TRADES
AND THIS
Home of the base card.
This isn't just a card shop. It's a place built for collectors — by a collector. One person, one obsession, one simple belief: the hobby should be about the cards and the people, not the noise.
Hi, I'm Martin.
I'm 39, based in Linz, Austria — which is also where Trades and This lives. I first got into sports cards around 2014, and by 2016/17 I was all the way in. Baseball grabbed me hardest, and it didn't take long before the Boston Red Sox became my team — I'm a huge Boston fan through and through: the city itself, its music, its films and shows. I've walked its streets, and I love what comes out of it.
My player quickly became Mookie Betts — still my personal PC to this day — and the 2018 Red Sox will always be my team. From there I fell down the rabbit hole of baseball history and nerded out completely.
Before the cards, I lived other lives. I studied history way back when, then moved into logistics — where I still work today as a trainer, and where I just finished a degree in International Logistics Management. But for a long time, my real world was music. Punk rock, specifically: I organized concerts and festivals, built a record label, ran a music magazine, hosted a radio show, and DJ'd whenever I got the chance. That DIY, do-it-your-own-way spirit never left me — and honestly, it's the root of everything Trades and This stands for.
No overnight success. On purpose.
The idea for a collectibles shop first hit me in February 2023. It took another year of tinkering before I finally launched Trades and This in March 2024 — flipped the switch, and waited for the big breakthrough.
Nothing happened. And that was fair. You have to earn a reputation before anyone hands you their trust. So instead of chasing hype, I started doing what I always do: questioning how things are "supposed" to work, and thinking out of the box. That's when the real philosophy behind Trades and This took shape.
"We are the home of the base card. The card no one flips. The card you only keep because you love it. In a hobby that forgot why it started, that's not the leftover — that's the whole point. Collect because you love it. The rest is noise."
Respect the base card.
The most important idea behind Trades and This is simple: this is a place for collectors. Not just for whales chasing the next big hit — for the dedicated PC collector who wants to find their cards, whatever they are.
That's why I don't take the easy road of only listing a handful of high-value cards. With me, everything goes in the shop — from 80-cent base cards to four-figure gems, from 1950s vintage to the newest releases. "Home of the base card" and "Respect the base card" aren't just slogans. They're the whole point.
And here's where my past comes back in: every form of collecting deserves respect and tolerance — as long as no one gets hurt by it. Whether you chase autos, hunt rookies, or keep a shoebox of base cards you just love, you belong here.
More than a shop. A brand.
The goal was bold: become the biggest single-card dealer in Europe. Today I'm past 90,000 cards and still climbing. I cover the major US sports, with a bit of TCG and other bits mixed in for good measure.
Newest chapter: merch. Because Trades and This was never meant to be just a store — it's a brand and a philosophy. Everything here is built to feel more relaxed, less obsessed with pure value, with the product and the hobby itself back in the spotlight where they belong.
We break differently.
The final piece is breaking, which I started over a year ago. Like a lot of what I do, my own style of breaking grew out of watching how things shouldn't be done — and building something better. Not alone, though. I've learned a huge amount from people I deeply respect:
Janni from Ohsnap Cards & Collectibles — who constantly challenges me, pushes my thinking, and is a real sparring partner. Together we host the Baseball Talk every Wednesday on Twitch, and I've learned so much from her. Sebastian from b_baseballcards — without him, this shop wouldn't exist. He brought me into the European baseball community and opened the door to a whole new circle of collectors. And Blagocardz, my newest shop partner, who now sells his breaks through Trades and This — a collaboration with a lot of future in it.
What unites all of us is a shared belief: break differently — more customer-focused, more hobby-focused. We don't rush through boxes. We take the time to learn the products. We never forget that people spend real money to be in these breaks — and that it's supposed to be a good, relaxed time. Because at the end of the day, we're a community: the breaker, the shop owner, and the collector, all in it together.
Slow and real beats fast and hollow.
I'll be honest: running all of this is a serious amount of work — often more than one person is really meant to carry. But that's a deliberate choice. I have zero interest in squeezing every last euro out of this brand just to cash in quickly.
I believe things like this have to grow slowly and genuinely — not get brutally rushed to the top. This is handmade, built with care, one card and one break at a time. And it'll keep growing exactly that way: on its own terms, with the hobby and the community first.
Thanks for being here.
— Martin, Trades and This
