Collectors spent more than $392 million on sports and trading cards online in October, according to third-party data tool Card Ladder.
October’s total is the second-most recorded by Card Ladder in a single month, behind only the record $422 million spent in August.
The total will continue to rise as sales are retroactively added. October’s sales volume is recorded on Card Ladder’s Industry page, which attempts to track the secondary market for cards through sales on a variety of marketplaces and platforms.
Sales from manufacturers, retailers, card shows and card shops aren’t included in the monthly total. Private sales are included when reported and independently verified.
October’s total is a slight increase from September, which saw the market’s spending decrease for the first time since April.
Prior to September, Card Ladder had logged three consecutive record months for the industry.
According to Card Ladder, eBay had the most secondary-market spending in October with nearly $294 million spent on the platform. Collectors spent $45 million at Fanatics Collect, $24 million at Heritage, $19 million at Alt and $11 million at Goldin.
Monthly sales volume recovered significantly from September, with Card Ladder tracking more than 5.5 million transactions in October. The platform has logged a little more than 5 million transactions for September.
The most expensive card sale in October was the $4 million paid for a 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth SGC 3 at Heritage on Oct. 28. Despite the total, the card sold for a $3 million loss after once fetching $7.2 million at REA in December 2023.
October’s second-most expensive sale was the $2.7 million paid in a private transaction brokered by Goldin Auctions for a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 9/Auto 10. The card was among the copies autographed by Jordan in a secret signing witnessed by PSA in 2024.
Surging interest on the secondary market arrived alongside a record month for the third-party grading services. According to GemRate, a record 2.7 million cards were authenticated in October, including 1.97 million cards graded by PSA.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.