Buying cards from US sellers

The US market is deeper for almost every sport, and prices there often look better. Whether they are better depends entirely on the landed cost, which is the only number worth comparing.

What to add to the listed price

1. International postage, which is rarely trivial for a tracked service.
2. The currency conversion, including whatever spread your card or the platform applies.
3. Import VAT and possibly duty, calculated on goods plus shipping.
4. The courier handling fee.

The full mechanics of the last two are in importing sports cards to the UK.

International shipping programmes

Where a platform runs a global shipping programme, charges are usually collected up front, which removes the surprise but not the cost. Compare that all-in figure, not the item price, and remember returns through such programmes can be more awkward than domestic ones.

When it is worth it

• Cards that barely trade in the UK, where the alternative is not buying at all.
• Higher value cards, where the fixed charges are a small percentage.
• Graded cards, where condition risk is already resolved and the slab travels well.

When it is not

Cheap raw cards. Fixed costs dominate, condition risk is real at a distance, and the comparison against UK completed sales, done properly as in how to price a sports card, usually shows the saving was imaginary.