Systems

What to look for in card shop inventory software

The features that matter for singles, the ones that sound good and are not, and the questions to ask before you commit.

Generic retail software assumes products with barcodes and stable prices. Single cards are neither, which is why most of it fits badly.

What actually matters

  1. 1.A real card catalogue, so stock is identified as "this exact printing" rather than free text you typed.
  2. 2.Live market pricing against that catalogue, with the source stated.
  3. 3.One stock count across every channel you sell on. This is the whole ballgame — see how to stop overselling.
  4. 4.Condition and printing per item, because they change the price.
  5. 5.A sane bulk story. Not every common needs individual tracking, and a system that insists on it will not be used.
  6. 6.Offline-capable point of sale, if you do shows.
  7. 7.Your data, exportable.

What sounds good and is not

  • Endless integrations you will never configure.
  • Per-sale commission, which quietly takes more the better you do.
  • Sales analytics on data you have not entered yet. Reporting is only as good as the intake discipline underneath it.

Questions worth asking any vendor

  • What happens when a card sells on two channels at once?
  • Where does your pricing come from, and how often does it refresh?
  • What does it cost when I double my turnover?
  • Can I get my inventory out if I leave?

For what it is worth, our answers: one stock count so it cannot happen; sources and refresh rates published on the price data page; nothing extra, because pricing is a flat monthly fee with no commission; and yes.

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