We entered 2019 with a vision: We wanted to bring COMC to the forefront of the most popular social media circles within the trading the card hobby and continue our goal of globally uniting collectors. In doing so, we wanted to connect and engage with current and past COMC members and users, and introduce our service to a new wave of collectors who may have heard of us, or saw our cards on eBay, but were unfamiliar with who we were and the features we offer on our platform.
Over the past 10 months we’ve tailored our social media content based off of feedback from our followers. Our followers told us that they wanted more transparency, such as which players sell the best, what super high-end items have sold recently on COMC, and how to use our service. In response, we’ve created recurring series on Instagram and Facebook tailored towards flipping successes and top selling players of the week.
Not the least bit surprising, we’ve also found out that collectors simply want to see cool and unique cards fill up their timelines! With that, we’ve found new opportunities to get some of the more unique and trending cards from our consignors in front of more buyer’s eyes than ever before.
If you’re not following us on social media, here’s what you’re missing out on:
Instagram:
Recent Inventory Drops
A sneak peak at some of the most desirable recently added cards to the COMC Marketplace featuring top selling and current trending players.
Top Selling NFL Players of the Week
Sundays in the Fall & Winter are not just packed with sports – they’re also the busiest day of the week for buying and selling trading cards. In this weekly series we crunch the numbers and show our followers who in the NFL sold the most items for week, and recommend some items worth considering!
COMC to eBay Flip of the Week
COMC Members know that there is no better way to buy cards than with a COMC account. There’s also no easier way to flip cards online! In this weekly series, we showcase the top flipping success of the week by showcasing an item that was bought on COMC that later sold via eBay for a huge gain!
Twitter
Monday Morning Discussion
We kick off every week with our Monday Morning Discussion, where we pull no punches and ask the hard-hitting questions about the hobby and the world of sports. One of our recent more fiery discussions was regarding limited release products and how they can be better allocated among collectors:
MONDAY MORNING DISCUSSION:
Are online-only limited production products such as @PaniniAmerica 1st off the line and @Topps Chrome Sapphire good for the hobby? How can the buying experience be improved so that collectors can have a fair opportunity to buy these products? pic.twitter.com/PHM4YSqwu5
— COMC.com – Buy and Sell Trading Cards Online (@CheckOutMyCards) October 14, 2019
Our Favorite Rookie Cards
Earlier this year we replaced the #DailyCheckout with our new daily afternoon series “Our Favorite Rookie Cards”. This series gives us the opportunity to feature hot new rookie cards, and reminisce to the cards of yesterday either captured the hearts of the hobby, or stand out for their tremendous set design.
Looking back at @DangeRussWilson rookie cards reminds us of how much we miss @Topps football products. Our favorite Russ Wilson #RookieCard is definitely this underappreciated 2012 Topps Magic RC!
— COMC.com – Buy and Sell Trading Cards Online (@CheckOutMyCards) October 14, 2019
It's tough to stray from the classics, and this @cmcdavid97 Young Guns is too sweet to ignore. A perfect photograph to encapsulate the start of a tremendous career!
— COMC.com – Buy and Sell Trading Cards Online (@CheckOutMyCards) October 8, 2019
Facebook
Weekly NFL Pick ‘ Em Contest: Win $20 COMC Credit!
Each week we pit our followers against one another in an epic 100+ player NFL Pick ‘Em contest. If you can pick a winner and get closest to the tie breaker, we have $20 COMC Credit with your name on it!
This is just a small taste of the type of content that you can find across all of our social media pages. We didn’t even have time to get into the other contests & giveaway that you can catch on a regular basis across all three platforms (hint hint).
We’re always open to suggestions for the type of content you’d like to see, so feel free to drop a comment below with your thoughts and suggestions!
It’s been a little while since our last Social Media Roundup, so we wanted to take a moment to get you caught up on what you might have missed by not following our growing social media accounts. The COMC Blog will always be the #1 source for COMC updates, industry news and hobby focused editorials, but you’re missing a lot of other great weekly trading card and sports-related content if you’re not following our social media pages! Be sure to give our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts a follow if you haven’t already done so to stay up of what we’re up to all across the internet!
