From a Paper Round to Vending at The National — CLA Cards | 3rd Down Pulled

This week, Ben is joined by the father-and-son team behind CLA Cards to talk about how a paper round, a few small card purchases, and a love for the NFL grew into their card business. They talk through the early days of collecting, learning how to buy and trade at shows, and what they look for when deciding whether a card is worth picking up. They also get into what makes unusual cards stand out, selling online versus in person, dealing with repackers, and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep inventory organised and ready for shows. They share how they prepared for their first time vending at the biggest card show in the US, what they're hoping to trade for, and some of the cards they're taking with them. Later, they discuss the growth of the UK NFL hobby, overrated players and sets, favourite cards, deals they wish they could take back, grading a Tom Brady rookie auto, and what could be next for CLA Cards. Chapters 00:00 Meet CLA Cards 06:00 From collecting to vending 13:30 Selling online vs in person 18:00 Learning from bad buys 22:10 Preparing for The National 30:10 Repacks and moving inventory 36:25 The growth of the UK NFL hobby 42:20 Card sets and player markets 52:20 Managing inventory 55:10 Advice for new collectors 1:02:00 The future of CLA Cards 1:09:55 Grading a Tom Brady rookie auto Follow us on Instagram @3rddownuk for more from the UK hobby.