FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) For
Non-Sport Trading Cards.com

 

• When will I receive my order?

Most orders are shipped within 7 to 14 days of receipt. Please allow us sufficient time to process your order and for the shipping company to deliver it prior to making an inquiry (10-14 business days).  In some cases an item may be sold out.  If this is the case, you will be notified by email as to when/if we will be expecting a reshipment.

• Do you take pre-orders?

Yes, but only when we are certain a product will arrive within 30 days.  When you pre-order an item, your order is stored in our system and your credit card company "holds" the order amount for 30 days.  Your credit card is then charged approximately one week before the pre-ordered item(s) is ready to ship.  Please note:  If you order in-stock items on the same order as a pre-ordered item, all items will be held and will be shipped together after the pre-order item(s) have arrived in our warehouse.  If you want the in-stock items immediately, please place an order for your pre-order items separately.

• What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. Checks or money orders are also welcome.  If paying by money order, please put the numbers 9999 in the check field.  Also, please note: if paying by check, we may hold the order until the check clears (usually 5-7 business days).

• What is the policy on Returns and Refunds?

Due to the nature of the trading card product and the volatility of the market, we cannot accept returns, with the exception of items that are inadvertently misrepresented in item description or incorrect merchandise is shipped.

• Do you offer cases of trading cards for sale?

Of course!  We offer special discounts on case pricing and all cases ordered will come with their respective case-topper or multi-case incentive cards.  Contact us at 630/792-9461 for case pricing of any upcoming product.

• Do you buy or trade cards?

At this time, we are not buying card collections or trading product.  This policy may change in the future.

• How will my cards be shipped?

All base sets and chase sets will be shipped in either plastic snap boxes, plastic 2-piece boxes, or cardstock display boxes.  Autograph cards, costume cards, memorabilia/prop cards, and sketch cards valued at more than $100 will be sent in a screwdown (for those cards valued at or under $100, the card will be sent in a plastic sleeve inside a toploader, or you may purchase a screwdown for an additional charge).  Factory-sealed cards will be sent as is; we will not take the cards out of their package.  Promo cards and singles of chase cards will be sent in plastic sleeves inside a top loader.  If you order a promo card with a base set, the promo card may be placed in with the base set.

• Can I pick up my order in person?

Sure!  You may pick up your order at our retail store, located at 702 S. Main Street in Lombard, IL.  Select the "In-Store Pickup" in the shipping drop-down box at checkout.   Please wait for an email confirmation of your order, however, so that we might have it ready for pickup. Click on Contact Us for complete store details.

• I'm concerned about security.  Do you sell your customers' names to outside companies?  Is my credit card information safe?

We will never sell our customers' information (including e-mail addresses) to any outside company or organization.  In addition, your credit card information is accessed only by our credit card processing company and is not kept on our secure server after your order has been processed.  Also for your security, we now require Address Verification for any purchase over $100.  Your billing address MUST match the address at which you receive your credit card statement.  If the address does not match, your order will be held until additional identity confirmation can be made.  We are a verified merchant through Authorize.net.

• What if I can't find the specific item I want on your site?

Contact us at cs@nonsporttradingcards.com and ask! We might have or be able to find what you're looking for.

• What is a chase set?  a hobby box?

Here is a handy guide to help you define some of the more common terms used in the non-sport trading card industry:

Action Flipz Card – card measuring 2.25” x 2.25” that makes the image appear in 3D; used almost exclusively by Artbox Entertainment Company

Autograph Card – card hand-signed by an actor, crew member, or production member; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Archive Box – sealed box that contains all cards found in the trading card series (all base cards, chase cards, and autograph/costume/memorabilia/sketch cards)

Base Set – standard set of common cards; normally comes in sets of 72, 81, or 90, but there are the occasional sets that come with fewer or more cards

Binder Exclusive Card – card found only in the trading card binder for that particular series

Box Topper – card found one per box; there are normally 3-4 different box toppers per series that will make up a set

Case Topper – card found one per case; may be an autograph card, costume card, die-cut, or just a special card to be found one per case

Chase Set – set of uncommon to rare cards; normally comes in sets of 6 or 9 and are found in ratio packs (e.g., 1:9 = one chase card found in every 9th pack of cards); typical chase set can be a puzzle set, a foil set, or a sticker set, or may contain images on a theme

Common Card – card easily found; base sets are made of this type of card

Costume Card – card containing cloth material; may come directly from the costume worn by the actor or from the bolts of cloth from which the costumes were made; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Die-Cut Card – card cut out in the shape of the image

Exclusive Promo Card – promo card created exclusively for an event (e.g., San Diego Comic Con) or for a company (e.g., Non-Sport Update)

Expansion Set – set of cards produced after the original trading card series that adds to the base set and may include a special autograph or costume card

Film Cardz – card containing a piece of film from the series/movie; used almost exclusively by Artbox Entertainment Company

Hobby Box – sealed box containing autograph cards, costume/memorabilia cards, and/or sketch cards; available from distributors

Insert Set – see Chase Set

Lenticular Card – card that makes image appear in 3D or "in motion"

Master Set – complete set of cards from a series; includes the base set, all chase sets, all autograph/costume/memorabilia/sketch cards, promo cards and the binder

Memorabilia Card – card containing an authenticated piece of a prop (e.g., paper, foam, yarn, etc.) used in the series/movie; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Motion Card – card that shows a moving image when tilted back and forth

Parallel Set – set of cards that depict the exact same images as either the base or chase set but are slightly different in that the cards can be:  printed on different type of card stock; embossed; have a glitter outline; or can be reflective/prismatic foil

Pieceworks Card – See Costume Card

Preview Set – set of cards created by the manufacturer to generate interest in the trading card series; normally comes in sets of 9 cards

Promo Card – card created by the manufacturer to generate interest in the trading card series; there are normally between 1 and 3 promo cards created per set, but there have been instances where there are more than 3

Prop Card – see Memorabilia Card

Puzzle Set – see Chase Set

Rare Card – card found mainly one per sealed hobby box; autographs, costumes, memorabilia, and sketch cards are made up of this type of card

Redemption Card – card that is turned into the manufacturer for either an autograph, costume/memorabilia, or sketch card; normally occurs when the autograph, costume/memorabilia, or sketch card was not ready to be inserted into the pack production

Retail Box – sealed box that may contain autograph cards, costume/memorabilia cards, and/or sketch cards with no guarantee of availability; found mostly at large retail stores (Wal*Mart, Target, etc.)

SketchaFEX Card - sketch card; term is copyrighted by Rittenhouse Archives

Sketch Card – card hand-sketched by an artist depicting various characters or scenes from the series/movie; may be in pencil, pen, or may be in color; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Subset – see Chase Set

Ultra-Rare Card – card that is very hard to obtain and may be found only one per x cases (x could be 1, could be 6, depending on the rarity of the card)  Most high-end autograph cards are considered ultra-rare, e.g., Hugh Jackman autograph card from Van Helsing (found 1:6 cases); or Jennifer Garner autograph card from Alias: Season 2 (found 1:3 cases); or the casino chip redemption from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Series 1 (found in 1:8 cases)

Uncommon Card – card found 3-9 per sealed hobby box; chase sets are made up of this type of card

Wax Box – archaic term used today to indicate an unopened sealed box that is in the same condition as when it left the manufacturer; it is archaic because the cards are no longer packaged in wax paper

Widevision Card – card measuring 2.5” x 4.75”

 

Have a question not answered in this FAQ?  Email us at cs@nonsporttradingcards.com and we will do our best to answer your question.