Process
How selling a collection actually works
The home-page process in depth: written ranges with comps, local meet vs insured mail-in, in-hand review, and payment.
Overview
Send photos or a quick description
No catalog required. Binder, pile, tote, or slab photos are enough to start.
Wide shots of binders, piles, and sealed stacks are enough to start. Add a sentence about storage and condition. If you are not sure what you have, say so — we identify what is there.
Get a written range in 1–2 business days
We include the reasoning, condition assumptions, and comps where useful.
Same email thread: a written range tied to recent sales and live listings where it helps, with condition assumptions spelled out. If we need close-ups first, we ask once with specific shots.
Choose local or shipped
Meetup, drop-off, or insured mail-in depending on the lot.
Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky: public meetup or quick drop-off when it fits. Mail-in: tracking and insurance on written terms. Either way, you get location or carrier, declared value, and confirmation before anything moves.
Get paid after review
The final number is confirmed before money changes hands.
When the cards arrive or we meet locally, we review the lot against your description. If everything matches, the firm number sits inside the original written range. If something material does not match, we show you why with photos or comps — and ship the lot back on our dime if we cannot agree.
Deeper
The detail behind each step
Skim what you need; each section links back to the quote form when you're ready.
Section 1
What kind of photos help most
You don't need a lightbox or DSLR — a recent phone in natural light is plenty. The goal is honest coverage, not a curated portfolio.
Wide establishing shots of every storage container, a couple of mid-pages from binders (not just the best ones), and close-ups of anything that looks special — slabs, sealed seals, or any card you suspect is rare.
If a card is in a sleeve, top-loader, or graded slab, photograph the front and back of the case. Cert numbers help us pull graded population data while you wait.
Section 2
How the written range gets to you
Same thread your submission opened. The range is a band (for example, $420–$540) with comps and condition notes — recent sales plus graded rarity context for slabs.
If the lot needs targeted close-ups before we land the number, we ask once with specific instructions, not card by card.
The range is non-binding for both sides. You can sit on it, share it with family, or compare with another buyer; we don't pressure timelines.
Section 3
Local handoff vs insured mail-in
Local (Cincinnati & NKY): we propose a public meeting spot, typically a police-station lot, bank lobby, or busy retail parking, and confirm in writing before the day. Bring a second person if it's a high-value lot.
Mail-in: declared value, insurance, and carrier confirmed in writing first. You photograph the packed box before sealing. Tracking and signature confirmation are non-negotiable on anything over $100.
Mixed (drop-off): if you live nearby and the lot is light, a quick driveway hand-off works too. Same written terms apply.
Section 4
Final review after we see the cards in person
When the cards arrive or land at meet-up, we work the lot against your description. Updates land as we go (not card by card) and anything material is flagged before the firm offer.
If everything matches, the firm number sits inside the original range. If there's a delta (moisture damage we couldn't see in photos, a miscategorized slab, anything material), we show you the math and the comp evidence — not just a new number.
If we can't reconcile, we ship the lot back on our dime. We never renegotiate from a position of holding your cards.
Section 5
Payment methods and timing
Default is same-day after we agree the firm number — Zelle, Venmo (friends & family on agreed terms), or PayPal Goods & Services for buyer protection on larger lots.
Cash on local hand-off if you prefer; we count out of direct sun in a public space.
ACH or paper check is available for estate transactions that need a paper trail. Timing is documented in the same thread.
Section 6
What happens after you're paid
We sort, sleeve, and price against live TCGplayer market data. Singles list to the storefront, bulk gets categorized and weighed for the right buyer pool, and sealed gets photographed for the active channel.
If you asked us to flag any standouts as we sort (rare cards you forgot to mention, errors, anything that surfaces), we send a note, sometimes with comp data.
Ask for an update anytime. Past sellers reply directly to their original thread; that's our priority inbox.
Edge cases we still help with
- Estate & inherited collections. We slow down, ask careful questions, and flag standouts before any number is on the table.
- Damaged or moisture-affected lots. We still buy if the math works — we just need honest photos and an upfront note about storage.
- Mostly-not-Pokémon mixed lots. We'll buy the Pokémon piece and refer you somewhere we trust for the rest. No silent cherry-picking.
- Cross-border or APO/FPO. Email us first — we coordinate the right paperwork before anything ships.
- Selling with us again. Reply to any email thread from us with a new lot — past sellers get priority response time.
Ready to start the conversation?
Photos optional. Written range with comps in 1–2 business days.
Cincinnati & NKY · Written range in 1–2 days
Get a free quote