eBay to streamline card trading following close of Collectors deal

eBay Inc. is launching a seamless, end-to-end buying and selling process for trading cards this summer.

eBay has completed a series of previously announced transactions with Collectors, parent company of PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), a trading card authentication and grading company it has been strategically partnering with for about two years. 

Under the transactions, eBay sold the eBay vault to PSA and purchased Goldin, a U.S.-based auction house for high-value trading cards and collectibles, from Collectors, and also entered a commercial agreement that will create a new, combined trading card vault product offering. 

The partnership will support streamlined buying, grading, storing and selling for collectors of all types, bringing together eBay's marketplace platform with PSA's expert grading services and vault product. 

The new experience will launch in summer 2024 with a suite of features, including:

• Customers will now have consistent access to the vault whether buying or selling on eBay, grading with PSA, or submitting items directly to the vault for insured storage. 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. It enables collectors, investors and professional sellers to submit eligible graded cards valued at $250 or more directly to the vault.
• For cards submitted to PSA for grading, customers will have the ability to elect to sell those cards on eBay, vault them, or have them sent back home, with the goal of simplifying the entire process and supporting reduced shipping costs and time.
• Within the PSA app, a full collection and inventory management experience will be available, including real-time tracking of any item's value, via recent transactions and utilizing PSA's pricing data.
• eBay will integrate real-time transaction data and PSA population report data directly into listings for relevant collectibles, providing information such as an item's rarity, grading distribution and pricing. 
• Using image-based listing capabilities, eBay customers will be able to scan graded trading cards to create and populate new listings with greater speed and accuracy, including attributes like the certification number, product, set, year, team, player, and features such as parallels, foils, insert and card number.

"eBay is relentlessly focused on providing the best inventory and the highest level of trust for our global community," said Jamie Iannone, CEO of eBay. "These deals further our mission of reinventing the future of e-commerce for enthusiasts, and we believe our shared expertise will inspire even more people to sell, shop and collect with confidence." 

"The most exciting part about this partnership between PSA and eBay is on the horizon, and we cannot wait to introduce a game-changing experience that will benefit collectors at all levels," said Collectors CEO Nat Turner. "Reducing friction for hobbyists at every step in the collecting journey is always a key goal of ours, and combining efforts and strengths with an industry leader like eBay allows us to effectively address each of those steps. As a collector myself, the idea of being able to grade a card with PSA, then utilize the vault to either store it securely or make it available to other collectors on eBay in an instant is a major win for everyone who participates in this hobby."

"I am thrilled for Goldin to join eBay and begin its next chapter introducing a whole new audience to our curated Elite auctions, the Goldin 100 and our amazing selection of one-of-a-kind collectibles and sports memorabilia," said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin. "We are ready to get to work creating an exciting new experience for collectors and building the future of The Hobby for enthusiasts."

Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay enabled more than $73 billion of gross merchandise volume in 2023.