How To Start a Sports Card Business in 6 Steps

If you’re thinking about how to start a sports card business—buying, trading, and selling sports memorabilia and collectibles—you’re entering a hot market. 

In April 2026 alone, more than $616 million in trading cards were resold on the secondary market, according to sales tracker Card Ladder, The Athletic reported. Grand View Research pegs the total size of the market at $13.5 billion in 2025 and expects it to nearly double, to $27.4 billion, by 2033. Sports cards were also the top trending product category for US Shopify merchants, with sales growing 1,786% in September 2025 compared to 2024.

In this article, you’ll learn the steps to start a sports card business, including how to choose your niche, places to acquire inventory, and tips to set pricing. 

How to start a sports card business

1. Analyze the sports card market
2. Study sales and pricing trends
3. Choose your sports card niche and business model
4. Name and form your business
5. Acquire inventory
6. Set up your online store

A sports card business can be a side hustle or a full-scale operation dealing in rare cards worth millions of dollars. (In 2025, a signed Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant collectible card sold for a record of nearly $13 million, according to ESPN.) 

Here’s how to start a sports card business: 

1. Analyze the sports card market

Start your business journey by immersing yourself in the market. Get to know the major trends, terms, players, and platforms in the industry. StockX cofounder Josh Luber—who wrote a white paper in 2021 titled Trading Cards Are Cool Again—says on Shopify Masters that the collectibles category is “all at the intersection of culture and commerce.” He adds that the market is supply and demand driven, and collectibles like trading cards, sneakers, and collectible toys are equal parts consumer, good, and financial asset. 

When doing your research, learn about the factors influencing the sports card market. According to Grand View Research, key market trends include “rising nostalgia among millennials and Gen Z collectors, the increasing mainstream visibility of sports culture … limited-edition releases that create scarcity and exclusivity [and] the expansion of online marketplaces and social media platforms.” 

Search online forums to see what customers are talking about and how these industry-driving trends play out in real life. Know that sports card traders have a language all their own, so you’ll want to brush up on your terms: Topps has a handy glossary to learn the lingo, from “die cut” and “dinged” to “random break” and “raw.”

2. Study sales and pricing trends

Study online marketplaces to see who and what sells best in the world of sports card collecting. The most popular sports card manufacturers include Topps (Fanatics), Panini, and Upper Deck, but there are plenty of other makers and niche markets. 

Here are a few resources across popular marketplaces that can provide pricing and sales information among your competitors:

• Amazon’s Best Sellers in Collectible Sports Trading Cards page displays the top-selling items in each category, and it’s updated frequently.

• eBay has a Sports Trading Cards & Accessories landing page where you can browse listings by sport, check out new releases, and filter by categories like single cards and sealed packs.

• Etsy’sSports Cards page also includes several filters to narrow down listings, and you’ll find lots of items like “mystery” bulk lots that play on the element of surprise and excitement. 

• Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok let you monitor hashtags related to the sports card business, so you can see what’s trending.

For all of these online platforms, make note of the prices at which a sports card is actually sold. Anyone can list a card for $1 million, but it doesn’t mean the market can support that price. At Josh’s newest brand, Ghostwrite, the focus is on transparency of availability to guide the price. “Transparency of supply, transparency of pricing, and market-based pricing let the market set the price for the products that we create,” he says.

3. Choose your sports card niche and business model

Use your market research to identify a niche and target audience—like customers interested in a certain sport, team, and/or era.

Here are a few example niches:

• Rookie baseball cards

• ’70s basketball cards

• Sub-$50 cards

• UK football cards

• Yankees cards

• Sealed boxes of Formula 1 racing cards

• Cards graded by a company like PSA, which rates items based on quality and condition

• Bulk lots of cards

Josh says that anyone who is a “serious card collector” has a room full of PSA “slabs.” Your chosen niche will guide your business plan and business model, including your sales strategy. You may choose to sell in person, via your own online store, through marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy, social media, or a combination of all of these. You can also use Shopify to connect your store to marketplaces so you can manage all your sales in one place.

4. Name and form your business

Choose a business name that reflects your brand identity and resonates with your audience. Best practices for naming a business include keeping the name short, memorable, and broad enough that you’ll be able to expand and evolve in the future. If you get stuck, try a free business name generator. As you consider the options, check that the domain name and social media handles are available to maintain brand consistency.

Once you’ve decided on a name, choose a business structure—which will affect details like operations, taxes, and personal liability—and complete your business registration.

The simplest business structure is a sole proprietorship, in which you and the business are considered the same entity. You may consider forming a limited liability company (LLC), which offers protection from personal liability. You can switch to another business structure in the future as your business grows into a profitable venture, or if you make changes to your business structure, like bringing on a business partner.

5. Acquire inventory

With your business back-end work completed, it’s time to source products to sell. In person, you can attend sports card trade shows, join groups that hold local events, and visit card shops and physical stores that specialize in sports memorabilia. 

There are also several options for buying inventory online: You can set up alerts on marketplaces like eBay and Etsy, join dedicated groups where you can engage in direct sales, such as Discord servers, Reddit subreddits, and Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook groups. You can also buy from sellers doing live sales on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok, or dedicated live commerce apps like Fanatic Live.

Once your business is established, you can also apply to purchase sports card inventory from authorized distributors or manufacturers at wholesale prices.

Beginners might consider buying undervalued single cards and flipping them for small profits that you can use to reinvest in your business. You can also buy bulk lots and sort through them to resell as singles or packs—and maybe you’ll even find some diamonds in the rough.

6. Set up your online store

A well-designed website can help you establish your sports card brand and boost your sales. When starting an online store on a platform like Shopify, keep in mind the essential aspects that attract or turn off your target audience:

• Ecommerce user experience (UX). Create a seamless, enjoyable shopping experience with quick load times, easy and accessiblesite navigation, and responsive design that adapts to different devices.

• Product photos. Use crisp, clear, images that show both sides of the cards, and clearly display the quality and condition. You can create compelling product images by snapping photos with your smartphone, then using Shopify Sidekick to transform the background.

• Product pages. Include details like player and team name, the year of production, any authentication or grading bona fides, rarity if applicable, any storytelling context (for example, a player’s rookie card or final year), special features, and any flaws (or lack thereof).

• Reviews. Add customer reviews, which provide social proof for potential customers.