where to go to buy cards

You’re looking to jump into some cards and ready to buy a hobby or some blasters.

But where should you go to get the best deals?

your local card shop

A lot of us just go to our local card shop (LCS) to pick up the latest box of chrome or Bowman. But is that always the move?

Personally, I like heading to my LCS. It’s nice to get out in the world and see people. It’s a strange notion in 2026, but I find it to still be fulfilling.

That said, I know that my shop charges more for products than I can find online. When a product drops you get about 15 mins to get that at the drop price before they start jacking the price up.

You’ll see me and several other regulars rushing into the shop on release day seeing if we can get that Jumbo at the drop price.

eBay

You can get product on eBay. It’s there.

Why would you?

I’m not sure.

Buying unopened boxes on eBay feels like you are rolling the dice for no real reason.

Prices don’t seem to be cheaper.

Are people using this because they don’t know where else to go?

Maybe. Probably same reason why we let our local shop charge us an arm and a leg.

I’d avoid eBay unless you’re buying some old school 80’s junk wax and just looking to have some fun with a probably tampered with box.

target / walmart

Alright, so you’re looking to get into some blasters and not sure why your LCS is charging over $60 for one.

Target/ Walmart are great for finding blasters at original pricing.

I can’t tell you how many times I went into buy a few blasters at the shop, saw a price tag of $45 or higher and walked right out knowing I could get for $30 at Target.

Recently, Topps Finest Megas were $125 at the old LCS. I was able to find them at Target for $70 and purchase 2 for close to the price of 1.

It doesn’t last. They go quick and what’s left there is a lot of junk (Series 2) but if you time it right you can find deals on chrome and other good products.

dave & Adams card world / steelcitycollectibles

Online card shops that have a ton of inventory.

I will typically check these places out when looking to snag a few boxes. Feels like the prices here have been steadily climbing (imagine that) and I’ve found myself buying less from these places as a result.

But when it comes to the holidays or some other special occasion and I want to do a rip of some random product like 24 Bowman Chrome then I’ll usually go to one of these spots.

topps direct

If you want to get that latest release at the lowest price then you gotta pre-order.

Back when 2024 Update was dropping I was able to get a few Jumbo’s on Pre-Order for $400 each.

That product went crazy with the Skenes Debut Auto and you couldn’t find a Jumbo for under 2k weeks later.

Since then however, it’s been impossible to get anything on Pre-Order, but you should always be ready just in case.