Burbank Sportscards, a renowned player in the sports card market, has made a strategic move by entering an exclusive agreement with Fanatics Collect to list its vast inventory of 40 million sports cards on the newly established platform. This collaboration, revealed just 11 days after the official launch of Fanatics Collect, is set to become one of the significant highlights at the upcoming 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention.
Having dominated the market on eBay since 2003 with an impressive track record of over 6.8 million items sold, Burbank Sportscards has solidified its position as a leading seller. Additionally, the shop has facilitated the sale of another 7.2 million cards through the Beckett Marketplace since 1999, further establishing its credibility within the card trading community.
Chris Lamontagne, the president of Fanatics Collect, expressed his excitement about partnering with Burbank Sportscards, emphasizing the shared commitment to collaborating with the best in the industry. Lamontagne recounted his visit to Burbank Sportscards and the immediate realization of the need for a partnership, highlighting the store’s impressive offerings and potential for a prosperous alliance.
Owner of Burbank Sportscards, Rob Veres, sees the collaboration with Fanatics Collect as a golden opportunity to expand the reach of his business. The plan includes listing trading cards on Fanatics team shops alongside popular merchandise like caps and jerseys, ensuring a diverse representation of players and teams for the fans and collectors.
Acknowledging the leap of faith involved in moving away from eBay exclusivity, Veres admitted to initial hesitations given the significant role eBay plays in the shop’s revenue stream. However, he emphasized the importance of grasping new opportunities and embracing growth, emphasizing the need to evolve in the ever-evolving market landscape.
Preparation for this new venture includes a shift to a spacious 14,000-square-foot facility housing in-store kiosks to enable customers to place on-demand orders for cards. These kiosks will have access to a stock of 25 million cards that can be swiftly retrieved by staff as customers await their selections.
The immediate challenge lies in seamlessly integrating all 40 million cards into the Fanatics Collect platform. Burbank’s sophisticated in-house inventory system is poised to streamline this process, with cards expected to populate the platform within the upcoming month. Initially, cards purchased in-store at Burbank will enjoy a short exclusivity period of one or two days before becoming available on Fanatics Collect.
Differing from other sellers whose cards are fulfilled by Fanatics, Burbank will be managing its fulfillment processes autonomously. Veres anticipates a potential growth in the workforce, with the current team of 25 retail and e-commerce staff likely to expand to around 50 within six months to cater to the heightened demand.
Despite the challenges on the horizon, Veres exudes confidence in the move, foreseeing opportunities for curated card drops on the platform and active participation in upcoming Fanatics events. Viewing this collaboration as a breakthrough in market reach, Veres is enthusiastic about the unrestricted potential that a platform like Fanatics offers.
Both Fanatics Collect and Burbank Sportscards are optimistic about the long-term prospects of their partnership, with ambitious objectives on the horizon. Fanatics aims to attract and retain new customers, while Veres seeks consistent sales growth. Alongside expanding their low-end card inventory, Burbank plans to diversify by increasing high-end cards, broadening their market appeal to a global audience.
Veres envisions drawing in sports fans from across the world who were previously unaware of Burbank Sportscards, highlighting Fanatics as the ideal partner for realizing this vision of vast market penetration and expansion.
