Transcription
Sports card prices are being manipulated, and no one is really talking about it. Ever wonder why your sports cards are losing value? It's not just the market; something much bigger is happening. Who's behind this, and what does this mean for collectors like you and me? Is your collection at risk?
So, what we're going to do in this video is go through why the prices are so high. Five years ago, they weren't this high. Six years ago, they weren't. Ten years ago, they certainly weren't. We're going to go through this entire process, so make sure you stay tuned because at the end, I'm going to give you one big reason why this might be happening—the biggest reason, I think, why these prices are just out of control. The hidden truth behind card prices.
The first thing I researched for this video was shill bidding. Before I started collecting sports cards and using eBay, I wondered why people didn't just bid up their own items. Is that legal? Is that actually happening? If you wanted to sell a trash can for $20, why wouldn't people bid it up to $30, $40, or $50 using a different account? I didn't know that was called shill bidding, and I didn't know people actually did that for sports cards. These fake sales—if you list a Shohei Ohtani card and nobody bids, then you bid it up to $40 and essentially pay yourself—raise red flags. The same pictures reappear; you see the same exact card, same pictures, three, four, or five times in a row. You can tell it's a fake sale; you can tell it's shill bidding. The Luka Dončić prism silver PSA 10 card was listed at $5,000, a bidding war ensued, then it was relisted because that bidding war was fake. It happens all the time, with big cards, small cards, and even bogus blaster boxes or big sales. This is a picture someone found on the internet; I saw something similar recently. People were saying it was a fake sale. These things happen all the time, not just with sports cards, but generally on eBay.
If you want to know when the next blaster boxes or hobby boxes are coming out, comment "Insider" in the comments. We'll send you a link where you can enter your email to receive monthly updates on releases like the NHL Upper Deck Series 2 or MLB 2025. It's hard to find this information online, so we want to make it easy for you. It's free, and you can unsubscribe anytime. That's what we're doing here with Sports Card Hustlers. Going back to the Luka Dončić card, that $5,000 sale was totally fake. If the same card appears repeatedly, that's shill bidding. PWCC was booted from eBay in 2021 for doing that. Some companies and people do this, so research carefully to avoid fake sales.
Pump and dumps are the next part of this hidden truth about sports card prices. Pump and dumps happen all the time—on sports cards and stocks. They pump up a stock, then it drops. It's easy to understand, but in sports cards, I believe breakers and influencers hype up a card, sell it, and then the price drops. For example, in 2023, Jordan Love's rookie card spiked after a great game, then people sold, and a week later, it was 40% less. Rookie cards fluctuate more than Hall of Famers, but watch out for pump and dumps. I sold a CJ Stroud green variety card from 2023 Donruss Optic for around $250, and now they're worth $70. Rookie card pricing is sporadic, going up and down depending on the game.
Grading companies play a role in manipulation. PSA, BGS, and SGC—not to be confused with Sports Card Hustlers—sometimes favor bulk submitters. High-profile collectors sending in many cards get easier grading standards than you and I. I sent a Shohei Ohtani card to PSA and waited four and a half months to get it back—a PSA 8. It was perfectly preserved, and I expected a 9 or 10. Some people submit 10 of the same card and get one PSA 10, and the rest are 8s and 9s. Do grading companies artificially lower grades to increase resubmission revenue? Let us know in the comments.
The second topic is the crash no one's talking about: Why are prices dropping? I've been watching eBay for three or four months, and prices have dropped significantly. Ultra-modern cards are losing value. For example, a Zion Williamson prism silver PSA 10 was $6,000 in 2020 and now $600. This depends on his performance, but rookie cards get hyped, so don't buy at peak hype. Buy the second-year card instead. You can buy Eli De La Cruz cards now for less than his rookie cards because it's FOMO—fear of missing out. The only way from the peak is down. Don't buy the hype.
The reason for this is overproduction. Overproduction is good in science—it protects species and creates variation. But it's not great for sports cards. There are too many graded copies, diminishing the value because demand is down and supply is high. There's a lack of real scarcity. Another reason is the Fanatics monopoly and overproduction concerns. My experience with Fanatics MLB jerseys was negative; the back was so thin you couldn't see the names. Fanatics' takeover of Topps and Panini licenses—will this return us to the junk wax era of the late 80s and early 90s? Overproduction kills the market. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The second part of the crash is that retail wax is a bad investment. Before 2020, it wasn't, but the last four or five years, it has been. Boxes are more expensive, odds are worse, and most autos are of players you've never heard of. You need to be a breaker to get the good stuff like Ohtani, Trout, or Zion Williamson signatures. 2023 Prizm Football is an example; prices increased, but rookie autos were extremely rare. Retail, blaster boxes, mega boxes, or fat packs won't get you much. Fanatics profits while collectors like you and I lose out. I got a numbered Ohtani card out of 25, and the same unnumbered card is worth less. This shows overproduction and the monopoly.
Finally, graded pop reports are a hidden control factor. PSA stopped bulk submissions in 2021, then restarted them. Now, the market is flooded with graded cards, dropping values, especially for graded cards. I've seen graded cards online for $5 when it costs $20-25 to submit them. Who's making money? Breakers, Fanatics, and grading companies. Breakers and big investors are hoarding the best cards. Some breakers hold back case hits to sell later. Are breakers getting the best stuff from Fanatics? This makes the product look good, but you won't get that at retail. Collectors are hoarding cards to control scarcity, increasing prices. Then, when they sell, prices crash.
How can you protect yourself? Avoid buying ultra-modern rookies at peak value. Watch eBay trends. 130Point.com is a great tool to track sales and relistings. Invest in vintage pre-1990 cards—they're more stable. Be careful with grading submissions; it's expensive and might not be worth it for base cards. There's a lot of money in bulk grading, but it can backfire. This video explained why prices are dropping. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. If you want to join the Insider group, comment "Insider." Thanks for watching! Subscribe and like the video. Peace!