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The idea of vaults isn’t new to the hobby, but the new eBay vault improves on existing vaults while offering a service that is directly linked to the biggest sports card marketplace in the world. On top of that, collectors who take advantage of the vault now get in on some nice perks for being first-movers.
In today’s article, the second in our eBay vault series, we’ll be looking at how to buy using the eBay Vault. In the previous article, we introduced the vault and gave an overview of how it works, so check out that article to get up to speed.
eBay describes the vault as “a secure, climate-controlled, physical storage facility for graded trading cards purchased on eBay.” Cards are backed by eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee before ever entering the vault, and once they’re in place, they can be sold “seamlessly” – we’ll be looking at the selling process in a future article.
From there, any approved card that you purchase for $250 or more can be sent to the vault, where eBay will safely store it.
The vault is easy to use, and all you have to do to get going is enroll to use the vault here. From what we’ve seen thus far, we highly encourage you to do so.
The eBay vault carefully weighs and counters the typical “problems” associated with buying high-dollar cards on eBay. Here’s our list of reasons to buy using the vault.
If you’re like most collectors, you probably don’t want your most valuable cards in your house. The eBay vault brings the security of a safety deposit box, with secure, climate-controlled storage. On top of that, all items in the vault are insured against loss, damage and theft. It’s peace of mind for your most valuable collectibles.
When you buy and send your card to the eBay vault, you don’t pay sales tax on the purchase. But, as eBay notes, “Owners or purchasers may have a use tax responsibility upon withdrawal of a card from the eBay vault. Please consult with your tax advisor to understand your individual responsibility.”
There’s no buyer’s premium on eBay Vault purchases for 2022. After that, buyers pay 3% of the purchase price for instant ownership transfer.
Just because you store your cards in the eBay vault doesn’t mean you can’t access them. You can have any card in the vault sent to you at any time for a minimal fee. We’ll be walking through that process in another article.
Are you ready to buy with the eBay vault and take advantage of the benefits? We’ve made a quick video to show the entire process, so check it out here.
Here are the steps.
First, enroll to use the vault from the main landing page, and then you just opt-in with a couple of pop-ups that ask you to acknowledge you understand how the vault works and what you agree to.
Throughout the process, you’ll also be asked to enable two-factor authentication to keep your account extra secure. Doing so logged me out on all platforms, so be sure you have your password handy.
Once you’re enrolled, you need to find an eligible card to buy. Basically, it needs to be a graded card you purchase on eBay for $250 or more. Only these grading companies are accepted: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA); Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC); Certified Collectibles Group’s affiliates, CGC Trading Cards, Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG); and Beckett Grading Services (BGS).
From the product page, when you click the “Buy It Now” button, you’ll get a popup that asks if you want to send the item to the vault. Click the blue button that reads “Send to the eBay Vault” and carry on with the normal checkout process. Instead of your home shipping address, it will send to the vault.
You can easily view which cards you have in the vault (and eBay’s tracking of their life value), by clicking My eBay > Collection in the toolbar. This will take you to a vault portfolio screen, shown here.
READ: Tips for buying and selling through the eBay vault
The eBay vault makes the buying process as simple as possible. After enrolling, you’ll be able to buy cards and send them to the vault with the click of a button. It’s no more complicated than the standard eBay buying that many of us have been doing for years.
We highly encourage you to get in on the vault. If you get in on the vault today, you can take advantage of all the collector-friendly perks, like free storage through 2024.
Your time is money – and your fees are money too – so sign up for the vault today to take advantage of eBay’s awesome new service.
READ: Even more tips for buying and selling through the eBay vault
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