How I Made Nearly $100 in a Week on CardTrader from Bulk Pokémon Cards

The trend from last week continued, with sales volume staying high. The big story is CardTrader, a platform that has been performing exceptionally well since I started listing there. In just a couple of days, I saw a flurry of orders for bulk cards, pushing the weekly revenue for that platform alone towards the $100 mark.

The Surprising Value in Bulk Trainer Cards

While it's all bulk, not all bulk is created equal. I noticed a clear pattern in the sales: trainer cards, especially older ones, are moving quickly. These are cards used in gameplay, so there's consistent demand.

For example, I sold a Guzma from Burning Shadows for €5.30 and a Guzma & Hala from Cosmic Eclipse for €11. These are cards that came from bulk lots I purchased for about two cents per card. It's a stark reminder of the hidden value that can be unlocked from unsorted bulk. Of course, this initial surge is likely because buyers are picking off the best cards first. I expect the sales velocity to slow down once these outliers are gone.

Weekly Sales Breakdown by Platform

To give you a clearer picture, I’ve started breaking down the numbers by platform. This is useful because each has a different audience and fee structure. Ricardo is for Switzerland only, Cardmarket is for Europe, and CardTrader has a more global reach, making it interesting for sellers in the US as well.

• CardTrader: Nearly $100 in revenue, resulting in $60 of profit. This was all from bulk cards.
• Cardmarket: $60 in revenue, for $43 in profit. Also all bulk.
• Ricardo: Nearly $400 in revenue, but only $46 in profit. This was driven by a few higher-priced PSA card sales, which have thinner margins but boost the revenue total.

The total for the week was over $500 in revenue and $150 in profit. If I can maintain this pace, that's a $600 monthly profit, which is a solid side income just two months into this challenge.

Overhauling the Inventory System

With tens of thousands of cards, the old way of sorting just wasn't working. Trying to keep everything alphabetized within each set is incredibly time-consuming and not scalable. If you're handling thousands of cards, you'll spend more time sorting than selling. I had to change my system.

Moving to 'Chaos' Sorting

My new method is a bit like chaos sorting, but it's organized chaos. I'm using small boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes, with each section holding about 50 cards. Each location gets a code, like 'A10'. When I add new inventory, a script I wrote tells me exactly where to put the cards.

For example, if I scan 10 copies of a new card, the system might assign them to location 'A10'. I just grab 50 cards from my 'to be sorted' pile, put them in that slot, and I'm done. It's much faster than finding the right alphabetical spot for each individual card. It's a trade-off, but the time saved on initial sorting is massive.

The Logic Behind the System

The system is designed to make other tasks easier down the line. A key feature is separating reverse holo cards from non-holos. They get their own storage sections. This seems like extra work, but it's crucial for building master sets later. It prevents you from having to pull out every card just to find the reverse version you need.

My script also automates a few key decisions:

• It flags cards needed to complete master sets so I can pull them aside immediately.
• It enforces a maximum of 20 copies for any single bulk card. Anything over that gets moved to a bulk lot for separate sale.
• This 20-card limit is ignored for cards worth over 20 cents; I'll keep and list all copies of more valuable cards.
• Finally, it generates a CSV file that I can upload directly to TCG PowerTools, which then lists the cards on CardTrader and Cardmarket.

Revisiting the Master Set Strategy

Speaking of master sets, I finally finished organizing my box of incomplete sets. I have about 50 of them, some missing only one or two cards. I had them listed for around €40, but got zero sales. I suspect the price is too high, as a buyer could likely piece them together for cheaper on Cardmarket.

I've lowered the prices to see if that generates any interest. If not, the next step is to try listing them on eBay. It’s a different market, and sometimes you just need to find the right platform for a specific product type.

Plan for Next Week

The work doesn't stop. The main goal for the coming week is to process the 10,000 or so bulk cards I've recently acquired, getting them into the new inventory system. I'll also start experimenting with eBay, beginning with the master sets that aren't selling on my current platforms. It's always about testing, refining, and finding what works.