Long gone are the days of stuffing trading cards into shoeboxes and binders. If you want to get serious about keeping your cards looking their best – and maintaining their potential value in the process – it’s all about treating your cards with the care and respect they deserve.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of environmental factors lurking in your home that can damage your trading cards. Small children and pets can also be hazardous to the health of your cards. Even a burst pipe can suddenly ruin a collection. Natural causes, dampness, humidity, excessive heat, and direct exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can lead to warping, fading, dulled card edges and corners, and surface damage.
Misplaced boxes and theft can also be a concern – many collectors, unfortunately, have stories of somebody who’s been the victim of thieves who have stolen cards and other valuable collectibles.
That is why collectors often consider professional trading card storage services – often called "vaults."
Vaults help you avoid hazards and preserve the condition of your collectibles – while also offering plenty of other fantastic benefits such as insurance, high-resolution imaging, and management capabilities.
Read on to learn more about how professional trading card storage services can take your collecting to new heights – and how the Fanatics Collect Vault empowers you to enjoy a safer and more secure collecting experience.
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The benefits of professional trading card storage services
Finding the right trading card storage service can provide both protection and a more connected way to collect.
Enhanced security
There’s more to keeping your cards safe than simply using the right protective sleeves and boxes or getting them professionally graded.
When looking at professional trading card storage, do your due diligence and research the specs of the facility. For example, as the original secure facility specifically developed to safely store trading cards and other collectibles, the Fanatics Collect Vault features industry-leading security that keeps your cards out of harm's way.
Protection from the elements
Professional trading card storage services such as the Fanatics Collect Vault can provide you with a constantly monitored, climate-controlled environment that includes optimal temperature and humidity level maintenance – and no UV rays.
Insurance
Professional trading card storage services can give you much more than a roof, walls, and secure locks. They can also provide extra peace of mind via insurance. If your collection includes high-dollar collectibles – even just one – it’s worth exploring how to insure your trading cards. Some professional trading card storage providers will offer insurance for free, giving you even more protection.
All collectibles stored in the Fanatics Collect Vault are insured for free, so you can stress less about the safety of your collectibles and focus more on the next great addition to your portfolio.
Organization
Top trading card storage services meticulously catalog your cards and provide you with options to observe, share, and manage your collection.
This is key to what sets trading card storage services apart from a safe deposit box at a bank or other general secure storage facility. While using these facilities provides much of the same physical security, a professional trading card storage service can go above and beyond by offering mobile applications and web interfaces that provide high-resolution images of your collectibles.
This digital element keeps you more connected with your portfolio and helps you access your collectibles from anywhere. This way you can admire your pieces or show them off to friends, family, or potential sales or trading partners.
Every collectible stored in the Fanatics Collect Vault is photographed using high-res imaging technology. You can then access every one of your pieces stored in the Vault via the Fanatics Collect app.
Connection to the market
A further benefit of this digital element is utility. Online and digital trading card storage options connected to marketplaces also offer a dovetailed pathway to selling your collectibles, making it easier for you to build a collection you love.
When you store your cards at home or with an offline storage service, you’re responsible for photographing them, posting them on a sales platform, packaging them, going to the post office, and sending them off to the buyer. Not to mention sorting out payments or any issues arising from sending and receiving the cards.
Online, digital trading card storage services such as the Fanatics Collect Vault give you instant access to the market with just a few clicks or taps. With Fanatics Collect, you can list your cards in a Weekly Auction, Premier Auction, or the Buy Now marketplace with just a few clicks. Everything else is taken care of for you.
Market updates and information
Unlike static storage locations or one-size-fits-all, general storage solutions, professional online trading card storage options can provide insights into your cards. Fanatics Collect offers appraisals on your cards that update with market conditions.
You also have easy access to in-depth definitive guides and newsroom articles that help keep you informed.
Are digital, online trading card storage services better than offline storage?
The choice is up to the collector. For many collectors, online trading card storage services are better than offline storage options due to accessibility, convenience, flexible buying and selling power, and updated information and data.
It's also fun to quickly share your cards with others. As mentioned, Fanatics Collect’s online services include high-res imagery that lets you get a good look at your collectibles wherever you are – not just when you’re at home. Want to share a card with someone? Open up the Fanatics Collect app and show them what's in your Vault.
You can also have your cards up for sale with just a few clicks or taps, and not have to worry about physically managing packaging and sending your cards when they sell.
And that’s all on top of industry-leading security.
How to choose the best trading card storage service for you
Here are a few things to think about when determining if an online trading card storage service is a good option for you.
- Price. How much does it cost to store your collectibles with the service? Are those fees ongoing, or are they one-time only?
- Size. How many collectibles can the service store for you? Is there a limit, or can you send as many as you want?
- Online or offline. Does the trading card storage service have digital components? What features does it have that empower you to collect on your terms?
- Customer service. Are the team members behind the storage service collectibles experts? How much experience do they have?
- Safety. What are the security specs of the facility? How will these help ensure your collectibles stay safe?
Professional trading card storage services – especially those with digital features – have the power to help keep your cards safe and enhance the way you collect.
Check out the Fanatics Collect Vault to learn more about how it can help you safely and securely store your trading cards.