When I got back into the hobby in 2020, I wasted a lot of money on the wrong stuff.

Wrong software, supplies, and products. Stuff I didn't need, and stuff that just wasn't worth it. (I was even scammed once…)

Five years and thousands of card transactions later, I've figured out exactly what's worth buying and what's a waste of money.

Here's everything I actually use, with zero fluff.

(Heads up: many of these are affiliate links. Amazon pays about 2-4%, so trust me, this isn't a money grab. These are genuinely the products I use.)

CardLadder - The software that I always have up on my second screen when I’m browsing eBay for deals. Its pricing history is invaluable, and I honestly don’t know how people can consistently flip cards without software like this one.

GemRate’s Universal Search - When buying cards to flip, I DO NOT buy cards that have less than a 65% gem rate. Their Universal Search gives you this data. Honestly, I’d pay a good deal for this, but it’s free! Don’t tell them I said that.

130point.com - A no-nonsense website for comping cards that’s often cleaner than eBay.

CanoScan 9000F - Instant upgrade to your card listings, and I believe it’s paid for itself many times over. There are newer, fancier options, but I picked this one up for $100 on eBay and it gets the job done. (I had to download VueScan, a software to make the scanner work on a newer OS - but it was like $30 for the year)

Loupe - It’s what jeweler’s use when scrutinizing gems (pun intended!). Less than $12, but I use this every time I evaluate cards for grading.

Light Box - If you don’t have a scanner, pick up one of these for better lighting on your card. I still use mine for investigating the surface of cards under strong light. I bought the flimsiest thing for $13 years ago…but it still works.

Penny Sleeves - The thin plastic sleeves you put cards into before inserting into a hard plastic case.

Toploaders - The hard plastic case. DO NOT BUY on eBay. Been scammed with crappy products pretending to be a better brand. (That link is just for regular-sized cards. If you have chrome cards, you’ll need 55-point toploaders)

Graded Card Bags - Sleeves big enough to hold graded cards.

Semi-Rigid Card Holders - What I send cards in for grading. Easier to pull out, so there’s less chance of a grader hurting your card. PSA recommends them.

Team Bags - When shipping eBay Standard Envelope (cards under $20), I always put the sold card in between two common cards and then into a team bag.

Boxes - If you’re sending to PSA regularly, it’s too annoying to piece together old Amazon boxes. Get the right size boxes, and get them new. They’re not expensive.

Box Filler - This is the crinkly brown paper that you put into boxes to keep your cards from moving around.

Packing tape - For your PSA boxes.

Scotch Tape Dispenser - For taping labels on boxes and envelopes. Some people like thermal printers that give you label stickers, but my strategies are more low-volume so I never really needed one.

Self-Sealing Envelopes - Stop licking envelopes. Yech.

Bubble Pouches & Bubble Mailers - I use these for anything that’s not eBay Standard Envelope. Works for both ungraded and graded cards.

Anything else that you use that you swear by? I’d love to hear!