If you’re looking at selling sports cards online, there’s a lot of different avenues to sell. One popular way of selling cards online is through Instagram.
When I got back into cards, I was actually a bit surprised by how popular the social media platform was for selling cards. When I was in a few Discords and people were
In this article we’ll look at how to sell sports cards on Instagram – with five top tips that you can use to get your cards publicized.
Table of Contents
1. Post Frequently
Instagram is one of those platforms that really favors recent content as opposed to top-performing older content. So, that means that you won’t be able to ride the wave of a post’s popularity for three or four days.
This means you’ll need to post regularly!
To get any decent traction – especially when you’re starting out – you’ll need to post at least once a day. Ideally, you’ll post two or three times a day when you’re starting out. From there, you can adjust your posting frequency as your page gains momentum.
Don’t just post sales-related content either. Include a wide range of posts that include content about the hobby in general, as well as cards you have in your personal collection.
2. Use the Right Hashtags
One way that users on Instagram find content is through hashtags.
So, if you want to grow your Instagram profile, you’ll need to find relevant hashtags that you can use to get your photos out there.
Display Purposes is a great tool that I’ve used before to generate hashtags for your images. All you need to do is type in your keyword and it’ll spit out some suggestions.
You can also find popular hashtags when you’re browsing Instagram – if there’s a tag that you come across a lot, write it down… it just might a hidden goldmine!
Pro Tip: Copy your chosen hastags into your phone notes so they’re easy to re-use. You can also make them a keyboard shortcut on your phone. Click here to learn how to use shortcuts.
3. Be a Part of the Community
If you really want to grow your Instagram account, you won’t be able to do it alone.
That means that you’ll have to consistently do the following:
- Following other accounts, especially ones in your niche (for example, I’m more of a soccer and NBA guy, so I’d follow soccer accounts).
- Like and comment on other poster’s photos. This way you can start to build up relationships with those in your niche. Don’t just give that generic “wow, good job” comment either. Make it unique.
- Attend live-steams from other accounts that you follow.
- DM accounts and make contacts in your niche.
Yep, as you can probably tell, this will take a long time to do properly. So make sure you’re patient when growing your Instagram presence.
4. Use Instagram’s Features
To fully make the most of Instagram, make sure you use some of their key features.
You see, Instagram wants you using these tools, and will help push your content to your followers.
- Live Stream: Breaking a new pack? try doing it on live stream and react to the cards that you break. Or you can even do a Q and A with other people in the hobby. Either way, there’s plenty you can do with a live-stream on Instagram. Instagram love it when their users go live too. You’ve probably seen a push notification on your phone telling you someone is going live.
- Stories: Same thing with stories. Stories are probably Instagram’s main feature these days when it comes to sheer popularity and amount used. Make sure you’re adding in stories daily. Stories don’t have to be carefully crafted content either, it can be more spur-of-the-moment photos of you taking part in the hobby. Have fun with it.
5. Buy Cards, Don’t Just Sell
You know those guys who are always trying to sell you something. You just know that every time they contact you, it’s just because they want something….
They suck. Don’t be like them.
Rather than constantly trying to sell cards on Instagram, also look to buy cards too. This is kinda related to the ‘take part of the community’ point we mentioned before.
Not only will you be able to find good buys on Instagram, you’ll also be able to strike up those relationships with other people in the hobby. This will build up your reputation in the hobby too. Reputation is everything when it comes to cards, otherwise people may not want to deal with you.
Speaking of… There’s also this handy site with a list of scammers online – so make sure you do some homework on those you’re buying from… You know, otherwise you’re just sending money to strangers online.
Is Instagram a Good Place to Sell Sports Cards?
Instagram is totally up to your preference. Personally, I’m not much of an Instagram person – so I don’t use it to sell cards. However, I know enough people who do, and they absolutely swear by it.
It’s really up to you. If you’re happy spending the time getting your Instagram up and running, then go for it. It is a lot of work though. So, I think you’d already have to like Instagram as a platform. If you’re like me and don’t really use Instagram anyway, it’s probably not worth starting just to sell cards.
