Checking Comps the Right Way

How to Pull Comps Properly

• Use SOLD listings only, not active and not asking prices.
• Match what you are comparing, same player, same set, same parallel, same grade.
• Scroll far enough to view more than one sale, a comp is a cluster, not a single dot.
• Ignore stale BINs that sat for weeks before selling, urgency affects outcome.
• Separate hype-week auctions from normal-week auctions when judging value.

What to Exclude

• One-off spikes from news events or sudden hype.
• Raw and graded prices treated as interchangeable.
• Damaged or altered cards included as “market value.”
• Sales that are too old to reflect current conditions.

Turn Comps Into a Real Number

Once you have a cluster of recent sales that match the exact card, remove the extreme high and extreme low, then average or “center” what remains. That midpoint is the truest reflection of current value, because it represents what the market repeatedly and willingly paid.

Why This Matters

Accurate comp work gives you confidence and protects your budget. When you know the real range, you are not guessing and you are not relying on someone else’s claim. Comps done correctly replace emotion with evidence and give you a fair, repeatable foundation for every buying decision.

When Comps Don’t Matter

Not every purchase is about squeezing the last dollar of equity. If a card is for your PC, if it rarely surfaces, or if it means something to you personally, paying at or even above comps is not “overpaying,” it is just the cost of owning something you genuinely want. A comp is a reference point, not a rule. Value and enjoyment are allowed to be two separate things in this hobby.