ETopps

eTopps: A line of trading cards produced by Topps that are sold directly to the collector via the internet. First introduced in December 2000, eTopps cards are sold exclusively online through individual "IPOs" (or, "Initial Player Offering") in which the card is offered for a short period of time (usually a week) at a set IPO price (usually $5-$7 per card). The quantity sold depends on how many people offer to buy, but is limited to a certain maximum -- usually less than a thousand.

After a sale, the cards are held in a climate-controlled warehouse until the buyer requests delivery. eTopps cards were designed to be traded online without changing hands except in the virtual sense.

Topps had high hopes for the eTopps concept, signing a partnership deal with eBay and spending $5.7 million to acquire thePit.com, an on-line sports card "stock market." However most collectors never fully accepted the "virtual trading card" concept and sales figures for the first few years were less than expected.

Despite this, the cards have maintained a small, cult following, and the profit margins are high enough for Topps to have maintained the eTopps program for over a decade.