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Author Topic:   Most reputable online stores?
airwalk
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posted July 06, 2010 11:15 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for airwalk Send a private message to airwalk Click to send airwalk an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
With all the recent fake stores selling cards, or just having shady practises, what ones have you had good experiences with? Obviously buying on MOTL is ideal, but when you do have to deal with an online store to get what you want, where do you go?

To do a test, some friends purchased $50 worth of cards from MTGFanatic. Cards arrived fine and on time in conditions described, now we put in a joint $1000 order and are past the date it should have been delivered?

How can you prevent getting burnt when you're only option is from an online store?


Sorry if this post is against the TOS for talking about non-MOTL sites, but I didn't see it in the forums rules for Magic Discussion.


[Edited 1 times, lastly by airwalk on July 06, 2010]

 
PortlisX
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posted July 06, 2010 01:32 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for PortlisX Click Here to Email PortlisX Send a private message to PortlisX Click to send PortlisX an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
I wouldn't worry about your order from MTGFanatic. Though I have never purchased anything from them, I've sold an incredibly large $$ amount worth of cards to them and they have always been completely honest. They tend to be a little slow at times, but I definitely trust them and they are the pickiest card graders on the net.

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Tiff
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posted July 06, 2010 02:03 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for Tiff Click Here to Email Tiff Send a private message to Tiff Click to send Tiff an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
I have dealt with channelfireball a few times with no problems, however others have posted here that they have so it's up to you.

If you go to allmagiccards.com you can get a wide variety of stores with feedback from deals they've done. Personaly i have bought from mtgchicago, empiregamesonline.net, and not from amc mtgmintcard. All 3 went smooth and cards were sent quickly and in conditions described. I would recommend any of those 3.

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bigbob585
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posted July 06, 2010 03:48 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for bigbob585 Click Here to Email bigbob585 Send a private message to bigbob585 Click to send bigbob585 an Instant MessageVisit bigbob585's Homepage  Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
I think globalmtg.com is pretty awesome and reputable. They also offer to match most competitor buy prices.

Then again, I own the website so you can call me biased if you want.

Aside from my own site, the best experiences I've had with competitors, customer service, and delivery time have been card kingdom, troll and toad, and SCG. The others are hit and miss as you'll order a NM playset of one card and receive each card in a different condition.

To give you an idea, here's some experiences from some of my competitors.

card kingdom (3-5 day shipping, overall best conditions received except foil promos can be off quite a bit)

troll and toad (shipping generally takes a little longer but it's cheap. I ordered a playset of field marshal last week from them and only 2 were NM, but they sent me two new ones and said not to worry about the 2 played ones they sent.

SCG (i bought a bunch of cards from them awhile ago that weren't nearly in the condition they should have been. They simply said to forget about it and issued me a $15 gift card)

MTGfanatic (generally the most strict in grading along with my site but as stated above, they can take a long time to process buy orders and ship as well.)

channelfireball (despite them having an almost banworthy feedback rating from negs on ebay and a myriad of complaints on all the forums about them.. I've honestly never had a bad experience in the many dozens of times I've ordered from them.)

I hope this helps but then agian...

[Edited 3 times, lastly by bigbob585 on July 06, 2010]

 
98ViperGTS
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posted July 06, 2010 04:47 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for 98ViperGTS Click Here to Email 98ViperGTS Send a private message to 98ViperGTS Click to send 98ViperGTS an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
For canadians, Kyle from MTGisland is a solid great guy.
I've also had good dealings with buymorecards.net
Stay away from Alter Reality Games, Alpha Beta Unlimited, and Hobby Goblins (they recentl accused me of basically stealing 2 tarmogoyfs from them, when I advised them that I hadn't received my order).
 
CubFan81
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posted July 07, 2010 06:48 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for CubFan81 Click Here to Email CubFan81 Send a private message to CubFan81 Click to send CubFan81 an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
Coolstuffinc has been pretty good for me. They also have a built in rewards system that increases your discount on product and singles based on how much you've previously bought from them.

