December 31, 2021

Sports Trading Card Business: Complete Guide On How To Start One

Sports have become an inseparable recreation in human life. Some people are so obsessed with different sports that they like to collect different items related to sports. To some, it has become a hobby. People collect posters, cards, jerseys of different sports to keep them in their collection. That’s why, if you are looking for […]

Sports have become an inseparable recreation in human life. Some people are so obsessed with different sports that they like to collect different items related to sports. To some, it has become a hobby. People collect posters, cards, jerseys of different sports to keep them in their collection. That’s why, if you are looking for a business idea, you can invest your money and time in a business related to sports. Sports Trading Card Business can prove to be a beneficial business for you. However, starting a business without knowing the proper guideline is not a good idea if you want to stay in the market.

assorted photos on white table
Photographer: Mick Haupt | Source: Unsplash

In this article, we are going to provide you with a step-by-step guideline of how you can start your own sports trading card business. These steps can be game-changing steps for your new business if you follow them properly.

TLDR

  • Sports Trading Card Business needs proper planning in order to be successful. It is not a good idea to invest in this business without prior knowledge and planning.
  • Cost is an important issue in any business. That’s why calculate the necessary cost needed to start and run the business.
  • When you are determining the price of each card, don’t charge it too much that the customers don’t want to buy from you. Also, don’t sell them too cheap that you don’t make enough from them. Fix a price that is convenient for both your business and customers.
  • Promote your business on different social media sites and create your own website to engage more customers.
  • Always keep in touch with your customers and let them know about your new offers and card editions.

How To Start A Sports Trading Card Business?

Starting a business requires a lot of effort. The sports trading card business is not an exception.

Start With Planning

Planning is the first step of any business. Without proper planning, it is impossible to carry out any successful business. That’s why proper planning is needed before everything.

person working on blue and white paper on board
Photographer: Alvaro Reyes | Source: Unsplash

It is necessary to plan who your targeted customers are, your total cost, your business name, and many more things. Let’s talk about them in detail so that you can plan your business in a better way.

Cost Planning Before Opening A Sports Trading Card Business

If you are thinking of opening a sports card trading business, you don’t need a huge amount of capital. Though you will require relatively low capital to get started with your business, you need to calculate it before starting your business.

The first thing you need to note is licensing your business. Businesses like this need proper licensing and in order to get a license, you should look for someone experienced who can give you the proper idea of how to do the paperwork.

You will have to produce a large number of cards in order to sell. You can buy your own machines to make the cards but it will cost you a lot. It is better to order cards from a company which is dedicated to only for this purpose.

Promotion is another thing where you need to invest some of your money. No one will know about your business if you don’t promote it. You can do that promotion both online and offline. For online promotion, you can choose social media sites and email marketing. Both of them are cost-effective. For offline promotion, you can distribute pamphlets. In both cases, you need planning of how much you want to spend.

You will also need to buy or rent a place if you want a shop to sell your cards. It is possible to sell cards online but many people don’t want to shop online as they like to buy after seeing the product and its quality in real life. In such a case, shops are better. For shops, you will need to hire employees and buy utilities, furniture, and so on. That’s why when you are calculating cost you should consider all of these.

If your service is an online service, you will have to make a website where buyers can see which products are available and can buy directly from the website. If you are thinking of having a website, you need to think of how much you can invest in developing the website.

Choose Your Targeted Customer

It is necessary to understand what type of audiences are suitable for your products. Sports are popular in people of all ages but mostly, men are more addicted to them. However, if it’s about collecting cards, young men are more likely to buy them.

Fix How Much Each Card Costs

As it is famous among young men, it is not a good idea to sell cards that are expensive. The cost should be based on how much your customer can afford but don’t make them too cheap that you don’t benefit from it. Fix something that will provide customers an affordable cost and will provide you benefits.

Choose A Name For Your Business

You need to choose a name that fits perfectly with your business type. People should be aware of what your company is about just by looking at the name. So it should be relevant. It should be unique and you need to check if any other company has the same name or not. If no one has it, you can choose it for your business.

Register Your Business

Your business should be officially recognized and in order to do that registering the business is necessary. If you don’t register your business anyone can use your company’s name or logo for their use. Besides, you’ll face legal issues too.

Open A Business Bank Account

When you are doing a business, you can’t use a personal bank account and credit card for the purpose of business. You will need a business bank account and credit card. This is because if your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets can be put in danger if your business is sued. Moreover, business credits cards have many benefits such as better interest rates, higher credits, and so on.

person holding yellow and pink card
Photographer: Paul Felberbauer | Source: Unsplash

Set Up Accounts To Keep Track

It is necessary to keep track of every detail related to business. There will be a lot of transactions ar expenses, you will not remember everything about them in detail later. In such a case it is better to set up a business account to keep track of the expenses and transactions so that you can calculate how much you have earned. You can also calculate how much tax you need to pay.

Promote Your Sports Trading Card Business

You need to promote your business so that your potential customers can learn about them. The best way to promote this kind of business online is to use social media sites. It is cost-effective and sometimes it’s free.

Almost all social media platforms allow creating a profile or page free of charge where you can promote your brand. There are also options for paid promotions that are more effective and not too expensive compared to other strategies. So if you have a low budget for marketing, social media marketing is the best option for you.

Social media marketing not only allows companies to communicate with the customers but also helps them to get the idea of what competitors are adopting in their services to make them better.

You can now know customers’ interests and opinions by analyzing their social media activities and their posts. Moreover, you can learn about recent trends and what your customers are thinking. This business is all about knowing the recent trends and knowing the recent trends can benefit your business a lot.

Even there are many tools that can make this work easier. You can use them and make changes to your cards according to recent trends to improve your services.

There are also online card trading forums where you can directly promote your business. You need an active team who can respond to customers’ queries in these forums and social media sites.

Most people now want to buy things using a website and in the sports trading card business, it is more popular. During the period of severe Covid-19, online businesses have become more reliable to people. They now buy products without even seeing them in real-time. That’s why having a website is necessary to grow your business despite the size of your business.

Keep your Customer Engaged

Customers are the main part of any business. That’s why keeping them interested in your business is necessary. Whenever a customer buys anything from you keep track of what they have bought and try to understand what type of sports he is interested in. Try to be connected with them through email marketing and let them know if you have special editions or can provide them with some discounts. Once they are satisfied with your business they will buy again and invite more people to buy your products.

Your cards should be the best in quality because it doesn’t matter how well you promote if you have problems with the product.

Things That Can Make Your Business Successful

If you want your business to be successful, you have to be a fan of sports first. Without being a fan of sports and not knowing everything about it will result in a loss in business. You also need to know what customers are expecting so that you can provide them with what they want. Another thing is that you should always interact with them personally and convince them to buy from you.

Final Words

Many people have the hobby to collect cards of their favorite sports. So, Sports Trading Card Business can be a good idea if you have knowledge in sports and don’t want to invest huge capital in a business. In order to make your business successful, following proper guidelines is necessary.

Looking for a reliable solution to collect, track, and invest in cards? CardPrice is here to help. Manage your complete card portfolio, effortlessly monitor and track your cards investments.

Article written by Esrat S.