FAQ

This page exists because the same questions come up over and over. We’ve gathered them here with plain answers. If something we should have addressed isn’t here, email us and we’ll add it. The FAQ is organized into four sections: about the store, about the cards, about buying from us, and about after you’ve bought.

1. About the store

Who runs this store?

John Phillips and his three sons, operating as Phillips Boys Sportscards out of Jacksonville, Florida. John is the father. The boys are involved in photographing, researching, pricing, and — when a card sells — packing and shipping it. Every listing passes under four sets of eyes before it goes live.

Is this your main business?

No. It is a family project built around the boys. John’s day job is practicing law. The store operates as a sole proprietorship — everything is our own, funded by us, run by us. No investors, no partners, no consignment operators behind the scenes.

Why sell on your own site instead of eBay or Whatnot?

Marketplace fees. A standard sports-card sale on eBay costs the seller roughly 13.25% + $0.40 per order. Whatnot is 8% plus payment processing. Selling from our own site, we pay payment processing only — about 2.9% + $0.30. Over a year of activity, the difference is real money, and the ownership we keep (customer relationship, email list, our own URLs) is worth more than the convenience of someone else’s traffic. For the full math, see Why We Didn’t Build This on eBay.

Where are you located?

Jacksonville, Florida. All cards ship from Jacksonville. We do not operate a retail storefront — the business is online only.

How long have you been collecting?

John has been in and out of the hobby since childhood. The boys have been collecting with him for several years. The store itself launched in April 2026.

2. About the cards

Are all your cards graded?

Yes. Every card we sell is in a PSA slab, authenticated and graded by Professional Sports Authenticator. We do not currently sell raw (ungraded) cards. This is deliberate — we want every buyer to be able to verify independently before they spend a dollar.

Why PSA and not BGS or SGC?

PSA is the dominant grading authority by volume in the US market, which means broader resale liquidity and clearer price comparables. BGS (Beckett) and SGC are also reputable; we simply chose PSA as the standard for this store. If you have a strong preference, email us — we will consider BGS and SGC cards on a case-by-case basis.

How do I verify a card you’re selling is real?

Every product page shows the card’s eight-digit PSA cert number. Go to psacard.com/cert/, paste the number, and PSA will return its own record of the card — grade, date graded, Population Report. If that record doesn’t match what our listing says, do not buy. For a full walkthrough with screenshots, see How to Verify Any Card.

What does the grade number mean?

PSA grades cards on a scale of 1 to 10. PSA 10 Gem Mint is the highest — sharp corners, proper centering, no visible print defects. PSA 9 Mint is one minor flaw below a 10. PSA 8 is Near Mint to Mint and very common for well-kept modern cards. Grades below 8 descend to heavily handled or damaged cards. A “qualified” 10 (marked OC, PD, or MK) means PSA noted a specific flaw — off-center, print defect, or minor mark — and is priced differently from a clean 10. For what a PSA label actually tells you, see Reading a PSA Slab.

Where did you get these cards?

Most cards in our store came from the family collection we’ve built together over several years. Some were purchased specifically to grade. A small number are consignments from collectors we know personally. Every card, regardless of source, passed the same four-rule filter we apply to our own collecting. See How We Collect.

Do you buy cards?

Sometimes. If you have a PSA-graded card you’re considering selling — especially one that fits a category we already carry — email us with the cert number, a photo, and your asking price. We don’t respond to cold lists, but we do respond to specific cards we’d actually want to own.

3. About buying from us

How do I pay?

All major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, processed through Stripe. We do not currently accept PayPal, Venmo, crypto, wire transfers, or checks. Your payment information goes directly to Stripe — we never see your full card number.

Is checkout secure?

Yes. The entire site is HTTPS. Payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant (the highest level). We do not store your card data on our servers.

Do you charge sales tax?

We collect Florida sales tax on orders shipped to Florida addresses. For orders shipped out of state, sales tax is handled per current Florida and federal rules. The checkout will calculate and display any applicable tax before you pay.

How much is shipping?

Shipping rates are displayed at checkout and depend on the order’s declared value and destination. As a baseline: cards under $100 ship USPS First-Class with tracking. Cards $100–$1,000 ship USPS Priority with tracking and insurance. Cards over $1,000 ship USPS Priority Express with signature confirmation and full insurance. International shipping is currently offered to Canada only, at actual cost — contact us first.

Do you ship internationally?

Canada only, for now. We are not currently equipped to handle the customs documentation and lost-package risk for wider international shipping. If you are outside Canada and the US, email us and we will consider case by case for higher-value orders.

How fast do orders ship?

We aim to ship every order within two business days of purchase. Orders placed Friday evening through Sunday ship Monday or Tuesday. You will receive an email with a tracking number the moment the package hands off to USPS.

Can I hold a card without paying?

No. We cannot hold inventory without payment — it’s not fair to the next buyer. If you need a payment plan on a high-value card ($2,500+), email before you purchase and we can discuss.

4. About after you’ve bought

What’s your return policy?

If the card you receive does not match the listing — wrong card, different grade, damage in transit — we refund the full purchase price including shipping. Email us within 7 days of delivery with photos and the order number. We will issue a prepaid return label and process the refund the day the card arrives back to us. Returns for any other reason (“changed my mind,” “found a cheaper one”) are considered on a case-by-case basis within 3 days of delivery, at our discretion. Opened grading slabs are never returnable.

What if the card arrives damaged?

Photograph the package and the card immediately, before doing anything else. Email us with the photos the same day. All shipments over $100 are insured, and we handle the USPS claim — you get refunded the full amount from us right away, and we deal with USPS on the back end.

What if the cert number on my card doesn’t look up on PSA’s site after I receive it?

Don’t panic. First, double-check the number — zeros/O’s and ones/I’s are easy to misread. Second, wait 48 hours — PSA sometimes takes time to update. Third, email us. If the card you received genuinely does not match PSA’s database, we will refund you immediately and investigate on our end, no questions asked.

Do you offer authentication on cards I already own?

No. We are not a grading service. If you have an ungraded card you want authenticated and graded, submit it to PSA directly at psacard.com. We can recommend which PSA service level (Economy, Regular, Express) is likely appropriate for your card’s value — email us and we will help.

Will you buy a card back from me?

Sometimes, but only on specific cards we originally sold, and only if we are still active in that category. We don’t offer a standing buyback guarantee — the market moves, and we don’t make promises we can’t keep.

Do you offer a warranty?

Authentication warranty, yes: if any card we sold you is later determined by PSA to be misgraded or inauthentic, we will refund you at the original sale price as long as the slab is still sealed. Condition warranty, no — the grade is what PSA assigned, and a PSA grade is the industry standard for condition.

Can I speak to a human?

Yes. Email us and John replies personally, usually within 24 hours. We do not offer a phone line — not because we don’t like phones, but because we want every answer to be in writing so you have a record.

Something we missed?

Email us. We will answer your question directly and, if it’s one other people will ask too, add it here. This page gets better every time someone points out a gap in it.