FAQ

Ladder Score (or simply Score) ranks cards according to their 14-day trend.

The formula sums a card's (1) daily dollar change, (2) daily percentage change, and (3) transaction volume to produce the card's Price Score.

The formula is: (Last sale w/in last 14 days - First sale w/in last 14 days)/10 + ((Last Sale w/in last 14 days - First sale w/in last 14 days) / First Sale)*100 + (Quantity sold)/10.

One of Card Price’s primary services is vetting and organizing sports card market data. eBay is the leading public source for such data. We create profiles for sports cards that track each card’s eBay sales history. (We also collect and report data from independent auction houses and other sources where it lends additional insight into a card’s sales history).

We scrape eBay daily for new sales of every card in our system. Our research team reviews these sales and decides whether to admit them into our database or send them to "purgatory"—a list we publish daily of sales that require additional verification before we admit them to our database.

Why do we spend hours each day reviewing sales? For starters, because sports card auctions sometimes are shilled, sports cards that are listed as "sold" sometimes get relisted, and sellers sometimes erroneously title their sports card listings. Reviewing sales helps increase the likelihood that the sports card data in our system reflects sales that have truly been consummated.

The review process requires judgement. The vast majority of sales that we review every day are admitted into our database. But there also tends to be at least a few sales every day that are sent to "purgatory." For example, our researchers study bidding patterns on auctions for obvious signs of shill bidding and send those auctions to "purgatory." We do the same for extreme outlier sales (whether sold via auction, BIN, or BO) that are inconsistent with reasonable market trends. We spot and exclude obvious scams from suspicious sellers. We note when a card's market trajectory is fundamentally unusual, or if an atypical sale is admitted into the card's sales history, by including remarks in the "Card Information" section of a card's profile. We speak to buyers and sellers throughout the Hobby to obtain additional insight into specific sales. We also include links to all recent auctions as well as unusual or noteworthy historical auctions (accessible via the "View all sales" link in the card's profile).

For cards that sell frequently, only their historical auction data (and not their BIN/obo data) has been added. Such cards feature the phrase "Auctions only" above their sales chart.

A data point added to our system that later turns out to be unreliable is promptly removed.

Due to the possibility of human error, it is likely that a handful of mistakes will be made in logging data. If you spot a mistake, please use the feedback option to alert us (available at the bottom of each card's profile or by clicking the profile icon in the top right).

You can use the search bar at the top of the site to search for any card in our database.

You can search by category, grade, or specific sport (e.g., you can type in "hockey" to see the Ladder’s hockey card database).

You can also use it to filter by player (e.g., you can type in "LeBron")—effectively allowing you to create a Ladder for one specific player.

You can also search by year, by set, many more filters. Try it out for yourself, and share your search results with others.

Clicking the eBay button on a card's profile will take you to an eBay search specifically tailored to find the card depicted in the profile.

This is an eBay affiliate link If you make a purchase on eBay using this link, Card Price will get a small commission from eBay. You pay the same amount whether you use our affiliate link or not. The difference is eBay sends us a percentage of the "final value fee" of which they would otherwise collect 100%.

Of course, there is zero obligation whatsoever to shop for cards using our affiliate links. But it helps us if you do.

Yes. You can click on a player's name on Single card profile page.

The Player page displays the # of sales and total volume of sales from the previous day and how many cards and the market cap of that player tracked in Card Price. It also displays the sales volume for each day on a graph.

The player's key card is represented on this page with the sales graph for use as the index for that player. We also display all the cards of that player in our database.

Use the search feature to find the card you’re looking for and check the Current Value stat on the card profile. Check the graph to see how the value has changed over time.

Search for cards in our database and compare raw copies to graded. You will find that high graded cards offer massive premiums. If your cards have a good chance at getting high grades and are valuable enough to justify the cost of grading, then you should definitely grade them.

Absolutely. Traditional investment vehicles like stocks are so impersonal. You put in money and get money back out. Cards allow you to use your knowledge of sports and creativity to put the power of making money into your own hands.

eBay is the world’s leading platform of buying and selling cards. They have almost anything you could be looking for. If you find a card you like on Card Price just click the "Buy it Now" on eBay button and you’ll be shown only listings for that card on eBay. Other options include MySlabs, Goldin Auctions, Heritage Auctions, Facebook groups, Instagram, and Twitter.

The easiest way to sell cards is to simply list them yourself on eBay. Many people will complain about the high fees for sellers, but you will get your card in front of eyeballs and you will get offers. It’s very easy to do from the mobile app, too. If your card is high end and expensive, it’s best to use a consignment company. The best options are PWCC, Goldin Auctions, Heritage Auctions. Use the contact options on the website to get help selling. The process is pretty simple to send them your cards and get paid when they sell.