Disclaimer:
The following article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice, nor an endorsement of any particular platform. Please do your own research and use your best judgment before making decisions related to selling or collecting sports cards.

I recently got access to Arena Club’s “Auction” functionality, so I decided to test out selling a few cards through it. Here’s a look at how the process worked, what I liked, and what I’m still curious about as a seller.

The Cards I Sold

I listed three cards for auction:

• Shohei Ohtani / Yoshinobu Yamamoto 2024 Bowman Chrome (Arena Club 9)
• Julio Rodriguez 2021 Bowman Chrome Green Refractor /99 (Arena Club 9)
• Shohei Ohtani 2024 Topps Now (Arena Club 10)

Listing and Auction Setup

Submitting my cards for auction was simple. I just went into my Arena Club showcase, selected the cards I wanted to list, and chose the auction end time (which had to be at least 60 minutes from the start). The process was intuitive and quick—no complicated forms or extra steps.

Auction Timing and Results

I chose for my auctions to all end around 5 PM PST on a Sunday. The Rodriguez auction ran for about a full day, while the two Ohtani cards were listed only a couple hours before ending.

Here’s how the bidding played out:

• Shohei Ohtani Topps Now: 5 bids, sold for $9 (slightly under my expectations)
• Julio Rodriguez Green Refractor: 6 bids, sold for $8 (about what I expected)
• Shohei/Yoshinobu: 6 bids, sold for $11 (a bit higher than I expected)

Payment and Transfer

Arena Club handled payment through Stripe, and I received funds quickly. One unique aspect of Arena Club is that there’s no need to ship the cards after a sale—ownership is transferred on the blockchain, and the buyer can withdraw the card from the vault at their convenience. This eliminates the hassle of shipping and any risk of loss or damage.

Fees, Convenience, and a Key Use Case

Arena Club charges a 10% seller fee, which is lower than eBay’s typical fees but still feels high considering there’s no shipping involved. However, the convenience of not having to handle shipping or deal with post-sale logistics is a major plus.

One specific use case where I think Arena Club’s auction feature shines is selling Arena Club graded cards. These slabs can be hard to move on other platforms—some, like Fanatics Collect, don’t even recognize Arena Club as a grading platform. In my opinion, if you’re looking to sell Arena Club graded cards, Arena Club itself is the best venue for finding interested buyers and getting a fair price.

Final Thoughts

Overall, selling on Arena Club was smooth and convenient. The platform is easy to use, payment is prompt, and there’s no shipping stress. The 10% fee is competitive for the hobby, but as a seller, I’d like to see if Arena Club can attract more volume and higher-end buyers in the future. For now, it’s a promising option for sellers—especially those with Arena Club graded cards—looking for a streamlined experience.