One record for the table and for taxes
The record you make at the table is also the tax record. Comped saves the cost of every card, with the table fee and the travel beside your sales, which is what turns a sales list into books.
A cash buy at a show leaves no bank line and no platform report. The IRS asks for a record of the purchase, which for a table buy means the seller, the date, the item and the price. The cost basis guide for cash and trade buys covers what to write down.
A show day in the app
A show day in Comped is a handful of small entries, each made on the phone in your hand. The screens below are the current app with demo data.
Before doors open, log the table fee. Tap Write-off, pick Table and show fees, enter the amount and add the show's name as the note. Parking, supplies and the hotel go in the same way under their own categories.
When someone walks up with a card, scan it. Comped identifies the card, reads the grade and cert on a slab, and shows a market value from recent sales with current listings. Upload and Manual cover a photo you already took or a card you would rather type in.
If you buy the card, enter the price and the show and save. It joins your inventory with its cost and your photo. When a card sells, record the sale, and Comped finds the card in inventory and marks it sold. Deciding what to offer is a separate question: the buy percentage calculator turns a market value into an offer.
A trade at the table
A trade is one entry on the Trade screen. Pick the cards you are giving from your inventory and set the value agreed for each. Say who added cash, then add the cards you are getting by scan or by hand.
Comped books each card you give as sold at its trade value. The cards you get come in at what you gave for them, here $450. That keeps the profit right when the new card sells. To test the numbers before you shake hands, the card trade calculator handles cards plus cash.
What it records at a show
Comped records purchases, sales, trades, inventory and show costs. Each row below is in the current iPhone app.
| At the show | What you do | What is saved |
|---|---|---|
| A card comes across the table | Scan it, or search by name | Player, year, set, card number, parallel, and the grade and cert on a slab |
| You need a price | Open the card's page | A market value from recent sales, a price line and current listings |
| You buy for cash | Enter price and venue | An inventory card with its cost, date and photo |
| You sell for cash | Record the sale | Sale price, the card's cost and the profit |
| You trade | Fill in the Trade screen | A sale for each card out, and each card in with its cost |
| You pay for the table | Log a write-off | Amount, category and note |
| You drive home | Log travel and mileage | A dollar amount and a note with the miles |
Typing a card in by hand or searching by name does not use a scan. That matters on a busy day on the free plan, which includes 5 scans a week.
Packing up: what is left and where it is
The Inventory tab is the list of what did not sell. Each card shows its current value and the gain or loss against your cost. The show box field says which box or case it went home in, and the In Stock, Listed and Sold filters split the list.
For paper at the table, the card show inventory sheet and the card show vendor checklist are free downloads.
The numbers after the show
After the show, the Money tab shows realized profit for the month or the year and a set-aside estimate at 25% of it. The figures below are an example of how a day adds up, not real sales.
AN EXAMPLE SHOW DAY, NOT REAL SALES
A one-day show in the second half of 2026, 60 miles each way.
The IRS mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents from July 1 to December 31, 2026. Comped takes mileage as a dollar amount, so you multiply the miles by the rate and enter $91.20. To plan a show before you book it, the card show profit and table break-even calculator runs these lines ahead of time.
At the end of the year, Export taxes makes one CSV: a Schedule C style summary, then every sale, every card bought and every write-off. Hand it to your preparer with the card show vendor tax checklist.
Who it suits and what it does not do
Comped suits one vendor with an iPhone who sells sports cards, Pokemon cards or both and wants the day on the books when the table comes down. These jobs are outside it.
- No Android app and no web version. It runs on iPhone.
- No card reader. It records the sale you made; it does not run a card.
- No receipts emailed to buyers, and no price labels.
- No team accounts. A second person at the table cannot share the inventory.
- No sales tax. It has no field for tax collected and files no return. Your state's rules are in the state sales tax and show permit guide.
- No income tax return. It exports the records; a preparer or filing software does the return.
- Scans and prices need a data connection, so check the signal in the hall before doors open.
Price
Comped is free to download. The free plan keeps every record, including trades and the tax export, with 5 scans a week that reset each Monday. Pro is $16.99 a month or $99 a year and adds unlimited scans and a bank link that flags card purchases and sales. You can cancel from the Plan screen in the app.
Related guides
- Card show vendor apps compared: price, platforms and features of each app, from its own site.
- How to track card show sales: the method, on paper, in a spreadsheet or in an app.
- Card show vendor taxes checklist: what a preparer needs from each show.
FAQ
What is the best app for card show vendors?
It depends on the job. Comped suits a vendor who wants purchases, sales, trades, inventory and the tax records in one place on an iPhone. A vendor who needs Android, a card reader or a shared team account should look at other tools.
Can I track card purchases as well as sales?
Yes. Each buy is saved with the card, price, venue, date and photo, and the card goes into inventory with that cost. The sale later uses the same cost to show profit.
Does it handle trades at the table?
Yes. The Trade screen takes the cards you give, cash either way and the cards you get. Each card going out is booked as sold at its trade value, and each card coming in gets its cost.
Can it take card payments?
No. Comped records a sale after you make it. Take the payment with your own reader or payment app, then record the sale in Comped.
Does it work without scanning every card?
Yes. Search for a card by name or type it in by hand. Neither counts toward the 5 free scans a week.
Does it work for Pokemon cards and sports cards?
Yes. Both are recorded the same way, raw or graded: the card, grade, cert, cost and sale.
Can I export my sales after the show?
Yes, by year. Export taxes on the Money tab makes a CSV with a summary, every sale, every card bought and every write-off for that year.
The card business is a cash business. Why record cash deals?
Cash sales are income like any other, and cash buys are your cost. Without a record of what you paid, there is no cost to subtract from the sale.
SOURCES AND SCOPE
Features described from the Comped iPhone app, version 1.2.2, November 13, 2026. Screens show demo data. Prices are in US dollars. The example show day uses round figures and is not sales data. Record rules are from IRS Publication 583 and mileage rates from the IRS standard mileage rates, checked November 2026. Read our sources and editorial standards.
This is general information for card sellers, not tax or legal advice for your situation. Rules change and states differ; a CPA who knows your numbers wins every time.