For years, I worked off a strict budget where I couldn’t spend more than $100 per month. I kept a ledger and added $100 to it on the 1st of each month. Everything I sold was added to my running tally, and everything I bought was deducted from it.

I liked it because it kept me focused, but I could still save for a couple of months if I wanted something bigger.

Here’s how I managed to get the most out of that budget.

Sure, we’d all love to have that 1/1 RPA, but you can still really enjoy a card at a fraction of the price. Here are a few strategies I’ve turned to:

When I started collecting autos of the top-75 players in NBA history, my first thought was to get everything graded.

Then I realized that if all I cared about was the nice holder for my PC, then why not use magnetic holders?

My wife bought me a Flux hobby box for Christmas a few years back, and I actually had my best pull ever from it (a Max Christie 1/1 rookie auto, plus a /25 Banchero rookie). Presents don’t count against my budget, and I still get to rip!

Some think it’s not worth selling cards for $1-$5 on eBay…and they’re probably right from a purely ROI calculation on your time.

But this isn’t always a logical equation. This is a hobby that you want to enjoy. I’m willing to grind a little harder when I know the money is going straight to my ledger.

I’ve been known to open a pack and find a card that I think is really cool…

Then I look it up and find out it’s really common and worth about $2. I’ll get bummed by that.

But…isn’t that dumb? If I think a card looks awesome, I should enjoy having it in my collection. Not because it’s worth a fortune, but because it’s something I like.

Good example of this: I have a LeBron Optic Splash purple parallel from a few years ago. It could probably sell for $5, maybe? But I love the card. It looks awesome, and the purple matches the Lakers. I proudly keep it in my collection.

This might be the most obvious…but perhaps the most difficult. When you’re buying on eBay, it’s so easy to feel the urgency to spend right then. “Here’s the card I want, I’m going to shop until I buy one.”

That’s a recipe to overspend.

When working on a budget, I focus on auctions, sending lots of offers (and being okay when most are turned down), and trying to find older listings where the seller might take a deal.

In fact, you’ll learn to love the art of finding great deals. Again, it’s not always a pure ROI play… spending an hour to save $10 on a card is dumb in a vacuum, but it’s all part of the game you’re playing. So figure out how to enjoy it!

This doesn’t constitute investment advice, more just a window into my overall strategy as well as for entertainment purposes. All pricing and screenshots are taken from Card Ladder—the only pricing & inventory tool I use.

✔️ Tua Tagovailoa 🏈 - Optimism for failed QBs in new situations is at an all-time high (thanks, Darnold!). Tua’s walking into a starting position for a high-ceiling offense, and we’ve seen him put up great stats before. His PSA 10 Prizms are just $20 right now, so why not pick up a few and see if he starts hot? Wouldn’t be crazy to see those jump to $50 or $60 pretty quick.

✔️ Victor Wembanyama 🏀 - Yes, he’s expensive…but he’s one of the rare ones that live up to sky-high hype. The Spurs are true title contenders, and he’s already a top-3 player. Because he’s only playing 29 minutes a game, it can obscure his true impact. On a per-36 basis, he averages about 30-14-4 with almost 4 blocks. I think his hype is going to reach new levels of bonkers when they unleash him fully in the playoffs.

✔️ Matthew Stafford 🏈 - His Topps PSA 10 peaked at over $300 before the playoff loss, and it’s already dropped below $200. I’d wait just a bit longer and see if I could grab this card for around $130-$150. The Rams reloaded in a big way with free agency. Seems like Stafford could go on an end-of-career resurgence as Elway did. If he wins another Super Bowl, all of a sudden, we’re talking about a top-10ish QB all-time.

✔️ Kyler Murray 🏈 - I really like the Kyler Murray investment play right now. People forget that he’s been a near top-10 QB in prior seasons. The Cardinals’ record was significantly better with him playing than not. Playing on a very good team while throwing to Jefferson would go a long way to rehabilitating his hobby (and on-field) value.

This is perhaps the single most important post on this site if you’re in this hobby to make money! I’m going to put it all together in this one post so that you’ll never have to read anything else.

When you’re finished, you’ll have my complete guide to making money with sports cards. You’ll know exactly how to profit…[Keep Reading]

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The content in this newsletter is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be actual financial or investment advice.