Buying Cards online worth it?
General forum
Posted on Sept. 14, 2017, 7:03 p.m. by Calibus101
Been looking at cards online just to see prices and i'm worried about the counterfeit and fake cards being a common issue. I'm from Canada and most cheap respectable online sellers charge up to 50$ extra on shipping alone in USD. That being said, our dollar is made of feces right now and any expectation of a cheap card on american dollar is not happening any time soon.
How bad is the card economy due to counterfeits? Should I risk it?
Well a couple things. First of all, if you buy from a seller and find it is a fake, you can actually cancel the payment and justify it with them selling fake merchandise.
Second, Troll and Toad or go home
September 14, 2017 7:15 p.m.
Magiccardmarket.eu . I think they ship worldwide . Their prices are the best and the cards are all authentic.
September 14, 2017 8:55 p.m.
To answer your question: The online card economy is not that bad, and it is totally worth it to buy cards online. I've been doing it for years and I have used only two different online retailers:
Cardshark: has been a pretty reputable dealer for me over the years. They can be a bit pricey, but at the very least you can choose how much you're willing to pay for a card. Its kind of like a faux ebay, where sellers post cards that they have for sale, but it's all non-negotiable for the most part. Some sellers post their cards up for cheaper than some others. What's really neat is the feature where the site calculates which sellers you should choose due to them having an inventory that contains most of the cards you want. It'll help you save on shipping. Additionally, I'd say that this site has the most variety, and is perfect if you're looking to get a bunch of bulk commons.
eBay: I'm going to echo a few of the concerns here where you could be potentially buying fake merchandise, especially for high priced cards. It's not quite as common as you think, and on top of that there are ways to spot counterfeits. I've used the light test to test my cards, and have found every single one of my ebay purchases to be genuine. I don't think i've seen any counterfeit cards with the exact same cardstock as MTG cards...so I think this is a good test. Also, if you feel like a particular purchase may be sketchy, I cannot emphasize this enough- reach out to the seller and ask them a question. "Why are you selling your cards? Are they genuine?" etc. I've asked this multiple times when I was looking to complete my Original Dual lands collection...and i'd say 80-85% of the time the sellers have been nice and polite. One however was quite rude...so I assumed they were probably selling a fake lol. Sorry for rambling on so long, I hope this post was useful to you.
September 14, 2017 9:39 p.m. Edited.
Oloro_Magic says... #7
Being from Canada as well I find that what I will refer to as the big three are the best places to buy cards online: these are CardKingdom, StarCityGames, and TCGPlayer. These stores often have fair shipping prices (usually only a couple dollars American unless you want tracking and a bunch of other guarantees) and consistently have solid prices considering their place in determining the value of cards.
As for shops located in Canada, I have had good experiences ordering online with Card Advantage in Toronto, Game Keeper Online in Montreal, and have heard good things about 401 Games (I have only bought cards from here in person not online).
As for counterfeits, ordering from any of the above stores will mean you are almost certainly safe, ebay can be a grey area but other users have given you good advice when considering this.
AMJacker says... #2
Just be sure you go with a reputable seller. Cardkingdom.com in Seattle is awesome! or any of the other big online ones should be fine. eBay? not so much.
I also have never had a problem going through Amazon.,
September 14, 2017 7:12 p.m. Edited.