A Step-by-Step Look at My Final Mass Bulk Pokémon Card Listing Session

The Initial Sort: From Piles to Sets

The first step in tackling a mountain of bulk is sorting. I use an automatic card sorter to do the heavy lifting. The most efficient way I've found is to run the cards through set by set. For example, I'll process a full batch of Scarlet & Violet—Temporal Forces before moving on to the next set.

Within each set, I have the machine sort the cards by type—Fire, Water, Grass, etc. For most sets, this automatically arranges them by collector number, which saves a huge amount of manual effort down the line. The only major exception is a set like Scarlet & Violet—151, which requires some manual ordering.

From Sorter to Spreadsheet

As the sorter finishes each set, it sends me an email containing a CSV file. This file has all the data for the cards it just processed. The single most important piece of information in this file is the e-commerce ID, which in my case is the Cardmarket ID. This unique identifier is what software uses to correctly match the card.

I download all these individual CSV files and use a custom script to merge them into a single master file. I had ChatGPT write a simple script that combines the files and adds the full, human-readable set name. This way, I know what 'SV8' actually is without having to look it up.

Importing and Pricing with TCG Power Tools

With a clean master file, the next step is getting the cards into my listing software, TCG Power Tools. Any cards the sorter couldn't identify, or cards that were missing a Cardmarket ID, I set aside to list manually. For the rest, I just drag and drop the CSV file into the importer.

The software uses the Cardmarket ID to match everything correctly. Once imported, I run the auto-pricer on the new stock. For this batch of reverse holos, I set a 40% minimum price. After a final check, I hit save, and the software pushes the new inventory to all my storefronts: Cardmarket, Shopify, Cardtrader, and Ricardo (a Swiss platform similar to eBay).

The Physical Inventory System

Getting the cards listed online is only half the battle. You also have to be able to find them when they sell. I use what I call a 'chaos sort system' for my physical inventory.

• The core of the system is numbered storage boxes. I use ETBs, which perfectly fit smaller, numbered cardboard boxes I get from Temu.
• Each box is assigned a number, like 493, 494, etc.
• The spreadsheet from the listing process tells me exactly which cards go into which box.
• I print out this list and physically place the cards. Because they were pre-sorted by set and color, it's very fast to grab a stack, find card number 91, and put it and everything below it into box 493.

The whole stack for a set like 'White Flare' might go into a single box. It's a fast process; I can sort and store hundreds of cards quickly with minimal manual work once the system is set up.

Why I'm Selling My Sorter and Changing Strategy

This was the last time I'll be doing a bulk listing session of this scale. I've made the decision to sell my automatic sorter. The main reason is simple: space. My room is getting overcrowded, and with an inventory of nearly 60,000 bulk cards, I don't want to expand it further.

I will not increase this right now and I will focus more to single cards... for higher value cards.

My business strategy is shifting. I plan to focus more on listing higher-value single cards. I already have a good process for that, and it's where I want to concentrate my time and capital. I'll still list valuable bulk as I get it—things like 151 reverse holos or older holo rares—but I won't be processing thousands of cards at a time anymore.

A Look at the April Numbers

My sales figures for April show the reality of this business. I had a total revenue of $1,600 and a profit of $230. Of the 470 cards sold, 300 were bulk cards, which generated about $100 in profit. Most of that bulk sells on Cardmarket.

The other 175 cards were singles, which are primarily sold on Shopify and Ricardo. It shows that even with a pivot in focus, the massive bulk inventory I've built continues to generate consistent, if modest, profit each month.

The Real-World Impact of Taking a Holiday

April's numbers were a bit lower than the previous three months. The reason is straightforward: I was on holiday for 10 days. During that time, I wasn't shipping orders, buying new collections, or listing cards. My stores had a vacation notice up, which likely impacted sales.

I was 10 days at holiday... and you clearly see this in the numbers.

It's a clear demonstration that for a solo operation, time off has a direct and visible effect on the bottom line. You can't be active 100% of the time, and your sales data will reflect that.

The Importance of Tracking Your Data

Being able to see this dip and understand exactly why it happened is crucial for making good business decisions. I use an analytics tool to pull all my sales data from Cardmarket, Shopify, and my other platforms into one place.

This gives me a single dashboard where I can see my true revenue, profit, and overall profit margin, which is sitting around 20% for the year. Without knowing your numbers, you're just guessing. Tracking data is the only way to see how you're progressing and make informed choices, like pivoting from a bulk-heavy strategy to one focused on singles.