Channelfireball was fine the one time I ordered from them, but I've heard too many stories. For example, I know someone who wanted to cash out his standard stuff but also had some extended stuff. He went through the website and entered all the stuff using their buylist and emailed them about the stuff not listed on their buylist that they'd still probably want. They said it would probably be easier if he just sent them all of it. He sent all of it and they came back with a number LOWER than what he had worked out from their website for just the Standard stuff. Not a few dollars less but hundreds less. It also wasn't weeks later but just a few days and before the release of Rise so there was no upcoming rotation to affect the prices so quickly.

 
dwiz
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posted July 07, 2010 07:59 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for dwiz Click Here to Email dwiz Send a private message to dwiz Click to send dwiz an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View dwiz's Trade Auction or SaleView dwiz's Trade Auction or Sale
As always, just don't deal with Magic Arsenal.

MTGFanatic will take a month to send you a check if you choose to be paid that way when sending in a buylist.

Cardhaus recently canceled my order for Lim Dul's vaults, but said on the forum here they will look into it. No actual email contact from them yet.

 
yukizora
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posted July 07, 2010 08:27 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for yukizora Click Here to Email yukizora Send a private message to yukizora Click to send yukizora an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
I order through Trollandtoad. It's good if you're not afraid by Exellent cards sometimes.

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Xellos
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posted July 07, 2010 08:42 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for Xellos Send a private message to Xellos Click to send Xellos an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
I've always liked starcitygames.com. I've never bought cards from them, but everything else has arrived on time and well packaged.

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Thanos
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posted July 07, 2010 08:45 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for Thanos Click Here to Email Thanos Send a private message to Thanos Click to send Thanos an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View Thanos's Have/Want ListView Thanos's Have/Want List
Never had a problem with:

SCG
T&T
Cool Stuff Inc.
Smedlock
ABU Games

Had problems with:

Channel Fireball

 
implode
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posted July 07, 2010 09:36 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for implode Click Here to Email implode Send a private message to implode Click to send implode an Instant MessageVisit implode's Homepage  Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View implode's Have/Want ListView implode's Have/Want List
I fluctuate loyalty, based on pricing.

I like in no particuliar order:
Coolstuffinc.com
Collectorscache.com
Starcitygames.com
Trollandtoad.com

 
slurpee
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posted July 07, 2010 09:43 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for slurpee Click Here to Email slurpee Send a private message to slurpee Click to send slurpee an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View slurpee's Trade Auction or SaleView slurpee's Trade Auction or Sale
People I have had trouble with:
Captain Collect
KidCard
GameOutfitter.com

All of these people I Ordered cases or boxes from in the past only to take my money and not ever ship them. I did get refunds, but only after a month or two.

 
MTDetermine
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posted July 07, 2010 10:15 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for MTDetermine Click Here to Email MTDetermine Send a private message to MTDetermine Click to send MTDetermine an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
Trollandtoad.com is a VERY HONEST shop.

In Nov 2009, I ordered 8 pieces of Dream Hall when it was still a $2 card.

The package never reached me. Instead, it was returned to Troll and Toad in Mar 2010. By that time, Dream Hall had increased to $10.

Troll and Toad still mailed that package with the (underpriced) Dream Halls to me again and I got it this time round.

 
lordofthepit23
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posted July 07, 2010 10:28 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for lordofthepit23 Click Here to Email lordofthepit23 Send a private message to lordofthepit23 Click to send lordofthepit23 an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
No problems with:
MTGFanatic (the horror stories regarding them mostly pertain to selling, which I'll avoid)
Channel Fireball (very responsive to emails too)
Shuffle and Cut (although their grading isn't as strict, received some edge wear on NM cards)
CoolstuffInc

Problems with:
AdventuresON

I've dealt once with StrikeZoneOnline on the night Grim Monolith was banned. They actually honored my purchase of four Grim Monoliths at $10 each. This was the only time I've ever tried to buy something that was about to spike up in cost, which most retailers don't seem to honor. So they get special props here.

