Ebay Inc. announced Tuesday that it is offering vault access to single, graded trading cards valued at $750 or more. The 31,000-square-foot facility is temperature controlled and secured around the clock. It also offers immediate transfer of ownership if a card is sold, which, eBay says, is critical for real-time sales during a game. By 2023, eBay will include other categories, such as luxury goods, in the vault. “As we continue to see exponential growth in the category as enthusiasts merge their passions with investment opportunities, the eBay vault is a critical offering that will let collectors streamline and securely store their portfolio of assets,” said Dawn Block, vice president of collectibles, electronics and home at eBay, in a statement. The eBay vault is expected to hold up to $3 billion in assets. Trading card gross merchandise value (GMV) at eBay more than doubled versus pre-pandemic levels in 2021. And in the first quarter, an average of two trading cards were purchased every second. Ebay stock is down 28.7% for the year to date.
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