Is the US debt ceiling crisis hurting sports cards and impacting the sports card market?
Definitely. The US debt crisis is affecting the sports card market and many financial markets and assets. And it’s not in a beneficial way.
Google search behavior data illustrates trajectories going in opposing directions for the terms “US Debt” and “Sports Cards”. Over the past 30 days Google user search volume increased for “US debt” and decreased for “Sports Cards”. This is no surprise, but it is something to observe.
It could be an excellent time to invest in some higher priced sports cards with the sports card market being impacted by the US debt-ceiling crisis. After all, Memorial Day weekend is customarily a great time for the baseball card market. With Major League Baseball in full swing and other major sports into their playoff seasons, sports card collectors are poised to buy.
Are Collectors Still Buying Sports Cards?
Sports card collectors are still buying, but generally with more limited budgets that are steered toward lesser priced items. So, with higher-priced sports card demand down at this time you just might be able to score one at a discount.
Sports Card Sales Data May 2023 vs May 2022
Let’s take a look at some high-level sports card market sales data via eBay’s sports card trading marketplace. In May 2022 the average sold price daily for sports cards was between $39 and $56. Fast forward to May 2023 and the average sold price daily for sports card is between $28 and $36! Now that’s quite a difference. The May 2023 highest average sold price for a sports card purchase is $36. This value does not even exceed the May 2022 lowest average sold price for a sports card purchase equaling $39.
We can’t predict when this US debt ceiling crisis will end. That’s to be decided by the lawmakers of the US.
In the meantime, be on the lookout for some lower prices for the top sports cards. As sports card dealers may very well be open deeper discount negotiating for higher-priced sports cards.
Our sports card pricing lookup tools are built to help collectors find the best sports card investments. They’re free to use and offer leading sports card analysis to help you spot undervalued sports card buys.
Our best advice is to navigate the US debt crisis and still make wise sports card purchases is to stick to a sports card budget, but don’t be afraid to haggle down a higher-priced sports card. That investment could show short term ROI once lawmakers get us past this US debt-ceiling crisis.
Happy collecting!