I've heard great things about Troll and Toad too. I've only ordered once through their eBay storefront, and I'm not going to give them a "perfect" mark because the seller should always leave feedback first (which they failed to do). But I heard they sold a sealed Beta Box a few years ago, and despite the fact that the boosters are supposedly easy to search, someone opened up a Black Lotus. Not sure where I found that article.

[Edited 1 times, lastly by lordofthepit23 on July 07, 2010]

 
Louisboy
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posted July 07, 2010 12:07 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for Louisboy Click Here to Email Louisboy Send a private message to Louisboy Click to send Louisboy an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
wtf... just sold some stuff to MTGfanatic.com.. they short me and say cards were sent back apparently. I haven't received any cards in a month and they say they can't do anything about.. nor will they send the difference. I got $10 on them not even sending out.. cause I doubt an envelope would have got lost.
 
TimeBeing
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posted July 07, 2010 02:04 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for TimeBeing Click Here to Email TimeBeing Send a private message to TimeBeing Click to send TimeBeing an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
put my 2 cents in for coolstuffinc.
 
dwiz
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posted July 07, 2010 03:35 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for dwiz Click Here to Email dwiz Send a private message to dwiz Click to send dwiz an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View dwiz's Trade Auction or SaleView dwiz's Trade Auction or Sale
quote:
Originally posted by Louisboy:
wtf... just sold some stuff to MTGfanatic.com.. they short me and say cards were sent back apparently. I haven't received any cards in a month and they say they can't do anything about.. nor will they send the difference. I got $10 on them not even sending out.. cause I doubt an envelope would have got lost.

They did that to me, too. The return envelope had tracking, so it looks like they may not have sent. They also will take an "EX" condition card that you sent in as "NM" and reduce whatever the sell price was to .01 (a penny) and not tell you until you see it on the invoice.

 
Louisboy
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posted July 08, 2010 12:54 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for Louisboy Click Here to Email Louisboy Send a private message to Louisboy Click to send Louisboy an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by dwiz:
They did that to me, too. The return envelope had tracking, so it looks like they may not have sent. They also will take an "EX" condition card that you sent in as "NM" and reduce whatever the sell price was to .01 (a penny) and not tell you until you see it on the invoice.

So is there anything we can really do? ... or just eat it. Usually they actually send the cards but I'm not believing their story this time.

 
MTDetermine
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posted July 08, 2010 07:02 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for MTDetermine Click Here to Email MTDetermine Send a private message to MTDetermine Click to send MTDetermine an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Louisboy:
wtf... just sold some stuff to MTGfanatic.com.. they short me and say cards were sent back apparently. I haven't received any cards in a month and they say they can't do anything about.. nor will they send the difference. I got $10 on them not even sending out.. cause I doubt an envelope would have got lost.

There was a period when I have quite an amount of newer cards to unload to shops. I noticed MTGfanatic has better prices. But I also heard about their gross tricks and decided not to sell to them.

Guys, you are 20+ years old, not naive 3 year old kid. If someone is offering you $2 for a card that 10 other shops are only offering $1, you better consider a bit more. I believe MTGfanatic uses some tricks (mentioned by a few other members in this thread earlier on) to help "lower the average" of their buying prices.

Say I am a dirty buyer. If you send me $20 of cards, I only accept $10 and then claims that the other $10 of cards are lost in the mail, then my actual cost is only 50% of my supposedly high buy prices =p

 
Louisboy
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posted July 08, 2010 10:20 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for Louisboy Click Here to Email Louisboy Send a private message to Louisboy Click to send Louisboy an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by MTDetermine:
There was a period when I have quite an amount of newer cards to unload to shops. I noticed MTGfanatic has better prices. But I also heard about their gross tricks and decided not to sell to them.

Guys, you are 20+ years old, not naive 3 year old kid. If someone is offering you $2 for a card that 10 other shops are only offering $1, you better consider a bit more. I believe MTGfanatic uses some tricks (mentioned by a few other members in this thread earlier on) to help "lower the average" of their buying prices.

