Auction or Buy It Now? How to Sell Your Card for the Best Return

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I once owned a card that was rare, high grade, and was gaining recognition in the hobby. It was the kind of card that makes you feel like a genius for just owning it before everyone else does. But, I wanted to level up and consolidate into a bigger card which meant I was going to let this one go. But I couldn't decide how.

Buy It Now or auction? I kept second-guessing myself, and while I hesitated, someone else made a move. Same card, similar condition. It sold before I even sent my consignment email.

And it sold low. Best Offer. Way below what I knew the card could fetch. That sale set a bad comp that would make it very difficult for me to get what I was looking for with my sale. Just like that, I was playing from behind.

I took too long selling my card because I didn’t have a clear idea of what my real priorities were and how those priorities stacked up against the pros and cons of Buy It Now vs. Auctions. That’s why I wrote this guide. To help you avoid that kind of mistake. So when you're sitting on a card that deserves attention, you won't waste time waffling between strategies. You'll list it with conviction and clarity.

There’s no “One size fits all” answer here, but you’ll walk away with a sharper lens to evaluate your options. Because in this hobby, knowing how to sell is just as important as knowing what to sell.

Understanding the Basics of Auctions vs. Buy it Now

Let’s start with the fundamentals.

An auction is a time-bound listing. You set the starting bid, and the market does the rest. Highest bidder wins, and the sale is locked in when the timer hits zero.

Buy It Now (BIN) is an open-ended listing. You set your asking price, with or without the option for buyers to make an offer. The listing stays live until someone buys it or you change it.

Example of what an ebay auction listing looks like

Example of what an ebay Buy it Now listing looks like

Each approach has its benefits. Each has its risks. And neither is automatically better than the other. What matters most is how each method fits your situation.

When Buy It Now Makes Sense

BIN is a great option when you believe your card can fetch a premium and you’re not in a hurry to sell. Maybe you’ve got a desirable low-pop parallel or a card that hasn’t sold publicly for a decade. You believe in the card’s value, and you’re willing to wait for the right buyer to agree.

This strategy works especially well if you’re open to negotiation through Best Offer. You can market your listing on social media, tag player collectors, or list across multiple platforms. BIN gives you flexibility and control, but it comes with a tradeoff. You might be waiting a while. Especially on common cards that aren’t priced below the competition.

But for the sacrifice you make in speed of sale, you make up for in clarity of what you might get. You control what a card does or doesn’t sell for.

Looking to go deeper on pricing strategy? You may want to check out this guide on pricing emotionally significant cards or this post on the limits of comparable sales. Both are great companion guides to help sharpen your BIN pricing approach.

When Auctions Work Better

Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of waiting. You need liquidity. You’re not sure what the card’s worth. Or you want to take advantage of a short-term moment: a player’s hot streak, award season, or the runup to playoffs.

That’s when auctions can shine.

Auctions force action. There’s a built-in urgency, and if the card is hot, bidders can drive the price higher than you’d expect. A perfect example? If you owned an Alex Ovechkin card when he was coming up to breaking Gretzky’s goal record, the best move might’ve been to auction it then, riding the hype before the market got flooded with new listings.

Just be aware: auctions aren’t foolproof. Poor timing, weak listing visibility, or market fatigue can kill a sale. And yes, you still risk non-paying buyers on platforms like eBay. But used correctly or with consignors who are experts at listing timing and positioning, auctions can get much higher activity than similar BIN listings.

If you’re leaning auction but not sure where to start, I broke down the pros and cons of selling via consignment in another guide. For some cards, that might be your best bet to maximize visibility without doing all the legwork yourself.

The Misconceptions That Trip Sellers Up

It’s easy to misunderstand both strategies. With auctions, some sellers assume competition will automatically push prices up. But without real hype or demand, that rarely happens. Others believe serious buyers will always find your listing. Not true, timing, platform, and exposure matter.

With BIN, sellers sometimes think pricing a card just below comps guarantees a sale. It doesn’t. Many buyers hesitate to hit BIN, even on fair listings. They want to feel like they got a deal. And skipping promoted listings because your price is "good enough"? That’s a fast way to bury your card in a crowded search result.

Making the Decision

So how should you decide? Start by being honest about your goals:

• Do you want to sell fast?

• Are you okay holding for months?

• Are you trying to maximize cash now or total return later?

For many cards you’re looking to sell yourself, the best approach is to list BIN with Best Offer, promote it lightly, and test the waters. If nothing happens after 30 days, switch to auction and be aware of timing. 

If speed is your priority, a 7 or 10 day eBay auction gives you your highest chance to sell and get paid quickly. There’s also immense value to making space in your collection or sales inventory and auctions are the easiest way to make that happen.

Still unsure where your card belongs? It might help to read through this roundup of selling platforms to compare where each option shines. And if you're deciding whether your lower-end cards are even worth listing, this guide on low-end sales might offer some clarity.

The Takeaway

The smartest sale isn’t always the highest. It’s the one that happens.

Sitting on stale inventory, hoping for a future spike, can cost you more than a slightly lower sale today. That money, reinvested into a different card, one you believe in more, could put your collection in a better spot next month.

Know your card. Know your goals. Then pick the method that gets you closer to where you want to go.

Because in the end, selling smarter isn’t about perfect timing. It’s about making confident decisions, and moving forward with clarity.