Collectors Marketplace

Collectors Marketplace is an 8,000-square-foot pop culture collectors store on North 24th Street in Phoenix, a short way east of the I-51. Cards are one department among many here: vintage and modern toys, anime, video games, Funko Pops, die-cast, horror collectibles and Star Wars share the floor, and the store holds the largest selection of those categories in the Southwest. It suits the collector who browses across categories, and the seller with a big or mixed collection to move.

What's on the shelves

The card side centers on Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece Card Game, Weiss Schwarz and Magic: The Gathering. Around the card cases, the store's range runs wide: toys from vintage to modern, action figures, Lego, Barbie, video games, Gundam model kits and imported toys, and the largest selection of anime goods in the Southwest. The stock changes constantly.

The store focuses on used pop culture goods and toys rather than new comics, books or records.

Buying and selling

Buying is a large part of what the store does. It takes in collections of any size and also consults on large collections, estates and store buyouts. Sellers choose cash or a higher amount in store trade, which is good on anything in the store. The buyers take whole collections rather than picking out only the top pieces.

On the card side, the store buys loose or graded Pokémon cards, vintage or modern, along with Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Weiss Schwarz and early Magic: The Gathering. It also buys non-sports trading cards: Garbage Pail Kids, 1970s and 1980s Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and television and movie sets. Graded comic books are bought too.

Some things are off the list: sports cards and sports goods, Beanie Babies, porcelain dolls, Cabbage Patch Kids and Hess trucks.

No appointment is needed to sell. Because specialist buyers cover different categories, it pays to call ahead and confirm that the right buyer is in that day.

Events

Twice a year, in March and around Halloween, the store holds an anime festival in its parking lot. The festival includes a cosplay contest with prizes, an artist alley, live entertainment and special sales. The store also promotes toy and collectible shows through the year and exhibits widely at conventions, including eight booths at Phoenix Fan Fusion, which makes it the largest local exhibitor there. It has also been represented at national events such as Star Wars Celebration and Anime Expo.

Hours and getting there

The store is at 4031 N 24th St, Suite A, on the southeast corner of 24th Street and Indian School Road, two lights east of the I-51 and right behind a Circle K. It recently moved to this spot from a location just down the street.

Saturday opens an hour earlier than the weekdays, and Sunday closes at 5 PM.

History

The owner is a third-generation antique and collectibles dealer with more than 30 years in the field. He opened his first store, Planet Comics, later renamed Planet Neo, in 1989. Staff carry decades of experience in their own categories, which is why buying is organized around specialist buyers rather than a single counter.

The local scene

The surrounding blocks are well supplied with card shops. Arizona Trading Cards & Collectibles is about 0.4 miles away, and Samurai Comics is about a mile off. High Desert Trading Cards is roughly 1.3 miles away and Gamers Cove about 1.6 miles. All are in Phoenix, so a Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! hunt can easily cover several shops in one afternoon.