Stan, collect, profit

There’s a world full of side-hustles out there that you could turn into a 5-to-9 after your 9-to-5. Some of them require a unique skill set, like vibe coding an app, or providing a creative service.

Others, less so. In the sea of lucrative things you could do to get money rolling in on the side, collecting cards might seem like one of the easiest ways to profit from your hobby.

We hate to break it to you, but it involves a lot of know-how. You’ve got to be in tune with the collectibles — be it baseball or Pokémon cards — to know which ones are most desired. You’ve got to know what you’re looking at, much like a luxury bag reseller assesses wares and pegs prices based on market value. And you have competition, too, because if you’ve got your eyes set on a good card, chances are others want it too.

We’ve done some of the legwork for you, speaking to people young and old at different points in the card-collecting market cycle to get the 101 on what this is all about.

Check it out, and decide if getting knee-deep in Pokémon cards or K-pop photo card binders is worth your while.

Read our coverage on card collecting