FOUR Flips • $350 Profit • TWO Sales Platforms • ONE CollX Trick You’re Not Using

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As I am a part of the eBay Partner Network and other programs, if you follow these links and make a purchase, I’ll receive commission (at no cost to you). I appreciate your support!

Disclosure: I also work closely with CollX, and this content may be disseminated via the CollX app at some point. That said, all opinions, examples, experiences are entirely my own, and not shaped by any third party input or guidance.

This is not buying or investment advice. I’m simply reporting the data I’m seeing. Please do your own research and make your own decisions. Just because cards have increased in value up to this point, it doesn’t mean they will continue to do so.

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Flipping sports cards is one of the most exciting ways to make money in “the hobby”—and the best part?

There’s no single right way to do it.

Whether you're targeting stars or sleepers, licensed or unlicensed products, if there's demand (and scarcity), you're in the game.

These four flips are perfect examples of how different your approach can be while still walking away with a profit.

Flip #1: Kristian Campbell Elite Extra Auto /60

📍 Bought on: COMC
📍 Sold on: COMC/eBay
💵 Purchase Price: $16.74
💰 Sold for: $135 BIN
🧾 After Fees: $128.25 (sales fees), minus 10% withdrawal fee if cashing out
✅ Profit: $98.69

When I picked up Kristian Campbell's Elite Extra Edition autograph numbered to 60 for $16.74, he wasn't the major leaguer he is now. That said, his first Bowman Chrome autos were already pushing the $100 mark.

When a player starts heating up and their Bowman Chrome autos are out of your price range (I personally don’t like dropping $100 on a base auto), I encourage you to look for alternatives—especially lower numbered autos, even if not Bowman.

That is, even unlicensed cards can hold strong value if the player is trending up.

This card had the trifecta:

• Low serial number

• Player momentum

• Low buy-in cost

It might not be a forever hold, but it turned out to be a great short-term flip.

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Flip #2: Cal Ripken Jr. 2005 DK Retro 1985 /85

📍 Bought on: CollX
📍 Sold on: eBay
💵 Purchase Price: $35.75
💰 Sold For: $160 BIN
🧾 After Fees: $133
✅ Profit: $98.61

This was one of my favorite recent flips—not because of the name, but because of the unknown (and how sure I was it would sell well).

At just 85 copies and being a 2005 release, I wasn’t expecting to find many comps…and I was hoping I didn’t, to be honest.

Again, No comps = opportunity.

While it’s natural to get anxious when there’s no recent sale data, I get excited. Scarcity and obscurity can work in your favor if you're willing to trust your instincts.

If between checking sold comps, current listings, and the eBay research tool (3 years of data) you can't find the card or can’t find anything sold in quite a while, there is a good chance the card is a rare find. Combine that with a name like Ripken, and $35.75 has never been spent more easily.

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Flip #3: Ryan Johnson 2024 Bowman Sapphire /10

📍 Bought on: Whatnot
📍 Sold on: eBay
💵 Purchase Price: $46.57
💰 Sold For: $175 BIN
🧾 After Fees: $146
✅ Profit: $99.64

Now this one breaks a few of the “rules” of card flipping:

• He’s a pitcher

• Not even a starter, but a reliever

• On a team that hasn’t been a powerhouse

• With a 27.00 ERA after his first appearance.

So why buy?

Because Ryan Johnson passed the eye test, and I was captivated from the first of the few times I mentioned him. His stuff was electric, he has a funky mound presence, and on top of that, there weren’t many of his cards out there.

I took a chance on his Sapphire /10—and it moved quickly.

So, trust your gut, especially when scarcity is on your side. Don't be afraid to go against the grain. There’s still profit potential in pitchers and lesser-known players when you’re early—and when the card is rare.

Speaking of being early, I actually went back for seconds, grabbing a bigger card off of arena club which I still felt was underpriced despite the hype. I haven’t listed it for sale, yet.

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Flip #4: Carlton Fisk 2009 Icons Immortal Lettermen /45

📍 Bought on: COMC
📍 Sold on: COMC/eBay
💵 Purchase Price: $18.74
💰 Sold For: $85
🧾 After Fees: $80.75 (sales fees), minus 10% withdrawal fee if cashing out
✅ Profit: $53.94

I don’t talk about nameplate/letterman cards like this often, but the right letter can command huge value. It’s almost like a 1/1 if rare enough.

For example, here are the recent sales of this card:

Note the letters sold: G, F, P, P, I, F, S. Meaning, someone out there is probably trying to put the name together, which is hard to do without the “E” that I found. (Note, I believe there are letters for “Pudge Fisk.”)

So when I saw the “E” pop up on COMC and checked all of this out, the $18.75 made sense. I also had a very good feeling I could price wherever I wanted - within reason - and still sell quickly.

I bought it on 4/6 for that $18.74, priced it at $85 and sold it the next day.

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Exclusive CollX Search Tip to Find Flips

And now, one of my favorite CollX tricks to find cards like the Ripken above and many, which I discovered last week. (Again, track all of my finds either here or here.)

Anyway, one of the best ways to find new search tips and tricks on CollX is to…