What Cards HQ does

CardsHQ is an Atlanta-based trading card commerce and media marketplace operating across physical retail, e-commerce, and live streaming. Following its June 2026 merger with Sports Card Investor, the combined entity operates as CardsHQ, offering graded singles, sealed boxes, supplies, and merchandise across baseball, basketball, football, and major TCG franchises including Pok\u00e9mon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Star Wars Unlimited, and Disney Lorcana. Sales channels include a flagship superstore in Atlanta, a Shopify-powered storefront at cardshq.com, five concurrent live-selling shows on Whatnot plus a dedicated channel on Fanatics Live, and a mobile buying station deployed at card shows nationwide. The company also operates an in-store, PSA-staffed grading submission center offering authentication, reholdering, and ticket/memorabilia grading.

The technology stack is anchored on Shopify for online commerce, supported by a proprietary valuation system called Market Movers used to comp card collections during buy-side transactions. The data and media layer inherited from Sports Card Investor includes a YouTube channel and broader social presence used to drive top-of-funnel awareness and commerce traffic. Five revenue streams are identifiable: (1) one-time product sales ranging from dollar-scaled supplies to multi-thousand-dollar sealed products; (2) live breaking and auction transactions on Whatnot and Fanatics Live earning transaction-based economics; (3) a card-buying service offering sellers 70% in cash or 80% in non-expiring store credit; (4) PSA grading submission services, where CardsHQ earns service fees while PSA sets grading pricing and turnaround; and (5) digital gift cards sold in fixed denominations of $25 to $200. Media and content operations produce top-of-funnel demand that monetizes indirectly through commerce rather than disclosed advertising.

The go-to-market is hybrid direct-to-consumer, combining walk-in retail, online direct, live streaming entertainment-commerce, and event-driven community engagement (trade nights, TCG tournaments, giveaways, and card shows). Primary customer segments are individual trading card collectors across sports and TCG and card sellers liquidating collections; the segmentation approach is horizontal by persona rather than by vertical or contract tier.

Name

Cards HQ

Legal name

Cards HQ, LLC

Website

https://cardshq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CardsHQ is an Atlanta-based trading card commerce and media marketplace combining a brick-and-mortar superstore, Shopify e-commerce storefront, multi-platform live selling shows, an in-store PSA grading center, and Sports Card Investor media operations to serve sports card and TCG collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trading Cards & Collectibles

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Trading Cards Retail (CRALAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail (CRALAGAC)

Keywords

• Sports trading cards
• Trading card games
• Card grading services
• Live card breaking
• Collectibles marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Retail and e-commerce sales of sports cards, TCG cards (Pokemon, Magic, etc.), sealed boxes, supplies, and branded merchandise. Products range from budget items ($1 sleeves) to high-value collectibles (up to $3,599 for premium Pokemon boxes).
2. Live Selling and Breaking: Live stream box breaks and personal breaks on Whatnot and Fanatics Live platforms, 7 days a week across multiple show formats (baseball, football, basketball, Pokemon). Customers purchase spots in breaks or bid in auctions.
3. Card Buying and Trade-In: Purchases card collections from sellers at 70% cash or 80% store credit. Also offers trade-in process with store credit (80%) that does not expire and can be used in-store or online.
4. PSA Grading Submission Services: In-store PSA Submission Center staffed by PSA personnel. Acts as intermediary for card grading submissions. PSA sets pricing and turnaround times; CardsHQ earns service/transaction fees for facilitating submissions.
5. Media and Content: Revenue from Sports Card Investor's media operations including YouTube content, social media presence, and live events that drive awareness and traffic to commerce operations.
6. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations of $25, $50, $100, $150, and $200, delivered by email with no additional processing fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CardsHQ is a multi-channel trading card commerce platform that sells sports cards, trading card game cards, sealed boxes, supplies, and branded merchandise to collectors through a flagship retail superstore in Atlanta, a 24/7 Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, and daily live-selling box breaks on Whatnot and Fanatics Live. The company also buys card collections from sellers (70% cash or 80% store credit), operates an in-store PSA-staffed card grading submission center, hosts community events and tournaments, and runs the Market Movers proprietary valuation data platform.