Say I am a dirty buyer. If you send me $20 of cards, I only accept $10 and then claims that the other $10 of cards are lost in the mail, then my actual cost is only 50% of my supposedly high buy prices =p


Well i mean their prices are ridic high... so it's not thattt farfetched. I've sent at least 10 packages to them without a problem in the past and this is the first time something has got messed up. Cards stillmight show who knows.. but at least in this case the difference was small. Usually ask for a check and it takes a while, but it's legit. I still don't think they even said it even though the president of the company or whatever said it's not their issue at this point.

 
hispls
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posted July 08, 2010 12:25 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for hispls Click Here to Email hispls Send a private message to hispls Click to send hispls an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
Fanatic is terribly slow sending checks but I have yet to be shorted or anything.

My only issue with most shops is their limiting in quantity(anycraze and cardhaus). If I can't ship 50+ it's usually not worth the touble of sorting and paying postage but that's just me.

Also vouch for Coolstuff, Troll&Toad, and channelfireball. I sell them multiple thousand dollar packages and always get paid promptly without a hitch. Coolstuff typically limits to 50 or 60 though.

 
airwalk
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posted July 09, 2010 12:54 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for airwalk Send a private message to airwalk Click to send airwalk an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
Well, my order came in from MTG Fanatic, again cards that were advertised as played look really dang good.

So, even though I payed for fast shipping, and wasn't fast at all, the cards I got were in better condition than what I thought so I guess it kinda balances out.

I now have everything I need to get my Parfait deck rolling again (aside from 4/5 Moxes and a Lotus =p).

[Edited 2 times, lastly by airwalk on July 09, 2010]

 
Conan4015
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posted July 09, 2010 01:19 PM   Click Here to See the Profile for Conan4015 Click Here to Email Conan4015 Send a private message to Conan4015 Click to send Conan4015 an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
Stores I have dealt with:

People I will buy from (that ship my order):

Starcitygames
Empiregamesonline.net
AdventuresOn
Strikezone
Shuffle and Cut

People who limit my order or refuse shipment:

Most Small AMC stores
ABU
Coolstuff
Channelfireball
Cardhaus
MTGFanatic

In terms of the people who limit my order - I don't find that deplorable (in most cases), though I think they should mention that before you place your order. For example, Coolstuff has let me know that they will limit me to 8 max on any item (before I order I know this). However, I do hate whenever some companies (ship 50ish% of my orders) then reject them whenever "they would lose".

Our philosophy is that we "fulfill" all orders, though I have rejected some in the past from the websites who reject my orders (fairness principle).

We do have live inventory - however, our entire inventory mirrors to ebay/tcgplayer (at 7-12%) higher than our actual site (to cover fees). In terms of communication - our website communicates every 7 minutes with Ebay/TCGplayer, so it's possible that we could oversell (generally unlikely though). This happens rarely, but it does happen.

 
simbayu
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posted July 10, 2010 01:46 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for simbayu Send a private message to simbayu Click to send simbayu an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote View simbayu's Have/Want ListView simbayu's Have/Want List
I dont shop at online card stores much but these stores get my thumbs up.

AdventuresON
Starcitygames
3rd Coast Cards

 
gathering
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posted July 10, 2010 05:53 AM   Click Here to See the Profile for gathering Click Here to Email gathering Send a private message to gathering Click to send gathering an Instant Message Edit/Delete Message Reply With Quote 
overseas opinion
(note that every order/trade i'm talking about was including some high end cards, mostly nm A/B duals)

T&T :

quote:
I order through Trollandtoad. It's good if you're not afraid by Exellent cards sometimes.
+1, just don't order NM cards that you really want in nm condition unless you can have a scan before.

MTGFanatic : multiple hundreds / thousands $ orders, everything went more than great (never sold to, though) / AND MORE THAN ANYTHING, their grading is perfect (talking about alpha sea, alpha lotus and alpha jet here)

StrikeZone : great everytime, might have some concerns about strict grading but overall : great

MagicArsenal : never had troubles with them, multiple xxx$ orders, went smooth

ABU : 100% orders AND part trade (buylist)/cash orders, both went VERY great with nice communication on the trade/buy thing. I was a bit reluctant at first for this kind of deals, but no regrets at all.



[Edited 2 times, lastly by gathering on July 10, 2010]

 

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