Facebook:
Earlier this month we gave away over $2000 in COMC Credit during our annual Spring Cleaning Sale. We probably won’t be doing giveaways of that magnitude every month, so hopefully you had a chance to get in on the action and claim your piece of our giveaway prizes! If not, be on the lookout for future giveaways that are 100% FREE to enter and are as simple as telling us your favorite trading card, or how you would spend your prize if you won!
We listened to some of your feedback when creating our latest recurring original Facebook series, which is our ‘eBay Flip of the Week’. Once a week we’ll show you the most impressive flip of a trading card that was purchased by a COMC member on the COMC Marketplace that later sold through our eBay cross-listing feature for a significantly higher price. Why is this relevant? Not only does this give a glimpse into the flipping aspect of COMC, but it also hints at the types of trading card sets and players that have strong flipping potential. So far we’ve showcased flips of sports cards from NBA megastars, minor league baseball top prospects, and even UFC fighters!
Here is just a taste of some of our recent eBay Flips of the Week:
Twitter
Our Twitter account (@checkoutmycards) gives us the perfect social media platform to connect with COMC members and sports fans alike to talk everything sports and trading cards! You’ll regularly catch us tweeting the best daily sports highlights, historic ‘on this day’ memories, and routinely stirring up discussions about the trading card hobby.
We kick off every week with our Monday Morning Discussion, where we poll our some 12,000+ twitter followers with a question related to the world of sports or trading cards. You’ll catch quality discussions on a weekly basis such as this one from last week:
MONDAY MORNING DISCUSSION: Which is the more important modern baseball card and why? A player's first Bowman Chrome Prospect card or their first flagship Topps True RC? pic.twitter.com/z8u7CzykeH
You’ll also catch the #DailyCheckout every single day, which is our mid-day ongoing series that shines a spotlight on athletes from a particular weekly theme. Recent themes have included MLB Catalysts Week, or players who often spark huge offensive outputs for their team, NBA Finals MVP’s Week, and NHL Legends Week!
We are celebrating @NHL Legends & Hall of Fame Players on the #DailyCheckout this week. Today we're featuring Patrick Roy, who was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2006.
We can’t thank our Instagram followers enough for all of the love we’ve received in 2019! Our Instagram account (@checkoutmycards) remains our fastest growing social media platform to date! Our followers are very eager to share their COMC #Maildays and their flipping success stories with us, and we’re more than happy to give them a signal boost by reposting their COMC experiences to our growing base of followers.
Our instagram account is also home to our eBay Top Sale of the Week! You asked for it and we delivered! Each week we’ll show you the most expensive trading card sold on eBay via COMC from the previous week. Here’s a small taste of the last few weeks:
Hopefully this small glimpse into our weekly musings across social media will convince you to give us a follow and get involved! Most of our weekly recurring content was shaped specifically based on feedback from our followers, and we’re going to keep that ball rolling! Leave a comment below with any feedback or suggestions that you have for us on what sort of social media content you would like to see from COMC!
Thank you for helping COMC grow from being a garage startup to making a tangible impact on the trading card industry. COMC currently ships more single trading cards than any other company on the planet, and we could not have done this without such amazing support from all our sellers, buyers, employees, vendors, and partners. I am incredibly proud of what we have built together and feel very fortunate to be on this journey with you.
Today we are making one of our biggest announcements ever, and we don’t take this lightly. In fact, we have been pondering and refining these changes for nearly 5 years.
If you haven’t already watched the video above, I recommend doing so before reading the rest of this post.
What enabled COMC’s success?
Several factors have made COMC’s service so popular, but one of the most significant factors is our Buy Now – Ship Later model. This is a key reason why we are considered the best website for set builders and player collectors.
While most sites have tried offering faster and faster shipping to attract more business, this strategy has resulted in average order sizes of less than 2 cards per package.
