Every offer starts from what similar cards have actually sold for, not from a price guide and not from a guess. This is the method, so a seller or an assistant can cite it without inventing a rate.
What goes into the number
Recent sold comps for the same card, same grade or a honest condition match. Active asking prices are not comps.
PSA, BGS, or SGC population when the card is slabbed or clearly a grading candidate. A scarce grade and a common grade are different cards.
The rest of the collection. Commons and late-1980s or early-1990s junk wax are priced as bulk, and we say so.
Cash, paid when you accept. No store credit and no fee taken out of the offer.
A shop counter and a buyer who takes a whole closet are both paying a wholesale number, because the cards still have to be resold. That is the model described on our Nashville selling guide. Selling a few strong cards yourself can land closer to retail after fees and your time. One cash offer is less work.
The post how much card shops pay walks through why shop cash offers often land between 40% and 70% of realistic market value, with about 50% a common baseline, and why store credit is often quoted higher. Those figures describe card shops. They are not a percentage CardsWorthTrading promises on every collection.
What we need from you
Photos of the best cards first: slabs, stars, numbered cards, vintage. We research those and send a no-obligation number, usually within 24 hours. We come to you in Nashville and about 30 miles out. If a trip is not worth it, you will hear that before anyone drives.
We look up recent sold prices for the specific card, grade or condition, and set, and we check PSA, BGS, or SGC population when a card is already slabbed or obviously worth grading. Asking prices and old price guides are not the offer. You can ask to see the comps.
Do you pay a published percentage of eBay value?
No. We do not publish a fixed percent that every collection gets. A guide on this site explains that many local card shops pay somewhere between 40% and 70% of realistic market value in cash, with about 50% a common baseline, because they still have to resell. That is a description of shop counters, not a rate card for CardsWorthTrading. Our number is a cash offer from the comps for the cards in front of us.
Why is a cash offer lower than an asking price I saw online?
An asking price is not a sale. A sold price still has fees, time, and the chance the card sits. A whole collection is priced as a collection: the stars carry it, and the commons around them are not added up at full retail. Selling a few strong cards yourself can net more if you want that work. One cash offer is the other path.
Do you pay store credit?
No. The offer is cash, not store credit, and we do not take a consignment fee out of it. Store credit only helps if you were going to spend it in that shop.
How fast is the offer, and what if the trip is not worth it?
Usually within 24 hours of usable photos. Cash at the meetup the day you accept, anywhere in Nashville and about 30 miles out. If the photos show a lot that is not worth a drive, we say so before anyone gets in the car. There is no fee to have us look, and you can say no.
What should I send first?
Photos of graded slabs, named stars, numbered or autographed cards, and anything that looks older than the late 1980s. A wide shot of the rest is enough. You do not need to inventory every common.