What equipment is needed to setup a card break at home?
So you want to be a card breaker? No problem. Let’s go through a checklist of what it takes to become a sports card breaker.
Are you a charismatic person that loves working with customers? Yes!
Do you have card product inventory? Yes!
Do you have the equipment to live broadcast your card break? No?
Let’s go over a few necessary items that you’ll need to get your card breaking venture up and going. By no means is this a definitive list, but it’s something to get you started and something that you’ll improve over time as you get more comfortable as a card breaker. My advice is to keep it simple and improve over time. But as you become a sports card box breaking veteran, then you’ll want to know more about what exact card breaking supplies you’ll need to have on-hand.
(BTW: SLabstat and Waxstat is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep our card breaking software and WaxStat Price Tracker for free)
It’s okay to not have the most sophisticated card breaking camera setup at the beginning. A simple iPhone or Android phone and some duct tape plus a professional approach and you’ll be upgrading your card breaking setup in no time (especially with the use of SLabstat’s card breaking software).
What should be in your card breaking studio?
You’ll need a room that’s free of distraction and free of too much or too little light (we’ll get to lights in a little bit). Most card breakers have a dedicated office with a door that can be shut or at least notify any body else that you are doing a live broadcast and shouldn’t be disturbed. The room should be big enough to have a table or two, a chair, a computer with monitor and can fit 1-2 persons comfortably
Internet service provider for card breaking
I wouldn’t get the cheapest plan nor would I go overkill and buy the most expensive super gigabyte plan. I have used Internet plans from a cable provider that support 100-200 mbps download and 10-20 mbps upload. This is usually enough to support streaming (even if you have a fancy high bandwidth 4k camera). Depending on where you live, you may have access to:
Cable Internet providers (from your TV provider like Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum/Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable)
DSL (from your telecom like AT&T Fiber, Verizon FIOS, Centurylink)
Satellite (Starlink)
SLabstat’s Waxstat is a free price tracker for card breakers that monitors wax boxes & cases, helping you decide when to buy and maximize your card breaking profits.
How many and what cameras will I need to setup my card break?
Okay. Let’s fast forward. So you just want to know what the best camera is your for your next card break? Go ahead. Click to find what the best camera is to video record your card break.
This is probably what you came here for and there’s no one answer for this. It comes down to how good of a production you want and how big your budget is. Many first time card breakers only have 1 camera (and that’s usually their iPhone or Android phone), but many want a multiple camera setup. In this article, we’ll talk about the equipment needed for a 1-camera or 3-camera card break setup, but let’s dig deeper and find out the advantages and disadvantages of having multi-camera setups. But if you want to skip ahead and find out what the best camera is for your card break, here are our Top 5 cameras that we’ve used for our multi-cam live shows.
For now, let’s focus on the what let me give you a few suggestions and reasons on what to buy:
1-camera card break setup
We recommend using your current iPhone or Android phone. Usually anything purchased starting with the iPhone X (including the iPhone XS, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13) have more than capable enough cameras.
I would recommend the settings of your phone’s video to be 1080p at 30FPS. Most of your customers will be watching your card break on their phone, tablet or laptop. Even if they have an 82” TV, your 1080p feed is more than enough.
If you don’t have a camera for a 1-camera setup, get a GoPro Hero 10 or better. You can always use it for your next vacation with all of your card breaking profits!
3-camera card break setup
This is an advanced card breaking setup. It’s not difficult, but it takes some trial-and-error to get it right.
Many card breakers will have a 3-camera setup (one camera in front of them to display the cards, one camera with a top-down view to show the entire table, and one camera pointed at the face of the card breaker).
In order to have a good 3-camera setup, you’ll need to use a free software called Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). This is important because it will combine the view of the 3-cameras into one display. We’ll talk about software below.
Economic 3-camera setup
Buy 3 x iPhone’s. You may have some used iPhones or Androids sitting around that support 1080p at 30 FPS. As long as you buy them used and unlocked, then they will be more than enough. (You’ll also need to add the OBS app on the phone.). This may be free if you have it laying around. There are also cheaper no-name cameras like Akaso’s Brave 4. It’s great as long as you have good lighting in your card break studio.
Intermediate 3-camera setup
Buy 3 x GoPro’s. We’ve used the GoPro Hero 7, but you can use the newer versions (like the GoPro Hero 10 or Insta360 ONE RS Twin Edition) or any other action camera as long as they have webcam capabilities.
Interested in hearing more about our thoughts on the GoPro and the Insta360, check out our Top 5 Cameras for card breaks.
Advanced 3-camera setup
Sky’s the limit here. We love Nikon, and a setup with 3 x Nikon Zfc mirrorless camera with zoom kit lens is more than enough. Nikon’s hardware and software have made it really easy for your computer to detect the cameras and get them going. I would really hold off on an advanced setup like this until you are comfortable with your entire production.
