We decided to share the tool we’ve used for buying single trading cards with the intention of selling at a profit. This is available for only a short amount of time, so if you’re interested in doing some trading card flipping, definitely check it out.
Download the TCG Jackpot Tool.
The download is a “Lite” version. We aren’t giving away the tool we use for our business right now.
This is an Excel-based tool. If you’re familiar with Excel, you can easily customize it to fit your specific needs.
Otherwise, the explanation and instructions below will provide a quick overview of how the tool works.
Instructions: How to Use the Tool
- Enter Card Costs:
- Input the Seller’s Price (C2), Shipping Cost (C3), Processing Fee (C4), and the Market Price (C7).
- Review Total Costs & Profitability:
- The Total Cost (C5) updates automatically.
- The Profit Check (C9) will tell you whether you should negotiate.
- Check If It’s a Good Buy:
- If D2 says “Buy Now!!”, it’s a great deal.
- If C10 says “No,”, use C12 to see how much to haggle.
- See Expected Profit:
- The Profit Post-Sale (C11) tells you how much you’ll make if you sell at your shop price.
Below is a comprehensive explanation of how this excel tool calculates everything and how it works.
1. Input Fields (User-Entered Data)
The following fields are where you put the numbers you are working with.
C2: Seller’s Price → The listed price of the card.
This is where you put in the price that a seller has the card up for.
C3: Shipping → The cost of shipping from the seller.
If you’re buying singles from OfferUp, the shipping is likely $4.49. If you’re purchasing from TCGplayer, the shipping can vary. Make sure you put in the correct shipping.
The tool will show you reminders to check that your shipping is accurate if the deal sounds good.
C4: Processing Fee → A percentage fee applied to the transaction.
The processing fee is where you put additional fees for having the card shipped to you.
For this cell you can include fees you anticipate when you sell the card later on. This can include your payment processing fee, sales tax, etc.
Note: There is an added 25¢ fee hard-coded into the calculation of the Total Cost (mainly due to payment processors charging a hard number + percentage of your sale).
C7: Market Price → The estimated resale value of the card.
This is the price you put in based on what you see the market price is for your card on TCGplayer or any other market value website you use.
2. Automatic Calculations (Formulas Explained)
Total Cost Calculation (C5)
Formula: =C2+C3+((C2+C3)*C4)+0.25
Explanation:
- Adds the Seller’s Price (C2) and Shipping (C3).
- Applies the Processing Fee (C4) as a percentage of the total.
- Adds a fixed $0.25 transaction fee.
- This gives the total cost of acquiring the card.
“Buy Now!!” Indicator (D2)
When you come across a really good deal, a yellow cell with blue letters will appear that say “Buy Now!!”
Formula: =IF(C2<=0.6*C7, "Buy Now!!", "")
Explanation:
- If the Seller’s Price (C2) is 60% or less of the Market Price (C7), it shows “Buy Now!!” as a strong recommendation.
- If the price is higher, it remains empty.
My Shop Price Calculation (C8)
The amount that shows up here is the price you would resell this card for if you were wanting a 10% profit.
Formula: =MAX((C5*10%)+C5, C7 - (C7*10%))
Explanation:
- Takes the Total Cost (C5) and adds a 10% markup to set a minimum shop price.
- Compares it with the Market Price (C7) minus 10% and picks the higher value.
- Ensures a reasonable profit margin while staying competitive with market trends.
Profit Potential Check (C9)
After you put in all the needed inputs, this will tell you if you have a good deal or if you need to haggle to make this purchase worth making.
If the purchase is a good deal you will see a reminder to double-check the shipping, just in case.
Formula: =IF(C7 < (C5 + (C5 * 10%)), "No Profit - Must Haggle", "Good Buy - Check Shipping")
Explanation:
- If the Market Price (C7) is less than the Total Cost (C5) + 10%, it means there’s no profit, so it displays “No Profit – Must Haggle.”
- Otherwise, it says “Good Buy – Check Shipping”, meaning it’s potentially profitable.
Ease of Selling Indicator (C10)
On TCGplayer, cards that are priced higher than the market value will take longer to sell.
This part of the tool considers the price against the market value you put in and advises whether you haggle down and to what price.
The tool suggests haggling down so that the price you sell the card has competitive pricing in the market. Keep in mind that the tool is fixated on you getting a minimum 10% profit.
Formula: =IF(C8<C7, "Good", "No, Haggle Total to $" & TEXT(C7 - (C7 * 10%) - (C7 * C4), "#,##0.00"))
Explanation:
- If the Shop Price (C8) is lower than the Market Price (C7), it labels the card as “Good” (easy to sell).
- Otherwise, it advises how much to haggle to reach a more competitive price.
Profit Post-Sale (C11)
You’ll be shown a green cell with your profit amount, if applicable, based on the price against the market.
This is most likely to happen when the seller doesn’t care for selling at market value and just wants to get rid of the card (or the post is old and the market has been good to the card).
Otherwise, the cell will go grey.
Formula: =C8-C5
Explanation:
- Simply subtracts Total Cost (C5) from My Shop Price (C8) to show how much profit you’d make after selling the card.
Haggling Suggestion for a Better Deal (C12)
This tool wants you to get a minimum 10% profit and will even suggest a haggle price to ensure that.
Formula: =IF(LEFT(C10,3)="No,", "$" & TEXT((C7 * 10%) + (C7 * C4), "#,##0.00") & " @ Price $" & TEXT(C7, "#,##0.00"), "")
Explanation:
- If C10 (Ease of Selling Indicator) starts with “No,” it provides a recommended haggling price to secure a better deal.