Frequently Asked Questions
Submitting to Auction
Information about the submission process is available on the Submit tab. Here you will find information about our submission process as well as our rates. Feel free to email us if you have additional questions.
Payment is sent on roughly the 15th of the month following the completion of the entire auction. Keep in mind this is for the overall auction, not the closing date of a particular submission. So, if you had an item sell in June, your payment will be issued around the 15th of July.
We mark submissions as received and note this on our clients accounts within a day or two of the submission being received. We then process each submission including imaging, titling, and prepping for sale. Item images, titles, and descriptions will be visible a minimum of two days leading up to the start of the auction. Submitters will be notified when their items are fully available for review.
There will be time for client edits prior to the items going live. Please keep an eye on your Member Dashboard and send us your edit requests during this time. The changes will be made before your item goes live.
Our fees are firm and are optimized to be as low as possible for our clients. We charge the same fees to all clients, so you can rest assured that the fees we charge are consistent across the board. For submissions that are of significant size, we do offer a bulk discount for 250 and 500 individually-graded cards.
No. Our auction fees are all inclusive. You will net exactly the sale price less our auction fees.
Auction fees are applied based on the sale price of each individual item, and not based on the sum total of the submission overall.
These are special designations that PWCC provides based on our opinion of the eye appeal of the card relative to other examples of that card in that grade. Please refer to the Eye Appeal section on our website.
PWCC is the largest broker of trading cards globally, has a strong reputation and trust in the market, and markets our listings to over 85,000 past buyers.
PWCC offers the largest auction venue specifically targeted to trading cards worldwide with thousands of unique users participating in every monthly auction. PWCC's strong reputation in the market causes buyers to bid with confidence. Items sold on the PWCC Marketplace generally garner higher sale prices when compared with prices from other venues. Finally, fees charged by PWCC are lower than other venues and lower in many cases to selling one's self.
Although a package will show it as being delivered to our facility our team has to process the submission and record it in our database. There may a delay between 12 and 24 hours between package delivery and the package being recorded. Not to worry, you will receive an email confirmation when the package is successfully processed. Note that our processing team does not work on weekends, so a package delivered late on a Friday or over a weekend may take slightly longer to be processed.
The cost associated with sending a submission is the responsibility of the submitter.
All of the items we auction will start at $0.99. We strongly believe that reserves can limit interest and curb the bidding activity. We let the market set the value.
Please review our homepage to see a detailed schedule for our current auction as well as tentative start and end dates for upcoming auctions.
You can send your package using your preferred shipping carrier. We recommend that you mail your items in a box with proper padding to protect the items. For more valuable items it may be advantageous to double box them to ensure safe delivery. We also ask that you send the package with signature confirmation.
For submissions of high value that are difficult to insure through standard carriers, PWCC can assist with a fully-insured shipping label. Please contact PWCC to request a label.
If an item goes unpaid for it will be relisted in a future auction. If an item does not receive any bids it will be returned to the client at their expense.
There are a number of ways that proceeds can be issued to you. All funds are first recorded on your Marketplace Account. You can elect to leave your funds on your account to pay invoices or for future purchases. Or, you can request a payout. We can process payouts by ACH and check for free, or wire transfer for $25.
Clients bidding on their own items is strictly prohibited as it is a violation of our Marketplace Tenets. Doing so will incur restrictions on both bidding and consigning privileges with PWCC.
Buying from Auction
We do offer combined shipping for multiple items won provided that they are not paid for separately. In each of our listings we have a combined shipping chart available to view. The cost of the combined shipping is determined by the number of items and value of your total purchase. There are some exceptions for larger cards and group lots. In order to take advantage of combined shipping, we ask that you refrain from making payment until all the items you are bidding on have closed. We will then issue you an invoice for all the items you won with the combined shipping rate. When we receive your payment, we will place all the items in the same package and issue you a tracking number through eBay.