Sony mirrorless cameras are great too if you have the budget. The Sony Alpha 7 IV with 28-70mm Zoom Lens (aka the Sony A74). You’ll need 3 of them, so budget accordingly.
Still confused on whether you need a 1-camera, 2-camera or 3-camera card breaking setup? Let’s dig deeper.
How to stream your video for your card break?
This arguably is just as important, if not more important than your cameras. First of all, you should be using SLabstat’s card breaking software to help sell your break. Then you have to decide what platform will you be broadcasting on. For now, pick one platform:
This is important because this ultimately is the link/location that your customers will need to watch your card break show.
What else do you need to stream to these platforms?
Beginner
You need nothing else. Just 1 camera and hit the Go Live button on your platform and you’re live. Just point your customers in the right direction.
Advanced
You’ll need Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). This is an open source 3rd party tool that allows you to setup multiple cameras and add graphics and logos. My suggestion is to use OBS, but don’t try to boil the ocean.
Pay attention to these videos (and any newer videos that get uploaded) to find the API keys from YouTube/Facebook/Twitch to plug into your OBS software.
We like YouTube, Facebook & Twitch because it’s easy to plug in OBS to have a 3-camera setup. You can also overlay your logo and any other information you want to share with your customers.
Can I simultaneously broadcast my card break to multiple platforms?
Yes you can! While we haven’t tried it yet, there are 3rd party softwares that allow you to use OBS and simulcast to multiple platforms such as Restream, but let’s save that process for another time.
What lighting will I need for my card breaking?
The word photography derives from the ability to use light to capture an image. Your desk lamp and overhead florescent lightbulbs could be enough, but an adjustable ring light will be enough and can serve many purposes. We like this one:
We’ve also found that there’s no such thing has having too much adjustable light especially if it’s LED:
Position one light behind the card breaker and over their shoulder. This should be pointed at the cards that you will be breaking. You can have multiple lights to focus on the card breaker’s face and overlooking the entire table, but that’s optional.
Also don’t forget to close any blinds or get away from windows as it could distort your video or give unwanted reflections.
Other items that you’ll need to setup your card breaking operation
Don’t forget supplies like all different top loader sizes (138 point top loaders pictured). A sharp box cutter to slice open the plastic on the hanger boxes and blaster boxes is a nice upgrade from you pair of scissors. Also don’t forget to wear gloves. Your customers are paying you for your card breaking services, but please do everybody a favor and wear gloves before you rip open wax packs.
Top loaders, sleeves, sorters and stands. We cover the required Supplies a Card Breaker needs in this article.
Shipping supplies like padded envelopes, thermal printer (and labels), and a digital scale. We cover the best way to ship cards for a card breaker in this article.
A good computer or laptop with good RAM and hard disk storage.
Strong Wi-Fi router that’s compatible with your home network.
A monitor that’s at least 27” with at least 1080P (if not 4K).
USB hub to support multiple cameras
USB cables and power cables to get the cameras working
SD Cards (even though you are broadcasting straight to the internet, some cameras require that you have a storage card in order to function)
Tripods to hold your cameras like Amazon’s Basic tripod or Manfrotto’s PIXI to setup on your table.
A background for your broadcast. Many card breakers just setup a bunch of card boxes to hide the mess in their studio or they hang a bed sheet.
Large clock to be mindful of the time
What’s the most important piece of equipment for a card breaker?
Awesome! You’ve made it this far! I’m an independent software programmer that really enjoys the trading card hobby. I'd love your help in trying out SLabstat’s card breaking software and Waxstat.com a free wax box pricing tracker. The best part is that they’re free.
So drumroll…. The answer is a 2022 Panini Rookies & Stars Football Hobby 14-Box Case or a 2022 Bowman Draft Baseball Super Jumbo Box. Okay. I kid. I kid.
Really, the most important piece of equipment is being yourself, keeping things simple and finding your style. You won’t hit a homerun on your first card break, but if you stick around long enough, you’ll be able to build your audience of regular customers and have fun ripping open packs. Don’t believe us? We went a little more in depth on what a card breaker is and how a sports card case breaker can become very successful.
At the end of the day, try to be funny and relatable. If not, and I don’t always recommend it, but maybe a 12-pack of beers could help loosen the nerves.
What about one more tip for new card breakers?
One of the key components to making sure you keep your card breaking business viable for years and decades to come, is to make sure you are profitable. You become profitable by selling your goods and services for more money or cut the expenses or costs that you incur. In doing so, we’ve scoured the Internet to price compare wax boxes, cases, blaster, megas and other trading card products to find the cheapest deals for you. We call it Waxstat.com - it a free wax box price comparison tool.
You can also save some money by applying promo codes, coupon codes and discounts when buying your products and supplies. Here’s a handy list:
Grand Slam Collectibles discount coupons and promo codes
