Are you looking to buy your first basketball cards? Great! There will be no shortage of places where you can pick them up. That is what we want to discuss on this page. Both online and offline locations.
So, where can you buy basketball cards? Well, a ton of places. You can head to your local stores, garage sales, or even check out Facebook Marketplace. We can assure you that if you live in the United States, there will be places to pick up some basketball cards in your local area.
Throughout the rest of this page, we want to give you a bit of advice on where you can buy basketball cards. We even want to give you a few tips on finding the ultimate basketball card resellers.
Why You Shouldn’t Always Buy Basketball Cards Online
We are going to talk about both online and offline ways to find basketball cards here. However, we do want to start by pointing out that you should always try and purchase your cards locally if you can.
If you are after a specific basketball card, then buying them online is the best choice. Outside of a few stores, you won’t really be able to buy singles from places. At least not those with a bit of worth, unless you are looking hard, at least.
When you buy basketball cards offline, particularly from the major stores, you will often find that they are a little bit cheaper than retailers online. If you buy old cards from garage sales, etc. then you will often be able to stumble across some brilliant cards that people don’t really know their worth.
This means that once you are serious about basketball card collecting, you should be looking both online and offline, with the bulk of your time actually spent looking for those offline locations.
How to Find Basketball Card Sellers in Your Local Area
Most people will already know how to find basketball cards online. That part is easy. But, what about in your local area? Well, even that is simple.
Just tap “basketball cards” followed by your location in a search engine, preferably Google. You will then be given the locations, phone numbers, etc. of places in your local area.
If you are out and about in a new town or city, then bring your phone with you. If you load up Google or Apple Maps. You will be able to type in basketball card sellers and you will be told about all of the locations close to you.
Local Trading Card Shops
In our opinion, this is one of the best places to purchase basketball cards. It is one of the few places where you will be able to pick up singles too. Although, do bear in mind that you probably aren’t going to stumble across any hidden treasures when you head to one of these local trading card shops. Most of them will know the worth of their singles.
The reason why we suggest local trading card shops, particularly those with a sports focus, is the fact that they are likely to have a ton of sets available that you can purchase.
You will also find that the people that run the store are going to be quite knowledgeable about what they sell. So, if you have any questions (especially if you are new to trading cards), then a local trading card shop is going to provide you with the advice that you need.
Of course, it will also feel great knowing that you are supporting local businesses.
Supermarkets
Supermarkets e.g. Walmart, Target, etc. will sell basketball cards. Sometimes, they will have some pretty decent offers on them too.
The problem with supermarkets is that they often do not keep the older sets in stock. They are a great way to pick up the latest basketball card sets, but if you want something older, they will be long gone.
Still, a supermarket is going to be a fantastic place to pick up cards that you can add to your weekly shop, even if it is just a couple of packets.
Online Stores
There are a lot of online stores that offer basketball cards. You probably don’t need us to tell you that. In fact, chances are that you will be using these online stores to pick up basketball cards already.
One area that a lot of people don’t seem to check online will be the actual manufacturer of the card. For example, if you head to the Panini website, you will be able to find basketball card products that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Sometimes the sets can be expensive, but they are often going to be one of the best ways to start your searches.
To check the current price and availability of Basketball Cards, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
Flea Markets
Flea markets are going to be hit-and-miss when it comes to basketball cards. They have a little bit of everything, and you will often need to hop from store to store to find basketball cards. It is likely that other people will be doing the same.
Flea markets just sell a random assortment of products. Sometimes cheap, sometimes not.
You won’t be able to find flea markets by typing “basketball cards” into your favorite search engine. Instead, you are going to want to type in ‘flea markets’. Do bear in mind that these places will have old basketball cards, but not every flea market will have basketball cards in stock.
Garage Sales
Garage sales are often the best place to secure deals on basketball cards, mostly because people do not know the true worth of what they are selling. Sometimes they will just sell bulk basketball cards. It can be somewhat of a gamble, but it can pay off.
In the internet age, finding garage sales is easy. If you check out one of the following apps, you should be able to find garage sales in your local area:
- VarageSale
- NextDoor
You can also check local Facebook groups for any discussion on garage sales.
Remember, you will need to turn up to a garage sale early. There will be a lot of people looking for hidden treasures like basketball cards!
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist
Finally, you have Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. You can even add eBay into the mix.
These will be private sellers selling their basketball cards online.
You can find some pretty decent deals here. However, once again, because a lot of people will be looking for basketball cards, the best deals will often be snapped up incredibly quickly.
Stick to your local area when looking for basketball cards through one of these mediums.
Related: Best Sports Card Packs to Buy in 2023
Final Thoughts
The United States has no shortage of basketball card sellers. They are everywhere. You can head to pretty much any major supermarket or trading card store and they will have options available.
Because a lot of basketball card sets have been released over the years, we suggest that you try and check out as many basketball card sellers as possible. This way you stand a much greater chance of finding the cards that you want.
Your best bet for securing good deals on basketball cards is to either head to a flea market or garage sale.