The Ballcard Genius Playbook: My Guide to Finding, Flipping & Collecting Cards with the Best of Them

From sneaky valuable finds to smart flipping strategies—whether you're new here or a longtime reader, these must-read posts will get you up to speed fast.

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 a commission (at no cost to you). I appreciate your support!

Disclosure: 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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Those of you who have been here since day 1 have seen it all—every flip, every piece of content, and every hot card report. You’ve heard every tip, learned all of my tricks, and hopefully have gained a lot of knowledge along the way!

With the growing community though, many of you are new, just getting started, and potentially not sure where to turn next (or first).

So, while I truly believe each piece of content I put out there is worthy of reading - or at least a quick scan - I’ve handpicked a few articles that you’ll absolutely want to read if you’re serious about chasing cardboard.

Before diving into the strategies, let’s make sure you’re getting the most out of the Substack platform itself…

1. The lay of the land (Substack)

Let’s recap what Substack is all about and what it has to offer.

While the app looks great and operates smoothly, it leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the desktop experience.

If you’re new here or if you need a general refresher, I encourage you to open a browser and check things out. You should see something like this:

If you only have time to click one link on this menu, let it be the “Archive.” That’s where every single post I’ve ever published lives. You can search by keyword to find whatever you need across a variety of sports card topics.

Joining the conversation

Then, either on the app or the browser, check out the chat area as it’s somewhere I’m trying to utilize more and more for daily news and notes, and, the fast-rising subscriber favorite, card-flipping scavenger hunt.

2. My card-flipping philosophy…

The beauty of this hobby/business is that there are so many different ways to turn a profit.

Do what works for you!

What works for me? Utilizing my 90s-00s expertise and minimizing risk across the current card landscape.

Strategy #1: know then seek; find then flip

That strategy mostly comes in the form of finding undervalued inserts, parallels, and other overlooked gems on one platform (like CollX, BuySportsCards.com, etc.) and then selling them on another (eBay). I’m always learning and always putting that knowledge in motion.

To hear the basics, I suggest you give this a listen:

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To see the strategy in action, here are some additional articles to check out:

• How to Flip a $5 Card Purchase Into a $1,500 Sale? Know and Seek.

• The Key to Flipping an $8 Purchase Into $800? Luck, Mostly.

• Have You Ever Flipped a Card for $100 Profit? If Not, Read This Part I

• Flipping a $20 Baseball Card Purchase into a $200 Sale.

• Back to the Well—How to Use Sneaky Card 🧠 to Find Profitable Flips on CollX

• From $5 Flip to $300 Win: "Slow Lane" Card Sales and When I Hit the Gas

Flipping not your thing? You can use these same strategies to build your PC at a fraction of what you might have otherwise.

Strategy #2: watch the trends, and buy at yesterday’s prices

While retired players is where I make my hay, I do still follow current player trends, and flip when the opportunity presents itself.

For me, that opportunity usually shows up in two ways:

• Trending players who don’t have a ton of cards/mainstream cards

• Trending cards that haven’t been re-priced fast enough

The key takeaway? Timing is everything, and scarcity matters.

Here’s how I approach it…

To see it in action, here are some additional articles to check out:

• Flipping 5 Cards for $130 Profit: Making Low-Risk Moves When Chasing Trends

• I Bought a Card for $20 Last Week & Just Sold it for $100 ($85 After Fees)

• Scarcity: Making Relatively Undesirable Cards Valuable Every. Single. Season.

• Don't Buy This at Today's $20 Price. I Meant Consider Buying at Yesterday's $5.

3. The tools/platforms I use…

Knowing the strategy is one thing; having the right tools in your arsenal is another.

I’ve already detailed my “stack” here, so check it out for the platforms, apps, products, and services I rely on to track trends, spot undervalued cards, and connect with other collectors.

My Sports Card Stack: All of the Tools, Products & Other Things I Use Daily

The bread and butter here is the research piece.

These are the tools I use when researching sales trends—how much cards are selling for, how many copies of a card are selling per week, how cards compare to each other, and more.

Market Movers

I love Market Movers, plain and simple. What it offers:

• Real-time Card trends

• Collection tracking

• Historical sales data

• Card deals tool

• Grade comparisons

• Card comparisons

• Player comparisons

If you want to do your own research, you can grab a free trial to Market Movers with code BALLCARDGENIUS. You’d also get 20% off of your membership forever if you wanted to continue once your trial has been completed.

The one thing I don’t like is that the catalog of cards is missing many of the insert cards I know and love. For that reason, I use…

Card Hedge

Card Hedge offers a lot of what Market Movers does, while also providing data on many other “lower-level” and “every day” cards. That said, Market Movers has a much better interface, but with the two together, I have all of my bases covered.

You can try Card Hedge for free with this link.

For more on how I use these tools:

• How to Use Market Movers to Find Hot & Trending Cards

• How to Find Deals on Trending Cards (That Aren't on eBay)

• 7 Sports Cards to Potentially Grade Found Using Market Movers'

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your flipping game, the content above is packed with everything you need to hit the ground running. And remember—I’m here to help. I chat with some of you daily, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, share your flips, or ask for advice. Let’s keep chasing cardboard together.

Got a question? Curious about a specific card? Ideas? Let me know! I’m always around to chat, swap tips, or just talk cardboard.