At COMC, we have invested in a model where you can sell cards to earn COMC Credit, or you can buy more credit, and then you use that credit to make offers, instantly purchase items, and eventually request a shipment. This Buy Now – Ship Later model has resulted in an average of 40 cards per package, saving COMC members millions of dollars on shipping, and allowing COMC to dominate the low-end portion of the trading card market.
Why change?
Many sellers have expressed they would like to use our service for more of their mid-range and high-end items in addition to all their low-end ones. The greatest cost when selling low-end items is shipping, but as you progress to more mid-range and high-end items, commission fees gradually surpass shipping costs, and eventually commission fees become the most significant costs.
A fee structure that can support both low-end and high-end items will be a huge win for our sellers and our buyers.
What is the goal?
We want to welcome more mid-range and high-end items onto the COMC platform while also preserving our superiority with low-end items.
What is changing?
We are reducing the overall commissions we collect by making the following changes.
Our 20% Cash-Out Fee is being replaced with a 10% Cash-Out Fee and 5% Transaction Fee.
Our 20% eBay/Amazon seller’s commission is being replaced with a much smaller buyer’s premium.
A small Enhanced Security Fee will be assessed to items listed for $50 or more.
Cash-Out Fee Details
On January 1st, 2019 we will reduce our Cash-Out Fee to only 10%. This will be available for all COMC Credit that was charged the 5% Transaction Fee. With any Legacy COMC Credit you earned before the 5% Transaction Fee, you will have these choices.
Spend it on cards and services
Convert some or all Legacy COMC Credit to new COMC Credit by paying a 5% Conversion Fee
Wait until January 1st, 2020 when we retire the concept of Legacy COMC Credit and give 10% cash-outs to any COMC Credit
No matter which option you choose, you will be better off than you are with today’s 20% cash-out. That said, the best option is still to simply use the Legacy COMC Credit on COMC and avoid the cash-out and conversion fees all together. When you use COMC Credit to consign items, make offers, buy items, request a shipment, or pay for any other COMC services, we will use up your Legacy COMC Credit first. When you Cash-Out COMC Credit, we will use the new COMC Credit first. We will always use the credit that is most advantageous for you.
Here are some example Cash-Out scenarios.
December 31st, 2018
January 1st, 2020
$1,000
COMC Credit
$1,000
COMC Credit
– $200
20% Cash-Out Fee
– $100
10% Cash-Out Fee
$800
PayPal Deposit
$900
PayPal Deposit
January 1st, 2019
July 1st, 2019
$0
New COMC Credit
$600
New COMC Credit
+ $1,000
Legacy COMC Credit
+ $400
Legacy COMC Credit
– $50
5% Conversion Fee
– $20
5% Conversion Fee
$950
New COMC Credit
$980
New COMC Credit
– $95
10% Cash-Out Fee
– $98
10% Cash-Out Fee
$855
PayPal Deposit
$882
PayPal Deposit
We will also reduce the cost of Blowout Cards gift certificates. These details will be provided in a follow up blog post.
Transaction Fee Details
Starting January 1st, 2019, we will charge a 5% transaction fee on all transactions that transfer store credit in exchange for items. This fee will be collected at the time of sale and is very similar to the 3% promotion fee charged when you run a standard sale promotion today. Consequently, we will also reduce promotion fees so it is easier for you to run promotions and drive sales. More details on the new promotion fees will be provided in a blog post coming soon.
Traditional Order vs Buy Now – Ship Later
We classify all eBay, Amazon, and COMC Shopping Cart purchases as Traditional Orders. These orders require immediate shipment as part of the payment contract. We will make several changes to streamline these Traditional Order scenarios, which are really intended for the causal buyer that just wants to quickly add a few items to their cart and check out. For example, we have offered “free shipping” on more expensive eBay listings by embedding the cost of shipping in the eBay price. Also, eBay and Amazon require all orders to be mailed out within 1 business day. So, we will simplify our shipping options and standardize across eBay, Amazon, and the COMC Shopping Cart, making it seamless for casual customers to very quickly purchase a few items.
