Why is the sports card industry booming?

Our hobby has been on the up tick for a while now, but 2020 saw a boom in the sports trading card industry. The reason is fairly obvious – the COVID-19 pandemic kept people home, and while there, they either rediscovered a childhood past time of card collecting, or had more disposable income to unload on their hobbies of choice. The sports trading card industry was one of benefactors of this new way of life seen across the country and the world.

Real collectors tend to be passionate, whether they are searching for a rare coin, a vintage comic book, their favorite stamp, or the card of the next big sports superstar. It is this passion that has helped the sports trading card hobby grow and expand over the past few decades into what it is today – an approximately $5.5 billion industry with millions of collectors spread out across the globe.

But like a runner kicking it into high gear while hitting the last leg of the race, 2020 was a burst of energy shot into the industry. Many people found their old stash of sports cards that were collecting dust in the basement or attic, bringing back those fond memories and giving them some positivity during a difficult time. It created nostalgia, and candidly just gave them something to do while sitting at home.

The industry also attracted brand new collectors, who once again were looking for a way to pass the time – and spend their money. And this huge influx of cash has led to the best sales numbers seen in over a decade across the industry. And this was following 2019, which was already one of the better years the industry has ever had.

Outside of the viral pandemic, many people are also starting to notice the investment value of collecting sports cards. This trend has been occurring for a few years now, and 2020 just added to the value to our collections. But there is also a couple challenges that come with all of this sudden growth – availability and cost.

If you are an avid collector, you may have noticed the impact supply and demand has had on sports cards over the past year. Sellers have noticed it too, as even some of the biggest retailers struggle to meet the demand of their customers simply because the supply isn’t there. MyExtraCards has felt this all too well, and it has become very common that we are not able to get everything we need/want from our suppliers. This means retailers like us are not able to provide our customers with everything they are looking for.

This in turn has driven up prices for everyone – customers and retailers alike. But collectors continue to buy, and it all comes back to the passion we all have for our beloved hobby. It doesn’t matter if you’re five years old or fifty years old – when you open a pack and find the card you’ve been looking for, you’re ecstatic. And that’s why we love this hobby.