How much should I pay for a Pokémon card collection?

Work backwards from resale: estimate what the lot sells for in parts, subtract selling fees, postage, the hours it takes to process, and the profit you want. What's left is your maximum buy price, never bid above it.

Why include my time in the calculation?

Sorting, photographing, listing and packing a collection is real work. A lot that looks profitable on paper often isn't once you price your hours, which is why so many resellers are busy but not better off.

What margin should I aim for?

It depends on how fast the stock turns and how much work it is. Many resellers target around 30% of resale on collections, more on bulk that's slow to move. Set it to whatever makes the work worth doing for you.

Max-buy calculator

The most you should pay for a card or collection and still hit your margin, after fees, postage and your time. Free, no login.

Estimated resale (total)

Selling fees

Postage & packaging (total)

Hours to process

Your rate per hour

Target profit margin

Estimate resale from sold comps, split across singles, bundles and bulk. Private eBay sellers can set fees to 0. Be honest about the hours, that's where lots stop paying.

Maximum you should pay

£19.10

Leaves £30.00 profit (30% of resale)

Estimated resale: £100.00
Selling fees (12.9%): − £12.90
Postage & packaging: − £8.00
Your time (2h × £15.00): − £30.00
Target profit: − £30.00
Maximum buy price: £19.10

Curio values a whole collection fast, so you know a lot's real worth before you bid.

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Estimates only, and only as good as your resale estimate, price it from recent sold comps, not asking prices.

How it works

Work backwards from resale.

Start with what the lot realistically sells for, split across singles, bundles and bulk. Take off your selling fees and postage and packaging, then the hours it takes to sort, list and pack it at your own hourly rate. Finally subtract the profit that makes the job worth doing. What's left is the most you can pay.

The money in reselling is made on the buy. For where to find stock and how to read a lot before bidding, see how to source Pokémon cards to resell, and check your per-sale maths with the eBay fee calculator.

FAQ

Max-buy questions.

How much should I pay for a Pokémon card collection?: Work backwards from resale: estimate what the lot sells for in parts, subtract selling fees, postage, the hours it takes to process, and the profit you want. What's left is your maximum buy price, never bid above it.
Why include my time in the calculation?: Sorting, photographing, listing and packing a collection is real work. A lot that looks profitable on paper often isn't once you price your hours, which is why so many resellers are busy but not better off.
What margin should I aim for?: It depends on how fast the stock turns and how much work it is. Many resellers target around 30% of resale on collections, more on bulk that's slow to move. Set it to whatever makes the work worth doing for you.

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Never overpay for a lot again.

Curio values a whole collection fast, so you know what it's really worth before you bid.

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