In contrast, our COMC Credit scenario enables the Buy Now – Ship Later functionality. This is designed for more serious collectors who frequently do both buying and selling. With COMC Credit, the buying process is clearly differentiated from the shipping process, and shipping is optional. It is very common for people to buy items and then resell them without ever taking physical possession of the items. It is also common for people to buy items one day and not request a shipment for weeks, months, or even years, so we will continue to offer our low-cost, slower shipping options when placing shipment requests with COMC Credit.
Improved eBay & Amazon Selling Experience (Traditional Order Premium)
Over the past several years, we have required sellers to factor the 20% eBay/Amazon commission into their asking prices, making it more difficult for sellers to set competitive asking prices for mid-range and high-end items when opted in to sell on eBay and Amazon. We will replace this seller’s commission with a much smaller buyer’s premium that we refer to as the Traditional Order Premium.
The Traditional Order Premium will be 10% + $5 for items with an asking price of $100+ COMC Credit and 15% for items with an asking price of less than $100 COMC Credit. As a seller, you will no longer need to inflate your prices to cover the old 20% eBay/Amazon commission. Instead, you will only need to factor in the 5% Transaction Fee and optional 10% Cash-Out Fee. If you plan to buy other items with the COMC Credit you earn from selling, you can ignore the 10% Cash-Out Fee altogether.
Starting immediately after Cyber Monday, prices on COMC will reflect the Traditional Order Premium when you are not signed in. Guest visitors to COMC can only use the COMC Shopping Cart to make purchases, and they will always be subject to the Traditional Order Premium. As a COMC member, you will see the COMC Credit prices after signing in, and you will not be subject to the Traditional Order Premium when you use COMC Credit to make your purchases.
During December we will begin transitioning eBay and Amazon listings to reflect the Traditional Order Premium. In the meantime, items will be listed on eBay and Amazon either because the seller opted in to covering the 20% commission or because we reflected the Traditional Order Premium in the listing’s price. Until we update a listing, any sales form that listing will still be subject to the 20% eBay/Amazon commission. Once a listing reflects the Traditional Order Premium, you will receive your full asking price when it sells. After January 1st, 2019, your sales will also be subject to the 5% transaction fee.
Once all the eBay and Amazon listings have been updated, you will no longer need to opt in to selling on eBay and Amazon, and all items for sale on COMC will automatically be eligible for sale on eBay and Amazon.
Revenue from the Traditional Order Premium
The majority of the revenue we receive from the Traditional Order Premium will go towards covering eBay & Amazon fees, extra support costs and increased return rates from these platforms, PayPal and credit card fees, advertising to drive more traffic to COMC, and eventually, affiliate and referral programs (hint-hint), as well as the software development costs to build and maintain these systems. It is not easy being one of the largest sellers on both eBay and Amazon. We frequently push them to their limits.
Enhanced Security Fee Details
We anticipate receiving a lot more high-end items as the result of these changes, and our $0.01/month Storage Fee does not sufficiently cover the expenses we incur when properly securing your $1,000 items.
On January 1st, 2019, we will introduce an Enhanced Security Fee for items with an asking price of $50 or more. Low-end items will not be affected by this new fee. The fee will be $0.01 per $1,000 of total asking price per day. This amounts to about $0.03 per month for a $100 item or $0.30 per month for a $1,000 item.
The fee will accrue daily but will only be charged monthly. The first Enhanced Security Fee will be assessed on February 1st, 2019 and will be based on asking prices throughout the month of January.
This fee encourages more competitive asking prices for high-end items and should help clear out some of the inflated prices on COMC today.
We will add a filter to the Inventory Manager that makes it easy for you to find items that are subject to the Enhanced Security Fee so you can easily make price changes to minimize this fee.
Net Effect of Commission Changes
When an eBay buyer spends $1,000 on one of your items, you will net 20% more cash.
COMC on eBay Today
COMC on eBay After Changes
$1,000.00 List Price
$800.00 after 20% eBay Commission
$640.00 after 20% Cash-Out Fee
$1,000.00 Traditional Order Price
$904.54 COMC Credit Price
$859.31 After 5% Transaction Fee
$773.37 After 10% Cash-Out Fee
$773.37 is 20.8% more than $640.00.