Our international shipping costs vary based on the total combined value of the package as well as the size and method used to ship. We have a combined shipping chart listed on every auction for your viewing where you may find the shipping total based on the number of items won and the total value of the invoice. Keep in mind that we will insure for the full value of the package which will result in a stated value of the full amount for customs, so there may be additional fees.
Payment can be made through eBay's Manage Payment tool through PayPal or Credit Card. We also accept payment outside of eBay in the form of Check, Money Order, BitPay wire, and ACH Bank Transfer. Please know that PWCC will still apply sales tax to your invoice if your delivery address is in a state where sales tax applies, even when paying outside of eBay.
It is our policy not to uncombine items from an invoice once they have been combined. If you wish to pay for items separately please remit payment immediately after the item closes as we automatically combine items over night.
You can feel free to hold off on making payment until all of the items you are interested in in a particular Auction have closed. Once you have a final invoice please remit payment promptly before the stated payment deadline.
Please be sure to change your address associated with your invoice on eBay before making payment as we are obligated to ship to the address on record with eBay at the time of payment.
We are currently part of a pilot program with eBay which limits some listings on the eBay sites of some countries. All listings are fully viewable and invoices are fully payable on eBay.com.
There is a shipping matrix located on all of our listings for you to view, you may need to scroll down the listing to see it. If your current shipping cost does not match the shipping cost in the matrix please reach out to our customer service team at cs@pwccmarketplace.com so that they can correct it for you.
PWCC Vault
Yes. We spent a significant investment creating a bank-style vault for your trading cards. It's located in Tigard, Oregon.
The Vault was constructed using the guidelines established by the Underwriters Laboratory and we are proud that it received UL's highest classification of Class III. It is 2000 square feet and surrounded by 11 inches of concrete on all six sides. There are 140 security cameras, motion detection, security during business hours, and rigorous access control and security protocols.
Please click here for detailed instructions on how to do that.
Please click here for detailed instructions on how to do that
Please click here for detailed instructions on how to do that
For security purposes, at this time, only PWCC employees are allowed into the Vault. However, all your assets are available all the time, in high quality, digital photography, on your online Vault Portfolio.
Yes. You are welcome to schedule a time to view your Vault item at one of our client review stations. Note: only PWCC employees will be allowed in the Vault.
Standard shipping and insurance fees apply. There are no hidden fees for fulfillment. Items fulfilled within the first year will be charged for the remainder of the monthly storage fees at the time of fulfillment as well as any unpaid archival fees. Please see the fees question for costs associated with storing your collection in the Vault.
Sets are processed and priced individually.
This is a feature that will be rolled out in the near future.
Yes, we can act as a fulfillment service for you as you buy and sell on multiple channels. We also offer the Vault Marketplace which is a retail setting that charges $0 in fees to sellers. Please navigate on over to the Vault Marketplace FAQ, or read more on our website.
Please refer to the Vault Fees section for a summary of the fees.
You are invoiced each month based on the storage fees for that month. Your invoice is sent to your email on record and you simply pay that month's invoice. Payment can be remitted on our website with a credit card, or you may send a check, wire, or ACH. We invoice monthly because fees are calculated as you might add or take cards out (sell) them at any time. Thus, a monthly accounting is necessary. We do that all automatically.
Please login to your Member Dashboard and go to the Vault tab and click on Accounting.
Send an email to cs@pwccmarketplace.com with a request to add an authorized account manager.
Yes.
First we'd like you to rest assured that PWCC is in excellent financial standing. With that said, assets would be returned to their owners in the event of PWCC filing chapter 7. Unless a client's account is in default, or PWCC Capital has a lien against the assets for a loan, PWCC has no claim to ownership of the assets stored in the Vault.
Once the package has been received in our system, typically seven to 10 business days.
No there isn’t, but the fee structure is built for cards valued at $200 or more.
Yes, the 1% ingestion fee is waived and you received free shipping as well. The .5% storage and insurance fee for the first year still applies.
