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

[homerunhitter]

Very Good point! That makes sense.

My point in hiring 20 employees is, do you think to get that big as a business you need 10,15, 20 employees to do the grunt work versus one guy sitting there all day scanning, listing, sorting, packing. I guess I can’t just see one person becoming a huge company doing the work all by themselves. It’s possible but I think to take a business to the next level (besides being a casual seller) it would take many additional employees to sell alot and make money!

[G1911]

If it was as simple as taking out a loan to cover startup costs and then hiring X people to process and list to make a successful card business, we'd all be doing it and rich. Business is a lot more complicated than people who don't know about it think. If you think you can do it to by doing this, then do it! If you're right it's an easy road to the riches.

Also, some of these named businesses are not exactly high volume crackers of modern material or pulling the big hits. Deans always pulls the big hit cards?

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Very Good point! That makes sense.

My point in hiring 20 employees is, do you think to get that big as a business you need 10,15, 20 employees to do the grunt work versus one guy sitting there all day scanning, listing, sorting, packing. I guess I can’t just see one person becoming a huge company doing the work all by themselves. It’s possible but I think to take a business to the next level (besides being a casual seller) it would take many additional employees to sell alot and make money!

I really don't think it would take anywhere near 20 employees. Last I knew Dean's Cards had 9 total employees to cover every aspect of their business.

The hard part is the initial start up. You need to buy a ship load of product to start. Then all the initial listings will take some time. Once going maintaining it would be way easier with less people.

[homerunhitter]

Agree but do you know how long it takes to sit down and list an scan a box of cards to eBay! It’s like watching paint dry on the wall. It’s a tedious very slow process. It’s a lot of work for peanuts! (We are talking about selling modern dollar cards here!)

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Agree but do you know how long it takes to sit down and list an scan a box of cards to eBay! It’s like watching paint dry on the wall. It’s a tedious very slow process. It’s a lot of work for peanuts! (We are talking about selling modern dollar cards here!)

Scanning a whole box of cards takes a couple minutes at most. Not sure about listing them all. I haven't listed a ton of cards on eBay in close to 20 years. I have not used it but there is software that makes it way faster now.

I can't imagine only selling super cheap cards is a money maker no matter how it is done.

Also the biggest rule in selling cards is you make you money buying cards not selling them.

[homerunhitter]

Burbank sports cards sells millions of dollar cards each year so there is definitely money in selling low dollar cards in bulk. Burbank sportscards is a multi million dollar a year business that specializes in selling cards in bulk.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Burbank sports cards sells millions of dollar cards each year so there is definitely money in selling low dollar cards in bulk. Burbank sportscards is a multi million dollar a year business that specializes in selling cards in bulk.

What do you consider low dollar cards? Burbank has many expensive cards for sale.

[G1911]

Burbank uses stock images for their low value stuff, and photo only one card in each grade and then re-use that image.

In fact, for vintage, if you pay more for the VG grade card they will send you the fair grade card used in their fair grade listing stock photo. If you ask them what's up with sending the cards in their fair grade stock cards when you paid more for the VG listing, they will block you.