“Trading cards” — as the name suggests, buyers are meant to interact with others to swap for their favorites or to fill in the holes in their collections. And with the Internet, finding those rare cards is easier than ever, especially for players of collectible card games who need to build a winning deck in games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon Trading Card Game, both of which are likely familiar to anime fans. And while people can scour forums to find someone who has what they want — and want something of theirs in return — it’s often easier to just sell their extras and buy the cards needed.
To that end, at the beginning of 2021, eBay introduced the eBay Standard Envelope for ungraded trading cards as well as currency, postcards, and stamps. For $1.05 or less, sellers could ship up to 15 ungraded cards (or 2 protected in top loaders). There are other requirements as well, including the envelope being 3 ounces or less, fitting certain dimensions, and not using bubble mailers.
For sellers, this addressed the problem of either charging buyers about $3 to ship a single card in order to have tracking or send in an envelope with no tracking. Even though the prices have risen since the launch, it’s still by far a better price than before.
For eBay, the reason to strike this discount with the United States Postal Service was simple: interest in trading cards has been skyrocketing in recent years. According to eBay, “eBay’s Trading Cards category is growing significantly faster than the total marketplace.”
In 2020, Pokémon was the most popular type of card sold.
So as one of its best-selling categories, eBay launched and then expanded its authentication service for cards. Now, any single ungraded card sold for $250+ or a graded card selling for $350+ will not be sent directly to the buyer; they will first be analyzed by professionals. If found to be legitimate, the card will be placed in special packaging that can be displayed and has a QR code to show its verification information. This service is currently free.
But while eBay has been a well-known site to buy and sell almost anything, of course, it is hardly the only place for such transactions. They don’t usually have eBay’s sales volume and name recognition, but they often have their own niche and/or positives with their smaller scale. Some platforms focus more on deals between individuals (Mercari), and other platforms center around a theme rather than whatever a person wants to unload (Depop for fashion).
In another example, in 2008, TCGplayer debuted its marketplace as a way for people to buy and sell cards from games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering.
TCGplayer’s site and tools have expanded to include categories like Funko POPs, and just this past March, TCGplayer announced it was getting into collectible sports cards.
But now, TCGplayer has some bigger news: it is being purchased by eBay for $295 million.
The deal is expected to close in Q1 2023, but TCGplayer will continue to operate independently after the sale is finalized.
In July, TCGplayer had some acquisitions of its own: ChannelFireball with BinderPOS, which included its marketplace division.
So in the span of about a month, two trading card marketplaces were gobbled up by larger competitors. Even though TCGplayer isn’t merging with eBay, for buyers and sellers who wanted to avoid the ecommerce giant’s grasp, the card community is beginning to look a lot like a monopoly now. Plus, eBay will gain other assets like the BinderPOS inventory management system many hobby stores use and ChannelFireball’s published social content.
Which is why some gamers expressed reservations about the deal.
For eBay, they’re obviously betting big that the card boom will continue. It’s not really a surprise when even Heritage Auctions is having record-setting auctions for Pokémon Trading Card Game cards. Meanwhile, you see boosters and boxes sold at most major retailers, at times needing to be locked up and/or sold on a schedule due to their popularity (and scalpers).
But even if you don’t pick up Pokémon TCG or Yu-Gi-Oh! boosters — let alone play the game — the fact options for a major collectibles market platforms can shrink so rapidly is concerning. eBay, like any other platform, has its advantages and disadvantages, which is how competitors and specialized sites like TCGplayer rose to popularity in the first place.
It’s good there shouldn’t be any notable changes for users in the foreseeable future, but it’s possible TCGplayer won’t always be independent. And with eBay trying to monopolize the trading card market, that could mean higher prices and/or less innovation for those wanting to cash in on an old collection, relive nostalgia, or aim to be a competitive player.