Online trading card store

Collectors, players and parents buying for kids, mostly found through online marketplaces, social media and collector groups.

You buy stock from distributors, wholesalers or collections and sell at a mark-up. Singles often carry better margins than sealed product. Postage may be charged or built into the price.

• Knowing card games and card values
• Photographing and listing items
• Careful packing and good record keeping

• Check whether home-based business needs approval from your local council
• GST registration is required once turnover reaches the threshold, so check with the ATO
• Fake or reproduction cards and grading disputes can harm your reputation, so check authenticity
• Card prices can swing quickly, so avoid tying up too much money in one product
• Check consumer law obligations on refunds and describing items accurately

Startup costs are typically around $500 to $5,000, depending on how much sealed stock, singles and packing supplies you buy at the start. Keeping stock modest helps, because card prices can swing quickly.

Monthly revenue is typically around $500 to $4,000, depending on your stock, the marketplaces you sell on and the time you put in. These are revenue estimates, not profit, and hours start at about 6 per week.

Check whether your local council requires approval for a home-based business, and check GST registration with the ATO once turnover reaches the threshold. Also check your consumer law obligations on refunds and describing items accurately.