Both Todd and Tom Hallada were born with muscular dystrophy, and are wheelchair bound. This never stopped them from growing 2Bros Sports’ inventory of over 3 million sports cards, with a retail store and a warehouse managed by Todd, Tom and their six full-time employees.
Q: Where does the inspiration for your business come from?
A: Growing up, my brother Tom and I really enjoyed watching sports together, and we kept a small sports card collection. When I was in high school, my disability limited my options for work. Fortunately, online businesses were becoming more popular around the same time. eBay was an opportunity for me to earn an income doing something I love in my own, self-created work environment!
Q: How has selling on eBay contributed to your success?
A: Selling on eBay has always been the largest part of our business. eBay has a very strong core group of customers that will only go this marketplace for their sports card needs. The biggest asset to selling on the platform is the ability to reach global customers. Selling globally has actually given us the ability to sell soccer and hockey cards because there is a high demand overseas. We ship significant amounts of cards internationally every week. eBay has a strong brand and is trusted globally for a niche market in sports cards.
Q: What is your proudest business moment on eBay?
A: When I think back to how this business started with just three packs of cards and $50, we put so much time and effort into such a small inventory. It is rewarding to look back on where we began, and we can honestly say we built our business to the scale it is today, 99 cents at a time.
Q: How has selling in one space supported the other (e.g. selling online supporting your physical store or vice versa)?
A: Since opening our retail store, we often see some of our online customers show up and love what we have done on the retail side. We do not sell sealed sports card boxes online, so several of our customers will purchase them in our store. On the flipside, after opening a box of cards, many of our retail customers will check our website to fill the cards they missed in their box. Our online platform enables our retail success and vice versa.
Q: How has selling on eBay impacted your life?
A: With the exception of my time working in the corporate cubicle world, selling on eBay has literally been my life since I was 16. I thoroughly enjoy the entire process of selling on eBay, from listing inventory, to checking sales, to shipping orders, and working with customers.
Q: What is your favorite eBay tool/program?
A: By far, our favorite tool on eBay is managed promotions. Because of the tool, we have been able to offer discounts on larger orders which encourage customers to purchase more products, allowing us to maintain high inventory turnover.
