By Colton Liebert

You may be thinking: what do you mean, selling cardboard? Are you selling plain old cardboard boxes? That couldn’t be further from the truth, as the “cardboard” I sell is in the form of sports cards. Usually, when people hear the term sports cards, their minds immediately go to grandma and grandpa’s old baseball cards from the early-mid 1900s that have been sitting in the attic for decades. Although talking about these old cards can be fun, I’ll be focusing on how I created a business based on modern sports cards (2000-present).

How I Got Into Sports Cards
My entire life, I have been a huge fan of sports like basketball, football, and baseball. As I grew older and began choosing some of my favorite players, I wanted a way to express my fandom towards these players, and sports cards became the perfect way to do that. For every professional athlete, there are many cards that cost under $1, making it one of the most affordable ways to show support for your favorite players. I instantly fell in love with the concept, and began buying more and more cheap cards of the players I liked. 

What I Did to Create a Sports Card “Business”
As I collected more cards, I realized that if I wanted them, other people probably did, too. That led me to discover that I could resell these cards for a profit. Around this time, the COVID pandemic began. With it came a huge boost in the popularity of sports cards. Since people had more time on their hands, they explored new hobbies, and sports cards quickly became a fan favorite. With the market at an all-time high, I decided to shift from simply collecting sports cards to investing in them. At first, I only bought and sold at card shows, which were relatively infrequent. Then, I expanded and created card-specific accounts on online platforms like Instagram, Facebook & eBay. This not only helped me make more deals, but it helped increase my profits as well. Rather than spending all this profit on one big purchase, I decided to diversify my investments into smaller purchases. This decision led to quicker profits and is part of the reason why I have come so far. 

How I Expanded My Brand—and How I’m Continuing To Grow
In the summer of 2023, I decided that it was time to take my sports card business to the next level. As I explained briefly before, I created an Instagram account dedicated to my buying and selling, built a formal spreadsheet to track purchases, sales, and profits, and started traveling to card shows more regularly. Over the past two years, I’ve made over 300 successful transactions online through Instagram and eBay, plus countless others at card shows and in-person events. Additionally, my Instagram account has grown to over 3,500 followers, and many of my close connections  in the sports card industry have come through that platform. I’ve also grown my collection’s value from around $1,000 in 2023 to just under $30,000 today. This growth has come entirely from buying and selling cards, with every penny reinvested to keep expanding. 

By the time I graduate in 2027, my goal is to have a collection valued between $80,000 and $100,000. I’d love to put some of that money towards college tuition, as well as other future expenses. 

Looking back, I’ve realized that what began as a simple hobby has turned into a business that has not only created a source of income, but has also taught me many life lessons. I’ve learned so much about negotiation, communication, networking, patience, and other skills along the way. This is only the beginning, and I hope my story shows other teens that you can transform your passion into something you could never imagine. 

Mini-Bio on the Author:

Colton Liebert is a student in his Junior year at Brookfield East High School with interests in marketing, entrepreneurship, and other business-related topics. He is passionate about sports and sports cards. He continues to actively grow his business—ColtonzCardz—stays open to the possibilities ahead, and looks forward to where they take him. Colton participated in the Elmbrook School District’s LAUNCH program. For his particular project, he wrote this blog post, as well as helped plan and host a networking event for students.