eBay Signs Commercial Agreement With Sports Trading Card Company COMC

The world’s largest online marketplace, eBay, has announced a new partnership that will be of significant interest to trading card collecting enthusiasts.

The global commerce leader site has struck a commercial agreement deal with COMC (Check Out My Collectibles), an innovator in the sports trading cards space that not only shows their commitment to the hobby, but also accelerates the growth of interest in the trading cards hobby as a whole.

The deal will also see eBay invest in COMC and reinforce eBay’s support for buyers, sellers and collectors across the card-collecting hobby, providing groundbreaking experiences to help them thrive and fuel their passions.

A unique model and a match made in heaven?

COMC has nearly 300 employees and 200,000 square feet of distribution space across their facilities in Seattle, Texas, and Burnaby BC, and their unique model allows buyers and sellers to have an expert partner with a deep catalog and sophisticated fulfillment capabilities. 

Such an operation means that COMC can effectively process a huge volume of trading cards at several alternative price points.

Now, eBay’s investment will help to further gain access to new services for eBay customers, which will include making it easier and more efficient to post their listings.

VP of Global Collectibles, at eBay Gene Cook has the following to say about the partnership:

As the ecommerce home for trading cards enthusiasts, we’re excited to work with a company that shares our commitment to innovating for collectors and sellers, so they can do more of what they love. This investment will help deliver seamless, magical experiences for The Hobby, making it easier for sellers to digitize their inventory and helping buyers find exactly the cards they want.

Tim Getsch, CEO and Co-Founder, COMC said the following:

COMC was created to reimagine the collecting experience for trading card enthusiasts by using technology and innovation to remove the greatest pain points, allowing fellow collectors to focus on what they enjoy. We are excited to utilize eBay’s investment to accelerate our pace of innovation, improving the experience for our customers, employees, and partners. eBay’s faith in COMC is a testament to our talented and passionate team. We’re thrilled to partner with eBay to continue our journey of simplifying collecting, bringing joy to The Hobby, and making it accessible for as many people as possible.

COMC, located in Redmond WA, was founded on December 21st, 2005, and utilizes the latest technology which it applies to card collecting.

According to the company, its mission is to “optimize joy for collectors by taking all of the hard work out of engaging with the hobby.”

Owners of by far and away the largest warehouse of any business in the Hobby, COMC continues to lead the way in facilitating a safe, easy, and reliable one-stop shop for all the buying and selling needs of card collectors everywhere.

eBay has been a long-term partner of COMC for the past seven years and shares COMC’s commitment to innovating the hobby for collectors and their investment will help COMC enhance the experience of collecting and engaging in the hobby, accelerating the pace of innovation, including enhanced global infrastructure.

What hobby enthusiasts can expect from the deal

Trading cards have become one of eBay’s focus categories and during the recent boom, has become highly competitive.

eBay themselves have stated: “COMC has a demonstrated ability to effectively manage a high volume of trading cards at multiple price points. eBay’s investment will help unlock access to new services for eBay customers, including making listing easier and more efficient.”

In 2022, eBay launched the eBay Vault, a 31 thousand square foot facility where it physically stores trading cards for both owners and collectors. Further to this, in October this year, eBay instituted a new policy that requires sellers to specify if trading cards are either graded or ungraded, as they are no longer allowed to list them as used.

In the past, some collectors have experienced delays and late shipping times when placing orders with COMC. It is hoped that a more streamlined and efficient service will now be implemented thanks to utilizing the power of eBay.

Allowing collectors to move cards over from eBay to COMC at a click, the deal could also see faster shipping for reasonable rates.

Currently, COMC is $4.95 for unpopular speeds and $8 to ship a 100-card box of cards in a week. Partnering with eBay, COMC should have the resources to provide timely and affordable shipping given the ability to manage cards at different prices.