Where does everyone go to buy single cards?

Xdj511 · Feb 16, 2017

Hello,

I was wondering where everyone goes to buy single cards to finish off sets. I have been using sportlots for years however the site is obsolete and frustrating and I am in the middle of a really bad experience with a seller that is making me think now is a good time to look for other options.

I know of individual dealers like Burbank cards but their minimum price is .35 cents for anything. Are there any other places that match or beat sportlots lowest price of .18 cents per card?

Let me know if you use anything else and what you think of it, thanks!

jimmyhazard · Feb 16, 2017

sportslots has become a sham...For a dealer to sell an 18 cent card,it costs him 5 times as much in fees. Thus,he has to raise his shipping rates to even make it worth the trouble.Hence,no one wants 2 or 3 pwe commons and have to pay $2.50 in shipping. I,myself,am selling the bulk of my stuff on their auctions now and pulling inventory out of it.The auctions are better for me to move my stuff out,but nobody wants to make any real bids on the site,so I am still taking a loss... I have grown weary of this "hobby"... :/

Loyalty32 · Feb 16, 2017

The links in my sig below!

Thanks
Craig

Xdj511 · Feb 16, 2017

Jimmy,

I understand what you're saying. I end up finding a seller that has 2-3 of the cards I'm really looking for then spend another hour trying to go through their inventory to find other cards I need to make the shipping worthwhile. I'm trying to build lots of Heritage, Pacific, and Upper Deck sets and it simply doesn't work out to pay more than 5, maybe 10 cents a card. May as well try to buy the set off of ebay. Trading is a similar problem. Why pay $2.67 to ship 5 cards that I pulled out of a dime or quarter bin to get back 5 cards that'll turn up in a dime or quarter bin eventually?

Craig,

Thanks for the post, I'll have to take a good look when I have the time!

SymphonicMetal · Feb 16, 2017

That is a good question. Trying to complete sets is exactly why I joined The Bench.

This may sound crazy but I am finding garage sales the best way to complete sets as everyone around this area is dumping their cards for a song. 5,000 count boxes are routinely picked up here for $3 to $7 and while they don't contain 1952 Topps High Numbers, they are by no means all mass produced junk. I have had a lot of luck completing sets this way and have been able to buy cards so cheaply doing this that I can actually throw what I don't want away and still make a nice buy.

I just mailed 150 cards from here to Boston for $5 and the same amount to Illinois for $7 so buying 5,000 count boxes for $5 is quite a bit cheaper than trading. It takes about 30 seconds for me to look at a lot of cards to know if buying it will be worth my while and/or can help me with my many incomplete sets. And it is much more economical (and fun) than buying a handful of inexpensive cards online.

I noticed in the mid 1990s that many card stores did not want to bother with singles for set builders. And now since there are very few card stores left, it is becoming increasingly hard to finish sets.

David K. · Feb 16, 2017

I like Comc! Best regards, David

Jaybo374 · Feb 16, 2017

I've used justcommons.com before in the past and have had good results from them. Shipping is very reasonable and the prices per card are better than Sportlots.

steve1972 · Feb 16, 2017

David K. said:
I like Comc! Best regards, David

I also have used this site but only for sets that I have not been able to finish and are from years past that few on this site want to deal with since they are done with their set. 2 orders and I am very satisfied.

most card shops in this area are mostly high $$ dealers and into memeroblia so I don't visit much but very very seldom do I get that itch and take a peek and actually may have just bought a collection and may have a deal or two.

giants1249er · Feb 17, 2017

Like Jaybo374, my source is justcommons.com

Xdj511 · Feb 17, 2017

Thank you everyone. I will definitely look into justcommons. I like the garage sale idea but I never seem to find any, and even though I'm a morning person with my experiences at the card shows in the area, I rarely seem to be the first guy to get to the dime boxes so the better cards are already gone! I can only imagine if there were any good buys at garage sales the more dedicated and better funded folks have already been there and gone before I even get a chance.

jimmyhazard · Feb 17, 2017

isn't justcommons dedicated solely to baseball ? That's no help for me...

Xdj511 · Feb 17, 2017

It looks like it is. I only saw baseball to choose from.

steve1972 · Feb 17, 2017

there are a few sellers on here that run good deals that I have added a few cards to help out on the sets also:

brettfan
zebrahead
loyalty32
jsneeze
ragtop12

have threads that offer great deals just depending on what kind of sets you are working on.

Gnep31 · Feb 18, 2017

Similar to what steve1972 mentioned...the last two vintage sets I have completed were from purchases made from members either on this site or Net54. The few dealers around me sell vintage stars for BV and many members here and on Net54 are realistic in terms of value.

I have also found on my transactions that everyone is willing to accept Money Orders. Since I boycotted paypall last yr this has been an easy transition for my collecting.

steve1972 · Feb 18, 2017

Gnep31 said:
I have also found on my transactions that everyone is willing to accept Money Orders. Since I boycotted paypall last yr this has been an easy transition for my collecting.

I don't have paypal acct either so money orders are the way I go for just about everything $20 and higher, I do use the cash route for deals as long as I have dealt with person before but even over $20 I do still use money orders.

Where does everyone go to buy single cards?

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