually framed as a percentage of comps, the card's recent sale prices. A dealer buying for resale has to cover marketplace fees, shipping, the time to sell and some risk, so cash offers below comps are normal. Many dealers pay more in trade credit than in cash, because the trade moves their own inventory.
There's no fixed rate. Cards that sell fast, like popular rookies and graded gems, draw higher offers; slow-moving cards and bulk draw lower ones.
What the calculator shows
- When you're buying: your profit if you resell the card online at its comp, after eBay fees and shipping, and the most you can pay for the margin you want.
- When you're selling to a dealer: how the dealer's cash offer compares with what you'd keep selling online yourself.
The table shows offers from 60% to 90% of comps side by side. Read more in buying and selling at card shows.
Questions
What percentage of comps should I pay at a card show?
Work back from your resale. Set the profit you want and the calculator gives the most you can pay; for a typical $200 card sold on eBay, a 20% margin works out to roughly 70% of comps.
Is selling to a dealer ever better than selling online?
Yes, when the offer is close to what you'd net online, when you want cash now, or for cards that sell slowly. Fees and shipping take a real share of online sales.