Yes you can. You can submit a request for this when you login to your Member Dashboard. Click on your Vault Portfolio, check the box or boxes of the items you wish to edit, click the Actions button and click "Edit Purchase Price".
Yes. You can request this for a fee. Please email customer service at cs@pwccmarketplace.com.
We use our algorithm and recent sales data to determine the cards' market value.
Gallagher provides our insurance, the same provider for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Vault is fully insured to 100% of the market value of the assets in possession. It protects against theft, fire, water, and all other losses.
Selling on the Vault Marketplace
Items can be listed with a fixed price (Buy Now) and you can state that you'd like to receive offers.
The item first has to be fully curated into your Vault. Then, login to your Member Dashboard, click on My Vault and My Portfolio, and click the "List Now" button on the right hand column. We will automatically list this item as a Buy It Now on eBay.
Yes, you will receive a notification by email. You can elect to accept the offer, decline it, or submit a counter offer.
Payment will be issued upon receipt of payment from the buyer and following completion of the sale, roughly 48 hours after the items is delivered to the buyer. On average, this process takes roughly five to ten business days.
Fees to sell on the Vault Marketplace range between 8-15% depending on the stated asking price or accepted offer. The fees parallel our Auciton fees, which can be accessed from the Auction tab.
Buying on the Vault Marketplace
Our international shipping costs vary based on the total combined value of the package as well as the size and method used to ship. We have a combined shipping chart listed on every auction for your viewing where you may find the shipping total based on the number of items won and the total value of the invoice. Keep in mind that we will insure for the full value of the package which will result in a stated value of the full amount for customs, so there may be additional fees.
Payment can be made with a credit card directly on our website. You can also apply any funds on your PWCC Account to your invoice. Or, if you wish to pay with a different method, be sure to select the "other" payment method when you check out.
PWCC will apply sales tax based on the delivery address associated with the invoice. If you have a resale license, please send that to us by email at cs@pwccmarketplace.com and we will record it on your account; sales tax will be removed from this and any future invoices.
Alternatively, you can have your purchase shipped to your PWCC Vault which will result in Oregon's 0% sales tax and free shipping.
Our systems are optimized and it is difficult to change shipping procedures, so we ask that we ship through our own carrier accounts.
It is our policy to ship all packages with full insurance.
Payment is due upon purchase or upon accepted offer. Payment can be remitted directly through eBay using a variety of payment methods accepted by eBay. If you wish to pay with check, wire, ACH, bitpay or otherwise, please remit payment ASAP. Invoices older than five days may result in late fees.
Please be sure to state the correct address on your invoice before you pay.
Eye Appeal
The technical grade assigned by the grading companies is determined by a number of factors including surface and corner wear, surface presentation, centering, and others. Within each factor there is a range of acceptable conditions to earn a particular grade. For example, according to PSA’s stated standards, a NM-MT 8 can tolerate centering registration of 65/35 or better; as such, cards centered both 50/50 and 65/35 are eligible to receive a technical grade of NM-MT 8.
Eye Appeal refers to a card’s visual presentation – or how attractive the card is to the eye. Using the example described above, while a card with 65/35 centering and 50/50 centering are both eligible to earn a grade of NM-MT 8, the card with 50/50 centering is more visually attractive than the card with 65/35 centering.
Each vintage card (pre-1987) that is submitted to PWCC Marketplace and PWCC Vault with an estimated value over $250 is reviewed by our team for the eye appeal designation.
A key component to this program is that PWCC makes the determination without bias. PWCC does not charge submitters for this review service. The potential for any bias is further removed by doing the eye appeal review after all auction items are sorted by sport, issue, and year which shields the review team from any submitter information ensuring that the evaluation be based on visual presentation only.
Absolutely not. PWCC does not charge for this service, offer a different fee structure, or any other benefit for the service that could cause our assessment to be biased. It is critical that these designations be consistently awarded to cards strictly on their visual presentation with no other influence.
