eBay Loses Major Trading Card Seller To Fanatics Collect As Hobby Competition Heats Up
Competition is heating up in the sports trading card world with new marketplaces looking to chip away at eBay's market share in this critical focus vertical category.
Ben Burrows from collectibles news site Cllct reports big news from The National Sports Collectors Convention as mega-seller Burbank Sportscards announces they will be taking millions of cards off of eBay after signing an exclusive deal with Fanatics Collect.
Ben Burrows
Just 11 days after officially launching, Fanatics Collect has agreed to an exclusive deal with Burbank Sportscards to list the shop’s full inventory of 40 million sports cards on the platform.
One of the largest sellers of cards in the world, Burbank also has been one of eBay’s largest power sellers, regardless of category. Since joining in 2003, Burbank has sold more than 6.8 million items on the platform.
Burbank Sportscards owner Rob Veres told Cllct:
Having a conversation that included exclusivity away from eBay, that's a terrifying thought. [eBay] is such a large part of our revenue, and there’s also the relationship that we built there over the years with just tremendous people. But sometimes you’ve got to take a leap of faith...
...I always feel that there’s a glass ceiling with any marketplace I’ve been on. You keep working, you keep pushing, you keep adding inventory and it doesn’t seem to move the needle in a lot of cases with some of the places that we’ve been. I feel for the first time that I have an unlimited opportunity on a platform.
"You keep working, you keep pushing, you keep adding inventory and it doesn't seem to move the needle" - unfortunately that's a sentiment I've been hearing from a lot of eBay sellers lately across many different categories, but it's particularly alarming to hear it from such a large seller who had been selling on the site for over 20 years.
The announcement caps off a rough week for eBay at The National as a massive search glitch hit the trading card category hard, showing extremely irrelevant search results in the iOS app and mobile browser at a peak time for buyers to be trying to search for comps during the largest sports card show in the country.
Liz Morton
Meanwhile, Walmart is looking to entice more third party sellers to list collectibles and memorabilia with a new Collectibles Experience offering 0% fees through September 2024.
Eligible categories include Toys (Figures, Dolls, Trains, Plushies, Games, LEGO, Funko, Diecast Cars & Hot Wheels); Media & Music (Movies, Vinyl, Music, SteelBooks, Musical Instruments & Entertainment Replicas); Trading Cards; Comic Books & Books; Sports Memorabilia; and Coins.
In addition to the 0% fee promotions, Walmart offers collectibles sellers the following perks:
- Flexible return policy: Choose between accepting: no returns, a 15-day return with sealed policy, or our standard 30-day Walmart return policy.
- Ability to offer preorders: Build the anticipation around a new drop by offering pre-orders for your products.
- New grading system: List trading cards and comic books with new, graded condition options coming soon.
- Sell pre-owned: Collectibles come in all conditions. Let your customers know that your products are vintage and pre-loved, making them one-of-a-kind.
Walmart's foray into the trading cards and collectibles market comes as no surprise as Bob Means left his position leading this category at eBay last year to join Walmart as General Manager Electronics, Toys & Seasonal.
Liz Morton
Means' official title was Vertical Merchandise Director but most people know him as the face of eBay's trading cards, toys, and collectibles efforts, often appearing at industry events and a frequent guest on hobby related podcasts and blogs.
He was also the point man for the eBay Vault (since sold to PSA/Collectors Universe as part of eBay's deal to acquire Goldin Auctions) and eBay Live livestream shopping initiatives.
More recently, eBay underwent a shakeup in leadership of this key multi-billion dollar vertical with VP Collectibles Gene Cook announcing his exit and previous US GM Adam Ireland stepping in to replace him.
Liz Morton
Will eBay's big bet on Goldin keep them on top of the trading card game or will competition knock them down in the rankings? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
