Walmart launches digital marketplace for comic book collectors
Walmart Inc. is upping its competition with eBay in the collectible comics space.
Walmart has introduced Shortboxed, what it calls one of the largest comic book marketplaces in the industry. Shortboxed offers a catalog of more than 75,000 books from thousands of sellers, including top-rated dealers and comic shops, and will feature a large portion of those on the Walmart Marketplace third-party online sales platform,
Walmart Marketplace is the first marketplace where Shortboxed is selling products to customers, with security and authenticity of transactions guaranteed by Walmart.
"With the launch of Shortboxed, exclusive collaborations and an expanding collectibles marketplace, Walmart is investing in the future of fan culture," said Michael Mosser, VP and category lead, Walmart U.S. Marketplace, said in a corporate blog post. "From my childhood favorites to the next generation of heroes, we’re here to help you build your story, one collectible at a time."
Walmart amps up eBay competition
Walmart Marketplace has been zeroing in on collectors of cards and other memorabilia since summer 2025. In response to internal data showing trading card sales have grown more than 200% year-over-year on Walmart Marketplace, the retailer made its first-ever appearance at the National Sports Collectors Convention in August.
[READ MORE: Walmart takes on eBay in collectibles space]
Walmart also hosted its third annual Walmart Collector-Con digital event, is appearing at major collectible gatherings such as New York Comic Con (see more below), and recently partnered with sports card and collectibles community WeTheHobby to host a new weekly series, "Collector’s Night," on its Walmart Live livestream platform.
Meanwhile, eBay has long been a leader in online collectible sales and resales, and recently unveiled its first-ever public sale of PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)-graded comic books on its eBay Live livestream shopping platform.
And in March 2025, eBay officially integrated grading from PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), a trading card authentication and grading company it has been strategically partnering with for about two years.
Walmart provides interactive experiences at New York Comic Con
The retailer introduced Shortboxed during the annual New York Comic Con, where it also offered limited-edition comic books created in direct collaboration with publishers including DC, Marvel, Image, and Skybound as giveaways and prizes throughout the event, only at its booth.
Comic Con attendees could also shop specially curated toys and action figures instantly with QR codes at the Walmart booth,, as well as interact with the experiential “Walmart Delivers” truck, which was packed with interactive experiences, customizable giveaways and a curated assortment of throwback videogames which were shoppable via QR code on Walmart.com or the app.
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.
