Frequently Asked Questions

A sports card pawn loan is a secured short-term loan where your sports cards or trading cards act as collateral. You bring us your cards (via insured mail), we give you cash, store your cards safely, and return them when you repay. It's the same concept as a traditional pawn shop — but specialized, professional, and 100% online.

When you pawn, you keep ownership of your cards. You're borrowing against them, not giving them up. When you repay the loan (plus a flat monthly fee), every card comes back to you. Selling is permanent — pawning is temporary liquidity.

Conceptually similar — both use assets as collateral without selling them. Card pawn loans are simpler, don't require a brokerage account, and cards can't be liquidated against your will while you remain current on fees.

Yes. Pawnbroking is a licensed, regulated financial activity in Canada governed by provincial statutes. CardPawn holds all required licences and operates in full compliance with consumer protection laws in each province we serve.

No. Never. Your credit score, credit history, bankruptcies, and income are completely irrelevant to your CardPawn loan. The only thing that matters is the value of your cards.

Any Canadian resident aged 18 or older who owns qualifying sports cards or trading cards. Our online process is available to residents in all provinces (some restrictions apply in Quebec — please contact us for details).

Our minimum loan amount is $500 CAD. The collateral cards must have a combined appraised value of at least $1,000 to support this minimum.

Yes. Card dealers, stores, and business entities can apply for dealer-tier loans with higher LTV ratios and volume-based fee structures. Contact our commercial team at loans@cardpawn.ca.

We accept graded and raw cards across: Hockey (NHL, OHL), Baseball (MLB), Basketball (NBA), Football (NFL, CFL), Soccer (MLS, Premier League), Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and other high-value TCGs.

Not necessarily. Graded cards (PSA, BGS, SGC, CGC) are strongly preferred and receive higher LTV ratios. However, we do accept raw cards where the value exceeds $2,500 per card, based on our appraisers' assessment.

PSA, BGS/Beckett, SGC, CGC, HGA, CSG, ISA, and GAI. PSA and BGS/Beckett slabs command the highest LTV ratios due to market liquidity.

We do not accept counterfeit, trimmed, or artificially altered cards. We reserve the right to refuse any card our appraisers deem unsellable or of questionable authenticity.

Our monthly holding fee starts at 3.5% of the loan amount. For a $10,000 loan, that's $350/month. There are no application fees, no origination fees, and no early repayment penalties. See our full rates page.

Standard term is 90 days. You can renew monthly by paying the holding fee. There is no maximum number of renewals — as long as you stay current, your cards stay safe.

None whatsoever. Pay back tomorrow or in two years — the fee structure remains the same either way.

All risk and reward of ownership remains with you at all times. If your card's market value rises, that upside is entirely yours — we will never reduce your loan or demand additional fees because prices increased. If market values decline, we do not issue margin calls or demand immediate top-up — your loan terms are fixed and locked from day one. The only scenario where declining value matters is if a loan enters default (you stop paying fees and stop responding to contact). In that case, forfeiting the card settles the entire debt — you owe nothing beyond the card. You are never personally liable for any shortfall between the card's resale value and your outstanding loan balance. See our full Collateral Risk & Borrower Protections page for complete details.

After accepting your loan offer, we email you a prepaid, fully insured shipping label. Drop the package at any Canada Post outlet. We provide detailed packing instructions to ensure your cards travel safely.

Our prepaid labels include insurance up to $50,000 per shipment. For collections valued higher, we arrange a specialized courier pickup with bespoke coverage — at no extra cost to you.

In our secure, climate-controlled vault facility. Temperature, humidity, and security are monitored 24/7. Every card is stored individually in archival-quality sleeves or holders.

Within 24 business hours of confirmed repayment, your cards are shipped back via tracked, insured courier.

No — never. CardPawn does not monitor secondary market prices during your loan term and will never demand additional collateral, require a top-up payment, or adjust your loan because the market moved against you. Your loan amount, monthly fee, and term are fully locked in writing at the time you accept. Market fluctuations during the term have zero effect on your obligations.

None. CardPawn loans are non-recourse — the collateral (your cards) is the sole security for the loan. If you stop paying fees and do not respond to contact, the cards become CardPawn's property and the debt is fully extinguished. We cannot pursue you personally, garnish wages, affect your credit score, or seek any further payment beyond the cards themselves. This is the fundamental protection of pawn lending versus conventional personal loans.

Pawn lending and margin lending are legally and structurally different. In a pawn, the lender accepts the collateral as the complete remedy for default. There is no ongoing creditworthiness requirement. This is intentional — it's what makes pawn lending accessible without credit checks, and what protects you from downside beyond your collateral.

Your obligation is fixed — repay the original loan principal plus accrued monthly fees, and the card is returned regardless of its current market value. If your $40,000 card drops to $28,000 during your term, you still pay back the same $26,000 loan + fees to get it back. The card's current market value does not change your repayment amount.

You can make partial principal repayments at any time to reduce your outstanding balance and lower your monthly fee. You can also add additional collateral cards to strengthen the loan-to-value position. Contact us at loans@cardpawn.ca to discuss either option.

Our conservative LTV ratios (50–70%) build in a buffer — a card must decline 30–50% before the loan value is theoretically "underwater." Combined with 90-day terms and our commitment to contact borrowers before any default, this structure keeps the loan book healthy without ever needing to margin call individual borrowers. See our full Collateral Risk page for complete details.

Yes — this is called a Loan Top-Up. If your card has appreciated at least 15% since your loan was originated, you can request a free re-appraisal at any time. If the new appraised value supports additional equity (up to the same LTV ratio), we issue a top-up offer for the extra cash. The card never leaves our vault, no new shipping is needed, and additional funds are wired the same day you accept. Minimum top-up amount is $500 CAD. See how a top-up works with worked examples.

Once per 90-day period per card. If your card has risen dramatically — say a Gretzky rookie hitting a new all-time high — you can request a re-appraisal immediately and potentially draw additional funds against that appreciation without repaying your existing loan or returning the card.

CardPawn will always attempt to contact you and offer a renewal or extension before declaring a default. If we cannot reach agreement, the cards become CardPawn's property in settlement of the debt. You owe nothing further — no personal liability, no credit reporting, no collections. This is standard to all pawn transactions and a key protection for borrowers.

Partial payments are accepted toward the principal. However, the full outstanding balance (principal + accrued fees) must be repaid to release the cards.

If you decide you'd rather sell, we can discuss a purchase price at any time. Any proceeds above the outstanding loan balance would be returned to you.