Product overview

CardsHQ operates as a unified commerce, media, and technology platform in the sports card and trading card game ecosystem, combining an e-commerce online store (powered by Shopify), a flagship retail superstore in Atlanta, live-selling operations on Whatnot and Fanatics Live, an in-store PSA Submission Center, event hosting, and the Market Movers data platform. The product portfolio spans physical trading cards (sports cards from Topps/Panini/Bowman and TCG products including Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Star Wars Unlimited), sealed boxes and hobby products, card supplies (sleeves, toploaders, deck boxes), branded merchandise, digital gift cards, and card-buying/grading services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CardsHQ Online Store Full-service e-commerce platform selling sports cards, TCG cards, sealed boxes, and collectibles, operated on the Shopify platform with 24/7 online availability for individual collectors.
• Atlanta Retail Superstore Flagship brick-and-mortar superstore at 3101 Cobb Parkway SE, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30339, offering graded singles, sealed boxes, supplies, merchandise, and expert assistance for collectors; open 7 days a week.
• Live Selling & Breaking Daily live-streamed box-breaking and card-selling shows on Whatnot (five dedicated shows: @cardshqbreaks, @cardshqblitz, @cardshqhoops, @cardshqpoke, @cardshqshop) and Fanatics Live (@cardshq, Tuesday–Friday), featuring baseball, football, basketball, and Pokémon categories where customers purchase spots in breaks or bid in auctions.
• PSA Submission Center In-store PSA-staffed grading submission center located inside the Atlanta retail superstore, offering card grading, ticket grading, autograph authentication, memorabilia authentication, and reholdering services with drop-off intake for collectors.
• Sports Cards & Boxes Product line offering sports cards (baseball, basketball, football, and other sports) featuring graded singles, hobby boxes, retail boxes, and sealed product from manufacturers including Topps, Panini, Bowman, and Upper Deck, sold to individual collectors.
• TCG Cards & Boxes Product line offering trading card game products including Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Star Wars Unlimited, Disney Lorcana, and other TCG products as single cards and sealed boxes for individual collectors and players.
• Card Supplies Product line of card protection and storage accessories including sleeves (Standard Card Sleeves, Dragon Shield, Ultra PRO), toploaders, albums (Folio, Z-Folio), deck boxes (Gamegenic, Card Bunker), GradedGuard cases, and BCW supplies for individual collectors.
• Merchandise Branched and licensed apparel and collectibles including CardsHQ t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, Pokemon Center Japan charms and plush, Topps-branded apparel, and sports card collecting journals sold to fans and collectors.
• CardsHQ Digital Gift Card Digital gift cards available in $25, $50, $100, $150, and $200 denominations, delivered by email with no additional processing fees; redeemable in-store and online for any CardsHQ purchase.
• Card Buying & Trade-In Card purchasing service accepting individual cards and entire collections at the Atlanta retail store and at the CardsHQ Buying Station at card shows nationwide, offering 70% cash or 80% non-expiring store credit, valued using the Market Movers proprietary data platform.
• Events & Trading Nights In-store trade nights, TCG tournaments, giveaways, and appearances at card shows nationwide providing community engagement opportunities for individual collectors.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sports Card InvestorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Merger of CardsHQ and Sports Card Investor created the largest commerce, media, and technology platform in the sports card and trading card game ecosystem. Combined entity includes retail, live events, digital media, data platform (Market Movers), and content operations.
• PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024PSA has opened a full-time, PSA-staffed Submission Center inside the CardsHQ Atlanta store. CardsHQ provides the physical location and customer interface; PSA provides trained staff and processing facilities. First PSA-staffed retail location offering drop-off grading services.
• GotBaseballminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThird-party partner for PSA group submissions. CardsHQ accepts PSA group submissions through GotBaseball as an intermediary service.
• WhatnotcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary live selling platform partner. CardsHQ operates five distinct shows on Whatnot (@cardshqbreaks, @cardshqblitz, @cardshqhoops, @cardshqpoke, @cardshqshop) broadcasting 7 days a week. Platform hosts box breaks, personal breaks, and auctions.
• Fanatics LivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecondary live selling platform partner. CardsHQ operates @cardshq show on Fanatics Live, broadcasting Tuesday-Friday. Platform provides access to Fanatics ecosystem customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Whatnot: Live-selling marketplace hosting five CardsHQ shows and where competing sellers run their own break streams. Functions both as a channel partner and as a competitive live-breaking marketplace for the same collector audience.

Direct peers

• Dave & Adam's Card World: Large independent hobby retailer selling sports cards, TCG, sealed boxes, and supplies online plus a flagship retail store. Closely comparable omnichannel model to CardsHQ on product mix and customer base.
• PWCC Marketplace: Online sports card marketplace with focus on graded singles and auction/direct-buy. Directly comparable to CardsHQ's marketplace and card-buying operations on the sports-card side.
• COMC (Check Out My Cards): Online consignment and marketplace for sports and TCG cards with submission-based processing and grading facilitation. Comparable as a secondary-market destination and seller-side service competitor.
• Heritage Auctions: Long-standing sports and TCG auction house with significant card category presence. Comparable for high-end card sales, authentication, and auction-driven price discovery that Market Movers uses as comparables.
• Blowout Cards: Hobby retailer and wholesaler selling sports cards, TCG, and sealed boxes online. Closely comparable product mix, customer base, and e-commerce-first distribution model.
• Goldin: Premium sports card auction house and marketplace with consignment and authentication services. Comparable as a destination for high-end singles and as a Sports Card Investor-adjacent alternative for collectors seeking price discovery and trust.
• Steel City Collectibles: Long-running sports card and memorabilia retailer with both online and physical presence. Comparable product depth and collector customer overlap with CardsHQ's sports-card vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Fanatics Collectibles: Vertical commerce, content, and licensing giant (Topps, Fanatics Live) selling cards, breaks, and grading across sports and TCG. CardsHQ competes for the same live viewership, licensed product supply, and grading customers while operating at significantly smaller scale.
• eBay: Largest general secondary-marketplace for trading cards with authenticated grading programs (eBay Authenticity Guarantee) and strong price-discovery role. Comparable as a competing marketplace destination for buying and selling cards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/sportscardinvestor
• Facebookfacebook.com/cardshqshop
• Instagraminstagram.com/cardshqshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cards HQ