Because PWCC sells 15,000 items each month, our team sees more graded cards than any other auction broker. This affords us a unique and comprehensive perspective on the range of visual presentation for each issue. Additionally, although eye appeal has been a concept discussed in the market since its inception, PWCC has taken the lead in quantifying it and adding predictability to the variance in market value resulting from eye appeal range.
PWCC Marketplace relies heavily on the expertise of the professional grading companies PSA, SGC, and Beckett. PWCC sought counsel from all three companies independently surrounding eye appeal and its long-standing effect on market value. Their awareness of this venture was prerequisite to our willingness to create the Eye Appeal Scale and unveil the designations.
No. Cards with above average eye appeal will earn a PWCC-A designation, cards with exceptional eye appeal will earn an E designation, and cards with superior eye appeal will earn a S designation. A card wouldn’t be issued all designations.
Although these figures will always be estimates and there is an inherently qualitative nature to the analysis, the distribution of visual presentation was estimated based on PWCC’s extensive knowledge of the market and exposure to more graded cards than any other venue.
No. These designations are simply intended to call attention to cards with excellent eye appeal to facilitate investors participation in the marketplace.
Advances
There are a number of ways that your advance can be issued to you. All funds are first recorded on your Capital Account. You can elect to leave your funds on your account to pay invoices or for future purchases. Or, you can elect to use your advance to pay an invoice or apply towards an existing payment plan. Or, you can request a payout. We can process payouts by ACH and check for free, or wire for $25.
Advances are sent each Wednesday as part of our weekly payout. Advance requests must be submitted on our website before the end of the day on Monday to allow our team to review in time to be processed on that Wednesday. Requests received on Tuesdays or later will be processed the following Wednesday.
Conservative Market Value is roughly 40% of the Market Value of the item. Market Value is determined using a proprietary algorithm evaluating past sales data and reviewed by our team of experts.
Any outstanding balances will need to be paid within 30 days of the auction closing date or another submission can be sent in to cover the balance due.
We would be pleased to use your auction submission proceeds to pay for your invoice! If your submission has a conservative market value of at least 200% of the invoice amount, you will be able to request that it be paid in full. Otherwise, we will place it on our Payment Plan and apply the remaining proceeds of your Submission once our accounting for the auction is finalized. Advance requests must be submitted through our website. Email our team at cs@pwccmarketplace.com if you have further questions!
Vault Portfolio Loans
PWCC offers loans using trading cards stored in the PWCC Vault as collateral. The team will evaluate your portfolio and determine the loanable amount, which will be up to 40% the market value of your portfolio. To request a loan, please reach out to our customer service team at cs@pwccmarketplace.com.
Here are the terms of the loan program:
- To initiate the loan there will be a 1% origination fee.
- The maturity date of each loan will be 180 days from the date of the loan.
- There is a 1% interest charge per month that will be billed monthly. Payment must be issued within 10 days of the interest invoice being received.
- At the 90 day mark the borrower will have an opportunity to pay off the loan in full and stop the interest should they choose. At this time the borrower can choose to pay off a portion of their principal loan amount and refinance for the remaining 90 days.
- If additional time is needed the borrower can reach out for an extension on the loan, otherwise payment will be due at the maturation date. All outstanding interest invoices must be paid to renew.
PWCC may be able to offer you an extension. If an extension is not available or desired, PWCC will sell assets in your Vault to pay back the balance owed plus any interest owed.
Join the Marketplace
Create an account to join our mailing list and gain full access to our suite of investor tools, including the PWCC Indices, the Market Price Research tool, and Auction History sales database as well as full access to our Marketplaces.
Sell on the Auction Marketplace
PWCC manages the largest trading card auction venue in the world, comprising 12 annual auction events which run every month of the year. Each event consistently features some of the finest trading cards in the world in an easily-surveyed format that reaches both hobby and investment minded clients alike.