The Juiced Guide To Making Money With Sports Cards

The sports card market has absolutely exploded over the past few years. Iconic cards worth millions combined with a new generation of collectors have seen the industry enter a new golden era. Whilst things have slowed down compared to the years of the pandemic, there are still opportunities for those looking to tap into this lucrative market in 2023. And so, this comprehensive guide explores everything you need to know about making money with sports cards.

Focus on Sealed Wax

Arguably the lower risk, high reward play for sports card investing is focusing on sealed boxes, packs and cases aka ‘wax’. The right sealed wax can appreciate rapidly, sometimes doubling in value immediately following release. Reasons for such growth include:

The popularity of Rookie Class – Boxes featuring a coveted draft class like 2018’s Luka Doncic can skyrocket in value.

Short Print Runs – Limited print runs induce scarcity, causing valuations to soar.

Product Quality – Well-designed sets with engaging inserts and parallels like Topps Dynasty usually perform strongly. When assessing wax, consider factors like licensing, number of packs per box, odds of hits, checklist of rookies, and overall product design.

Currently, Topps and Panini see the most profitable releases. Keeping up with releases from these companies as well as others that may be emerging is of course a crucial part of your potential success. Thankfully, Juiced has you covered for this. Our all-in-one reselling group informs you of the latest cards, sneakers, collectables, tickets and much more being released. You can sign up for free by clicking here.

If flipping isn’t your thing then you still have another option when it comes to sealed boxes. We are of course talking about investing. Investing in sealed boxes is more akin to traditional investing, where you purchase an asset with the expectation that it will appreciate over time.

Unlike flipping, where you’re looking to sell quickly to capitalize on short-term trends, investing in sealed boxes requires a longer commitment. The idea is to hold onto these boxes for several years, sometimes even decades. T

To succeed in this strategy, you’ll need to focus on sets that have a good chance of becoming highly sought-after over time. These could be sets featuring rookie cards of players who go on to have illustrious careers or special edition sets tied to significant events in the sporting world. Brands, too, play a role. Boxes from well-regarded names in the sports card industry are usually safer bets for long-term appreciation, as is the case with flipping boxes.

Investing In Rookie Cards

Rookie cards, or cards produced in a player’s first year, also often hold significant value. These cards can become particularly valuable if the player becomes a star athlete or achieves significant milestones in their career. Investing in rookie cards at an early stage of a player’s career requires a deep understanding of the sport and an eye for scouting talent. However, by identifying promising rookies early on, you can purchase their cards at a lower cost and potentially reap significant rewards as their career progresses. Of course, this is a much more risky method of making money with sports cards but it can also be fun.

Understand Grading

The condition of cards greatly impacts price. Aiming for ideal grades like PSA 10s and BGS 9.5s is advised, but consider lower grades too. Following pop reports meanwhile helps identify cards lacking supply.

Pop reports detail exactly how many of each card exist in a graded condition. This scarcity metric is invaluable for assessing growth potential.

A Luka Doncic Rated Rookie /299 PSA 10 with a pop of just 21 suggests far fewer available than a /35,000 Gold Prizm PSA 10 pop of 2,000 copies. The lower the pop, the higher the potential value. These reports can be found on the grading companies’ websites quite easily.

Conclusion

To conclude, reselling sports cards and boxes can be a great way of making some extra cash, especially if you are already a sports fan. The strategies discussed in this article are varied but all offer paths to profitability. From flipping sealed boxes for short-term gains to the long-term investment potential of holding onto those boxes or investing in rookie cards, there are numerous ways to profit. Regardless of your approach, staying informed, being patient, and carefully timing your buys and sells will be key to maximizing your returns.