eBay eases submission of trading cards to secure vault

eBay is expanding and streamlining the availability of its eBay vault secure storage offering.

The e-commerce giant is introducing a new trading card submission service for its eBay vault. Initially announced in March 2022, the eBay vault is a 31,000-sq.-ft., 24/7 secured, temperature-controlled facility and digital marketplace for collectors.

Collectors, investors and professional sellers can now submit eligible graded cards valued at $250 or more directly to the vault. The new service expands eligibility for the vault beyond cards directly purchased on the marketplace, and also covers graded autograph, relic, and patch cards.

How eBay vault submission works 

• Customers can choose to send eligible cards by mail, or drop off in-person. They can input submission details using the eBay app, a web-based form, or via spreadsheet. Cards from multiple categories (sports trading cards, collectible card games or non-sports trading cards) can be shipped in one submission.
• Customers can then review and confirm submission details. There are no submission fees in 2023, and follow the instructions for packaging and shipping, or for drop-off.
• Submission progress can be tracked online with regular order confirmation, shipping confirmation, and authentication update emails along the way.

When a service-eligible purchase is made, the buyer instantly becomes the owner once the card passes authentication, and they can choose to keep their card stored in the eBay vault or withdraw. To continue storage, ownership transfers from seller to buyer in a matter of seconds and there's no need to re-authenticate or ship the item anywhere.

There is no time limit for storing in the eBay vault as it's designed for long-term, secure storage. Cards destined for the eBay vault are required to go through the eBay authenticity guarantee process, at no cost. If a buyer opts to send their purchase to the eBay vault, the seller will first ship the card to be inspected by independent authentication experts.

eBay supports card collectors

eBay first launched an authenticity guarantee service for trading cards in January 2022. The service provides authentication for single ungraded trading cards (including collectible card games, sports and non-sports). The company also offers an image listing tool for collectible trading cards in its mobile app.

Other services eBay offers card collectors includes “Collectors Camp,” a series of training events for card enthusiasts. Kicking off in Brooklyn, N.Y., in June 2023 and continuing in Seattle for Major League Baseball All-Star Week (week of July 9, 2023), the initiative offers participants premier card collecting training from an industry expert.

In addition, from July 26-30, collectors can, for the first time, bring their vault-eligible cards to eBay's booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Ill. to fast-track submissions directly to the eBay vault. And from Aug 3-6, eBay will be present at the Gen Con tabletop gaming convention in Indianapolis with exclusive artist signings and giveaways.

"We know collectors – from those newer to the hobby to professional sellers – all want to manage their high value trading card portfolios with complete confidence through fast, seamless transactions," said Gene Cook, VP of global collectibles at eBay. "The eBay vault is backed by nearly 28 years of leadership in the collectibles category, and our new submission service delivers easy and secure buying, selling and storage for collectors to excel in the fast-paced world of sports collecting."

Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. enabled nearly $74 billion of gross merchandise volume in 2022.