Best Baseball Card Auctions of 2023

Whether you have been collecting for decades or less than a year, baseball cards are among the most valuable collectibles. Though the demand for rare collectible items may come and go, you may be sitting on a gold mine if you play your “cards” right.

How can you sell your collection for top dollar? We’ve reviewed the top baseball card auction sites available today and found the best ones to help you list and sell your cards.

Best Baseball Card Auctions of 2022

Best Overall: PWCC Marketplace
Best for User Experience: eBay
Best for Rare Baseball Cards: Heritage Auctions Sports
Best for Individual Baseball Cards: Pristine Auction

Why We Chose It: PWCC offers top-notch marketing and access to more than 250,000 bidders worldwide in monthly auctions, making it our top pick for selling your baseball cards.

Pros

Some of the lowest fees for online auctions
High-quality digital imaging for each card
Quick payments after each auction
Cash advances up to 40% of the market value

Cons

Auction fees are per item

PWCC is an online auction house that helps users consign and sell their baseball cards. Founded in 1998, PWCC has built a reputation for fetching high prices for sports card sales through its eBay auctions.

PWCC charges a per-item fee based on the amount of each item sold. The commissions for selling with PWCC are lower than traditional auction houses, and discounts are offered for bulk card submissions.

The house holds weekly auctions, and users are paid out on 2-3 weeks after the auction has ended. Users may also receive a cash advance up to 50% of the card's market value before the auction. There are also two other ways to sell items on the PWCC platform: Fixed Price Listings and the Premier Auction. The fixed price listing allows you to list your items on PWCC's fixed marketplace, while items for the Premier Auction need to have an estimated marketplace value of $25,000 or more.

To get started with PWCC, users can create a free online account and submit their baseball cards for the next upcoming auction. Items can be mailed directly to PWCC, and they will scan, create the item description, and list your cards on eBay.

Why We Chose It: The most famous online auction platform in the world, eBay allows users to list and sell their baseball cards to millions of monthly bidders.

Pros

Familiar, simple-to-use platform
Over 180 million buyers registered on eBay
Mobile app to manage auction on-the-go

Cons

Can have higher fees, depending on the item sold
Inexperienced sellers may get lower prices
Higher risk of scammers

EBay is the most well-known online auction site in the world, allowing users to sell directly to each other without the need for an official auction house to manage the sales. Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay quickly became the go-to for online sellers.

The site has a large presence in sports memorabilia auctions, with over 10 million baseball cards currently for sale. Users can list graded or ungraded cards, and there are no minimum values or condition requirements for selling.

With an intuitive mobile app and over 180 million registered users, eBay is one of the largest online marketplaces for sellers. But there are also millions of sellers, and competing to get your baseball cards to stand out may prove difficult.

There is a 12.9% seller's fee per item and often additional charges, including insertion fees, “Buy it Now” fees, and optional listing upgrade fees. These can take a significant chunk of your profits, so make sure to review the seller’s fees to understand what it may cost you to sell on eBay.

To get started selling your baseball cards on eBay, you can sign up for a free eBay account (with an email or Google account), and list your items for free right away. For most items, you only have to pay the seller’s commission when the item sells.

Why We Chose It: Heritage Auctions is a trusted name in sports memorabilia and has sold some of the most valuable baseball cards ever at auction.

Pros

Live online auction broadcast worldwide
Over 1 million registered bidders
Handles consignment-to-settlement process
Free appraisals

Cons

30 days until payment

Heritage Auctions was founded in 1976 and is now one of the top auction houses globally, selling rare and valuable sports memorabilia. Heritage has sold some of the most valuable baseball cards in the world, including a Reggie Jackson rookie card for over $1 million.

Heritage offers consignment, free appraisals, and has local offices around the world for consultation on selling your baseball card collection. The company also spends millions of dollars in advertising each year for its auctions, giving them more visibility than most other auction houses.

With over one million registered bidders, its auctions are broadcast worldwide, helping your cards reach a global audience. With a focus on high-end and rare collectibles, Heritage is one of the best places to list rare and vintage baseball cards.

To get started listing your cards with Heritage, fill out the consignment form online. The site will then list your cards, launch an auction, and when your item sells, you will receive a check 30 days later.

Why We Chose It: Pristine Auction offers a simple listing service and online auctions to help sell your individual cards and pay you quickly.

Pros

Easy to consign cards
Quick payments (three times a week for direct deposit)
Authentication available at a discount

Cons

First consignment must be valued at $500 or more
15% commission on selling price

Pristine auctions is a fast-growing online auction house for sports memorabilia that helps individual card sellers list and sell their baseball cards. Started in 2010 by Jared and Camilla Kavlie, it has grown to a team of over 150 employees and has over 500,000 registered bidders.

Pristine specializes in selling individual sports cards, particularly graded autograph cards. It holds hold daily and weekly auctions in addition to 10-minute auctions to promote more views on items set to expire.

While it is recommended that cards are authenticated before consignment, Pristine partners with James Spence Authentication (JSA) to review and grade submissions if necessary. These reviews are available at a discount of about $8 per card for consignors.

To get started with Pristine Auctions, users can fill out the consignment form. You can then send in your cards (graded or ungraded), and they will be sorted, scanned, and listed for auction. After the sale, payments will come via direct deposit or check.

Selling your baseball cards can be lucrative, but you need to make sure you list your cards with a reputable auction house. Comparing auction houses will help you find the right fit for selling your collection. While eBay makes it easy for anyone to list and sell their items, they are susceptible to scams and high fees. The more valuable the card, the more care you should take in selling it. Using a service like Heritage will help find higher quality buyers, while PWCC is a trusted name with millions of registered bidders.

What Is the Best Way to Sell Old Baseball Cards?

Selling your old baseball cards can be as simple as taking some pictures and listing on eBay. But to truly get the most return on your card, there are a few steps you should take to sell your old cards:

Identify Your Cards: Finding out which cards you have is an important step before selling. The easiest way is to look up the year, name of the player, and the card number on a search engine to determine how your card is listed. This will help you separate the common cards from the valuable ones.
Estimate the Value: There are many online price guides, and most auction websites will show you an archive of each card sold and its value. One of the best places to do this for graded cards is on the PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) website. This will give you a real-world auction value of your card.
Get Your Cards Graded: If you think your card may be worth $100 or more, it may make sense to get your card professionally graded. PSA and BGS (Beckett Grading Services) are the top baseball card authenticators on the market today.

We reviewed 10 baseball card auction sites and compared them based on industry reputation, volume, number of registered bidders, fees, and customer service. All of the services we selected offer excellent customer service, a large number of online bidders, and have excellent marketing to get more eyes on your auction.