Going to a sports card show in person is a completely different experience than just shopping online, and it’s something all collectors should experience. You can look at cards in person, whether raw or graded, and get a much better idea of the eye appeal and condition of the card in person. You can talk to the card show dealer to discuss a card’s background. You can see what other collectors are buying or searching for. You also don’t have to pay for shipping and wait weeks to get your hands on your new card.

If you’re headed to the National Sports Card Convention in Cleveland from July 24-28, here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of the experience.

Use Your Phone – But Don’t Be a Nuisance

It’s not bad manners to look up the value of cards on your phone, but it’s probably best to step aside and do it quietly, as opposed to doing it at the table, in front of other customers. If you see a much better price online, quietly talk to the dealer, and ask if they’d take the amount you are hoping to pay. If they say no, then buy the one online later. But don’t point out the high prices to the exhibitor. They’ll find out soon enough, when they discover they're stuck with a lot of inventory after the show.

Ask For a Better Price… Reasonably

If you see a card you like, you have four reasonable options:

1. Pay the listed price.
2. Don’t pay the price and don’t get the card.
3. Make an offer below the listed price, but don’t lowball the dealer. Offer 85-90% of their asking price and see what they say. If they say no, you can keep negotiating or pay their asking price.
4. Ask the dealer quietly, “What’s the best you can do on this card?” You’ll be surprised how often they give you a discount for showing interest and politely asking.

Combinations of Cards Could Bring Discounts

A dealer is more willing to offer a discount if you purchase more than one card from their table. They know they’re competing with the rest of the dealers at the show, so selling two cards to one person is much easier than selling two cards to two people. Once you have an idea of the two (or more) cards you want, ask the dealer, “What’s the best you can do if I buy both of these, right now?”

Create and Follow a Gameplan

Maybe there’s a specific card you are looking to pick up (1996 Skybox Golden Touch Michael Jordan?), or several cards from a set (1967 Topps Baseball?), or maybe you just want to buy cards you don’t have! That can be a plan, too! But whatever the plan is, don’t get thrown off track at the first few tables, when you see some things you weren’t expecting. Maybe budget a percentage of your money to go toward “unknowns.”

Here's an example. Let’s say you are planning to spend $X money at the show, try to plan on the percentages of what you want to spend that on. What will you be happy with when you come home? A mixture of each of these? More or less of the percentages I have set here?

1. 30% targeted cards for your personal collection
2. 25% investment cards
3. 10% dollar card bins
4. 10% wax
5. 25% unknown

As you shop, those percentages will change because you might find deals that give you more money for other things, or something jumps out at you that is more expensive than you hoped.

Look Through the $1 and $5 Boxes

Dealers might let some good cards of improving players go in low-end boxes because the majority of their time is spent securing and selling big-money cards. That means you can find some deals if you put in the time, but just remember that many other customers are trying to sift for bargains, too. I like to hit these boxes up for cool cards of players from my favorite teams. You can usually get color parallels and sweet inserts on the cheap if you're willing to put in a little bit of time.

Bring Cash!

Dealers prefer to work with cash, and in some cases, it can get you a discount. You should also be able to use Venmo, Zelle or Cash App, but nothing talks like a stack of cash! Before you go to buy a card, get the exact money you plan to offer out, then fan it out in your hand and ask the dealer, “Will you take $X cash for this card?”

Bring Food and Water

This is just as important as having cash. You’ll be moving around a lot, and food options at The National can be limited, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough food and water on you to stay hydrated and energized, allowing you to make the most of your experience.

Understand Your Timing Makes a Difference

Check the card show’s schedule and see what works best for your plan. Going early could mean you get in on some cool giveaways, and you’ll see more cards available than you would at the end. But if you go closer to the end of the show, you should be able to land some good discounts on cards, since the dealers are looking to bring in more cash.

Go With a Card-Collecting Friend!

Using the buddy system is helpful because you get some residual joy from their wins! When they find some of their targeted cards, or if they decide to splurge on something neither of you expected to be there, you can find some enjoyment in their find!

Enjoy Seeing Mammoth Cards You’ll Likely Never Own

You’re a sports card collector, first, yes, but you can also be a sports card appreciator- something we talk about often here at Mantel! Millions of video views on YouTube happen every day because people enjoy watching other people open boxes or rip packs or go through their vintage collection. Reddit and Instagram are built on the backs of people showing off amazing cards!

Take some time and enjoy cardboard babies from a century ago or older! Get your card show entry fee money’s worth! Maybe as you are shopping for your cards, you make note of tables you want to come back to for some gawking and drooling. Maybe it’s some Old Judge cards, pre-war vintage or just early vintage cards of The Big Four: Aaron, Clemente, Mantle and Mays!

Who says you aren’t sophisticated enough to go to an art show!