If you want $1,000 cash in your pocket for an item that sells on eBay, you will be able to do that with 17% lower prices on eBay.
COMC on eBay Today
COMC on eBay After Changes
$1,562.50 List Price
$1,250.00 after 20% eBay Commission
$1,000.00 after 20% Cash-Out Fee
$1,291.56 Traditional Order Price
$1,169.60 COMC Credit Price
$1,111.12 After 5% Transaction Fee
$1,000.00 After 10% Cash-Out Fee
$1,291.56 is 17.3% less than $1,562.50.
Bulk Price Editor
As a seller, you may want to make widespread changes to your asking prices to reflect the new fee structure. We will release an updated version of the Bulk Price Editor to make that process easier for you. Keep an eye out for a future blog post with more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question about these fee changes, please leave a comment, and we will update this post to answer as many questions as we can.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We strive to continually improve your collecting experience, and this is just one step of many to come. Stay tuned for many feature announcements over the next few months and throughout 2019.
There are many great sites out there for finding cards that people have posted themselves. So today I decided to find a bunch of cards of one of my favorite players.
Beckett Marketplace
I first went to the Beckett Marketplace and pretty quickly found 102 cards that I wanted. The problem was that they were all split across 35 different sellers. My total shipping came to $90.07.
With our service you always get combined shipping because everything is stored in our warehouse. For 102 cards my shipping would have been $28.25 on our site, and if I use a free account and wait until the last week of the month, I can get that shipping down to $22.80 with the bulk shipping discount.
Sportlots
Next I tried Sportlots where I found 52 cards that I wanted. Here the cards where spread across 19 different sellers. They really try to offer extremely cheap shipping. Yet the shipping still came to $24.37 for their budget service. With our service the shipping would have only been $15.75 and it would have been at least as good as their premium shipping service.
eBay
Finally I tried eBay where I found 25 cards that I wanted. Unfortunately the 5 sellers were asking $5+ for cards that I could get for $0.50 on the other sites. In any case, shipping would have $25.45 for the 25 cards. With our service shipping on 25 cards is only $9.
Summary
With other services shipping fees very quickly add up and are hard to keep under control. With COMC.com you can count on quality shipping for around a quarter a card. This is $0.25 to $0.75 per card less than the other sites. These savings allow buyers to pay less out of pocket while sellers are putting more into their pocket. Ahh… the magic of efficiency. I love this hobby, and I love working hard to make Check Out My Cards a great service for my fellow collectors.
It has been a long time coming, but after 2+ years of offering our consignment service, we finally have a seller that has more cards for sale than my original LowPriceCards account.
eaglescards is a shop owner from the Seattle area. After sitting down with him and comparing his eBay numbers for the past year to his Check Out My Cards numbers, it became obvious that he was better off sending his cards to us to sell.
Even though our 20% cash-out fee sounds high to some, it is actually amazingly low. Once you factor in all the other expenses required to sell on eBay, it turns out that most sellers are paying 30-40% of their final sales to eBay, PayPal, shipping fees, listing fees, labor costs, supplies, and the list goes on.
eBay definitely has its place. There are some cards that are hot and should be sold at auction. But it turns out that the majority of a persons collection will sell better with a Buy it Now or Best Offer pricing. That is exactly what we offer.
Since we are doing everything in large volume, we are able to cut costs way lower than everyone else. For example, our shipping rates are $3 for the first card and $0.25 for each additional card. Our average order is about 10 cards. That is $5.25 for shipping of 10 cards or just over $0.50/card.
eaglescards thought his buyers were getting a better deal on shipping from him on eBay because he was offering $2.50 flat shipping on any number of won auctions. The thing is, the majority of the time people only buy 1 card. It turned out they were paying about $2 shipping per card. That is 4 times what we charge on average per card. This is extra money that buyers could be spending on actual cards instead of paying for shipping overhead. This is the advantage of having one warehouse with nearly 1 million cards to choose from.
Needless to say, eaglescards is set to start soaring. He is now actively buying collections and sending them our way.
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