Make the Cards Work For You: A Guide to TCGPlayer
Whether you’re trying to build a powerful deck, sell some bulk rares, or scope the latest trends, TCGplayer has what you need.
Greetings, fellow spellslingers! Whether you prefer the fantasy warfare of the Multiverse, the monstrous battles of the Shadow Realm, or wrestling matches between adorable creatures, you want your deck to be top-notch. Buying packs is certainly one way to get the cards you need, but it’s always a gamble.
Sometimes, you just want to secure the pieces you’re actually after or get rid of the extras you have. That’s where tcgplayer.com comes in. This handy guide will help you get started with the site. We’ll also show you some handy tips for buying (and selling), plus some of the OTHER features the site offers.
What is TCGPlayer?
As you can probably guess from the title, TCGPlayer is an online shop for trading card games. Whether you want to pick up some new stuff, sell your old stuff, or just peruse the price point for your shiny pulls, TCGPlayer has you covered. The site was founded in 2008 by Ray Moore and Chedy Hampson as an arm of their web design company, Ascension Web Design. The two had met at a Magic: the Gathering tournament and decided to turn their mutual love for the game into profit.
At first, they would tour the Pro circuits to interview top finishers for their winning strategies. They released a magazine starting in 2002 with all their interviews, price points, and gaming news. But by 2007 the revenue had disappeared when advertisers pulled their ads. To keep their company floating, Hampson and Moore scrapped the site and reintroduced it as a marketplace for TCG and CCG sellers.
While this put them in some competition with eBay, most sellers gravitated to TCGPlayer. Why? Because they could see prices for the cards from lowest to highest. They could also check conditions, see sellers, and estimate shipping time. In 2022, the two companies merged, both hoping to reach a wider audience. The combination of eBay’s selling expertise and TCGPlayer’s dedicated workforce and client base was a win.
However, most buyers still go to TCGPlayer’s home site first, taking advantage of the site’s several helpful features.
Today, it’s one of the most popular TCG marketplaces on the internet, drawing in several thousand unique visitors a day. Even after the merger, it is an autonomous seller. The site has maintained its position as the top seller of TCGs and CCGs online.
READ MORE: MtG: “Why Are Your Cards So Pretty?” A Guide to Secret Lair
So It’s Just Magic Cards?
Not at all! TCGPlayer covers every TCG out there. This includes popular choices like Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon to lesser-known titles like Weiss Schwarz and MetaZoo. The site prides itself on providing gamers of all types with the resources they need to excel at their chosen game–regardless of how many others play it. If you want the best cards, whatever you’re playing, TCGPlayer can probably help you out.
Is it Safe?
Absolutely! TCGPlayer has several layers of security in place to keep your information private and your purchases clean. Every once and a while, orders will be delayed or vanish. But the helpful support features can get you your products in no time. Of course, as with all online marketplaces, there is always the risk of scams. However, TCGPlayer has helpful markers on each of their products to show you exactly who you’re buying from.
Want to guarantee your products with the highest security? Make sure the item you buy has a blue lightning bolt. That specifies your item is coming directly from the TCGPlayer warehouse and has their guarantee behind it.
When Will I Get My Stuff?
That is also entirely dependent on which items you buy. TCGPlayer Direct orders usually ship within two business days. The site also provides an estimated delivery of 12-15 business days after the order date. However, non-direct orders can arrive as quickly as two days after the order or sometimes up to four weeks. Since the independent sellers aren’t working on the warehouse’s time clock, your order is entirely in their hands.
If you catch them on vacation, during a busy week, or just an inconvenient time, it may take a while to get your cards in your hands. This, again, is a good advocate for getting direct orders. Thankfully, TCGPlayer has a cart optimizer. It allows you to decide between the cheapest shipping, fewest packages, or most Direct products.
Can I Sell Stuff There, Too?
TCGPlayer has tons of utility for independent sellers. The site even has a helpful website to get you integrated into their system. If you plan to be selling a lot, there are options to designate yourself as such. The more you sell, the more designations you get, and the higher on the search bar you’ll appear.
If you want to do the least work and the lowest hassle, you can also ship your products directly to TCGPlayer. There, they will be stored in the warehouse until purchase. While this usually invokes the highest commissions, it also gives your buyers peace of mind–so a sale is more likely. If you want to sell some stuff on TCGPlayer, head over to their Get Started site here.
Is It Just a Marketplace?
TCGPlayer is primarily a site for selling cards, yes, but that is not its only function. There are also a wealth of articles about price metrics, tournament metas, and exciting news. You can see which archetypes are winning local and online tournaments. You can also check out which cards are trending and what you should buy or sell quickly. Whatever game you’re playing, TCGPlayer has a dedicated professional reporting news to keep you as up-to-date as possible.
