Month 15 Business Report: Expanding from Pokémon to Disney Lorcana and eBay
After focusing exclusively on Pokémon cards for over a year, I'm making two big moves this month: adding a second TCG with Disney Lorcana and expanding to a new marketplace with eBay. Here’s a breakdown of the strategy and the numbers from month 15.
By NeoSatoshi
TL;DR
Quick answers
The core takeaways from this video, answered fast.
Why Add a Second TCG After 15 Months?
After 15 months of selling only Pokémon cards, I've decided it's time to experiment. My Pokémon inventory value has grown to a good level, around $18,500, which provides a solid selection for buyers. This gives me the stability to start building up a second TCG on the side without taking focus away from my main business.
I chose Disney Lorcana because I have a connection to the characters, much more than with Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh. It's a personal preference, but it helps when you're learning a new product line. The goal is to see if I can establish another revenue stream for the business.
The Initial Strategy for Disney Lorcana
My first step with Lorcana is pure research and development. I bought some displays to open, not because I expect to profit from the packs—I know that's a losing game—but to learn the product. I need to get a feel for the cards, the rarities, the chase cards, and how the TCG works in general.
The long-term plan is to move away from opening packs quickly. Once I have a basic understanding, I'll shift to acquiring inventory by buying collections or bulk, just like I do with Pokémon. I won't go heavily into it at first, maybe just investing one or two thousand dollars over the next few months to build a starting inventory.
Ready for Faster Listing?
I've already integrated Lorcana detection into my card scanner and listing software. Efficient systems are key to managing multiple TCGs.
Expanding to a New Sales Channel: eBay
Besides adding a new TCG, I'm also adding a new sales channel: eBay. Up until now, I've sold on my Shopify store, Cardmarket, and Ricardo (a Swiss marketplace). With my processes for those platforms running smoothly, I feel ready to test the waters on eBay.
eBay is a relatively small market in Switzerland, which is why I haven't used it before. My expectations are low, but it's worth a try. I'm starting with a new, business-focused account rather than using an old personal account I had from years ago.
The Economics of Selling on eBay in Switzerland
I'm starting with the basic eBay store subscription, which costs about $25 USD per month and allows for around 400 listings. If that shows any promise, I might upgrade to the next tier for about $60 USD a month, which would let me list up to 2,500 cards.
The high costs are a concern. Between the monthly subscription and a selling fee of around 10% plus other small fees, the profit margin will likely be tighter than on other platforms. To justify the larger shop subscription, I'd need to generate at least a few hundred dollars in sales just to make it worthwhile.
My plan is to list my more valuable cards—I have about 1,200 to 1,500 unique cards worth over $2—and see what happens. I may also use the remaining listing slots for popular bulk cards, like Gengar or 151 reverse holos, possibly using variant listings to group them efficiently.
September 2026 by the Numbers
This month was a cooldown after a very hot summer. The numbers are a good reminder that sales aren't always a straight line up; you'll have periods of higher and lower sales.
Revenue and Profit Breakdown
Here's the performance for September:
- Total Revenue: $3,000
- Total Profit: $715
The revenue came from three platforms:
- Ricardo: $2,200
- Shopify: $420
- Card Market: $350
Ricardo was the clear winner this month, accounting for 75% of the revenue. Profit was lower than previous months, partly because bulk card sales were only $60, down from a typical $250.
Inventory Growth and Composition
Despite the slower sales month, total inventory value grew by $2,000, reaching a new total of $18,500.
The value is concentrated in a relatively small number of cards. Here's a look at the distribution of my higher-value singles:
- $50 and up: 26 cards
- $20 to $50: 115 cards
- $5 to $10: 280 cards
- $1 to $5: ~2,000 cards
The number of cards worth over $50 has increased significantly in recent months, which is a positive trend for the health of the inventory. The bulk of the card count, however, remains in lower-value cards.
Putting the Month in Perspective
While a $715 profit on $3,000 revenue might seem low compared to recent performance, it's important to look at the bigger picture. The previous three months were exceptionally strong, with revenues between $7,000 and $9,000 and profits over $2,000.
You will go up and down, up and down. And maybe this was just one down month.
September's numbers are still well above where the business was at the beginning of the year. It's a natural fluctuation. In fact, halfway through October, sales are already tracking back up, with a forecast to potentially hit $6,000 in revenue for the month.
What's Next for the Business
The next few months will be focused on these new experiments with Lorcana and eBay. I'll be tracking the results closely and will report on whether they generate any significant sales.
I'm also preparing for the holiday season. I ran an "Autumn Sale" for my Shopify store's email list and plan to do another promotion for Black Friday in November. It will be interesting to see how these new channels and promotions impact the end-of-year numbers.
Related articles
Streamline Your TCG Listings
Managing inventory across Pokémon, Lorcana, Shopify, and eBay requires efficient tools. See how NeoSatoshi helps you list faster and sync inventory.