The Dual Hustle

Re*****on came to the booth looking to sell his Iono’s Kilowattrel PSA 10. Market was around $76, and I was able to get him $60 cash because I knew it was the kind of slab that would sell quickly in the slab machine.

Sometimes paying strong percentages makes sense when you know the inventory won’t sit long.

Dad and sons came to the table expecting strong numbers because the market is actually up right now. But these cards were bought during a heated Whatnot auction, and they didn’t realize how much they overpaid until the cash offer hit the table.

That’s the difference between Whatnot auction hype and real-world liquidity at a card show.

Worked a deal at the booth involving a Yu Nagaba Pikachu, Special Delivery Charizard, Crown Zenith Secret Rare Pikachu, and cash on top.

The Centiskorch VMAX and Oranguru were just a couple of the extra cards he took back in trade to make the numbers work. 🤝

That’s the fun part of vending. Sometimes it’s not just buying and selling… it’s building creative deals both sides feel good about.

Repeat customer brought some heat to the booth today, including a TAG 8.5 Legendary Collection Dratini. Raw market sits around $140, but grading premiums can get tricky depending on the company and buyer demand.

Sometimes the best deals are the ones you DON’T make. Experience teaches you when to buy… and when to walk away. 💯

Buddy pulled up to the booth and helped me move the Treechu, PSA 9 Japanese Mega Gengar, and a Phantasmal Flames booster box… plus $1k cash on top for the Bubble Mew.

Already have a buyer lined up for the Mew, so this was all about converting inventory into cash flow so I can reload and buy more collections this weekend. The game never stops moving.

Brother came to the booth looking for a raw Dialga Pokémon Card for the binder… turns out I only had a CGC 9 😅

Meanwhile his brother had JUST traded for the exact same card at another booth 😂🤝

Was talking cards with the older brother while his younger brother almost let a deal fall apart over $5 😂

Ended up talking to their dad after about how savvy both of them already are with deals and market values at such a young age.

Love seeing stuff like this at shows 🔥

Father and daughter stopped by the table while they were hunting for cards, so we let her pick a few for her binder. She’s building a “cutie” collection and already knew exactly what she was looking for. Moments like this are a big part of what makes setting up at shows worth it.

One careless moment turned good inventory into damaged inventory.

Nobody talks about this side of vending enough. You can do everything right and still take a loss at the table.

Pricing takes time.
Repricing takes time.

But not repricing costs money.

I had a show where everything started selling fast.
Too fast.

Turns out my $14 cards were still marked $9 in my binders.

Lesson learned:
if your cards are flying… check your prices.

Are you repricing weekly or guessing? 👀