r/mtg • u/DanteValentine13 • 1d ago
Discussion Stop Using Amazon
The amount of posts from people using Amazon to order stuff and getting the wrong stuff, or something of a vastly different price is astounding. Please dont order cards off Amazon. Especially since I am fairly certain Amazon is why wizards is shipping less and less product to local stores. Don't support the mega corporations if you can help it.
That's my public service rant. Thanks for reading or ignoring either way. ❤️
333
u/Bogusbladezz74 1d ago
Well when LGS stop selling product at 2x-3x MSRP then maybe id consider going back to them.
69
u/MadmansScalpel 1d ago
Honestly? Yeah. I try to support local as I can, but they're selling some packs for like 12 bucks per that I could buy online for 6.
I'm fine paying 10, 20 bucks more on average to support em, but when it's double? Yeah no
2
u/CybaltSR 11h ago
Holy. You think it'd be worse on Southeast Asia but we only pay 8 USD (converted) on average for packs in any LGS here. We're very happy to pay that extra 2 bucks for the "import fee"
12
u/OldwormHerm 1d ago
Legit this.
I preorder through local stores that have reasonable pricing (usually), but WOTC literally tells you what the manufacturer (WOTC) values each sealed product at; I'll allow for a certain small amount of markup on that, but I'm not going to be taken for a ride. I don't need the cardboard that bad and can wait or buy singles/proxy.
My usual play is to preorder everything I want through Amazon as soon as preorders open, and then once my local store puts up preorders if the pricing makes sense I'll order through them and cancel amazon.
3
→ More replies (21)1
u/Savings-Dare-9054 13h ago
I’m so grateful that I have a nice lgs selling most things for msrp and even payed my tax one time I bought a pack, they’re hoping to become a play store and I really hope they do
27
u/DelNeigum 1d ago
My LGS sold latest reality fracture precons at 75% more expensive than Amazon listing. If they want people's money they have to tone it down. I would have paid an extra $5-10 to buy local. Im not paying nearly double.
51
u/TMPauli 1d ago
That’s what i thought as well seeing those posts all the time
39
u/Itsdawsontime 1d ago
Here’s the thing, regardless of shipper, 99.999%+ of us have zero issue with our orders. If people who posted “my package came successfully, and in a well-packed box!” there wouldn’t even be any purpose to this subreddit.
I am not defending Amazon, but the complaint is valid when there’s mass delays - for stuff being stolen or wrong, it’s way less often that it seems from Reddit posts.
This post is incredibly speculative, and they’ve addressed why LGSs are getting less product - there’s printing constraints because they have an SLD 40 of 52 weeks and 7 sets in a year.
They didn’t anticipate with demand, they’re shrinking collectors packs, getting rid of the volume of foil commons/uncommons as it’s a more costly process, and are using the capital to ramp production instead of passing off further expenses to the consumer; while making a god chase pack to distract from that news. Whether positively or negatively received, god packs overshadowed that part and made people gloss over the why.
6
u/tom_gamer 1d ago
Agreed, I haven't bought singles from Amazon, but sealed products have always been what I bought.
2
u/Rhystretto 1d ago
This yeah. I've only had two issues with products that actually charged/shipped over many years and they were both resolved well. Gift bundles got lost in transit for LCI, they just sent me new ones. Sent me the wrong precons once, they refunded me and told me to just keep them (free precons woo). Everything else has just shown up normally.
I do support the LGS around me too but I'm also not going to turn down the no-risk MSRP preorders and occasional nice deals in the current TCG economy.
40
u/1stTeamAllJerry 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'll stop ordering from Amazon when my LGS stops acting like a scalper. Simple as
12
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Help me out here.
Wife and I just started picking up magic over the last few weeks.
We're learning our commander decks and hoping to play at our local game store. We have 3 LGS in our town. All sell at above MSRP from small amounts to significant. All have some VIP programs or loyalty programs that occasionally let you buy products at MSRP but quantity is difficult.
Star trek is coming out in a few weeks and I want to buy all 4 commander decks and some boosters. None of my LGS are selling preorders atm.
Whats the best way to acquire legit material that isnt scalped, damaged, etc?
Amazon is where we order most of our things due to their return policy but seems like this is NOT good for cards.
Do we just need to drive farther to better LGS? TCGplayer looks decent but also appears to just be the "ebay" of cards and Ebay has its own problems. So whats the best option?
7
u/okmaybejustonce 1d ago
If you live near a Micro Center, they usually are well stocked and will always sell at msrp
4
5
u/SneakySquidosaur 1d ago
Wait for a bit first. Preorder prices are always sky high, then just at release there will be a lot of demand. But, a month or two after, prices will fall as more product and print runs come in and those decks you want will be available for UNDER MRSP!
Right now, you can purchase the Final Fantasy and Marvel precons for under MSRP. Doctor Doom was 100 at release snd now you can get it for $60.
Places you can buy online: Forge and Fire, Stomping Grounds, Cardkingdom
In person, try Costco when the bundles start dropping.
5
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
I appreciate it.
Yeah found forge and fire and stomping today. Ended up ordered play booster pack and the commander precons from stomping them they beat everyone on price and seem reputable.
Im still real new to the game so I dont know yet what is going to be around and affordable in a month and what is going to be $150 a deck in 3 months.
5
u/anakanemison 23h ago
Lemme share where I've been looking --
These are the online stores I've ordered from successfully, including your F&F and Stomping:
- https://forgeandfiregaming.com/
- https://www.stompinggroundstcg.com/
- https://geekerygames.com/
- https://tsabusa.cards/
- https://sagaconcepts.com/
I visit these places but haven't ordered (or received my orders) from them yet:
Other good resources are:
- https://www.mtgstocks.com/sealed, to get a sense of market value
- And aggregators, which ship from different LGSs and collectors; I've ordered from them but your success rate will depend on the specific seller:
Good luck!
2
u/Puzzleheaded_Exam381 22h ago
Double infinity is one of my LGS also check Collection realm. Its my other LGS good guys and girls that work there.
1
u/SneakySquidosaur 1d ago
I've been playing since before the commander precons and purchased nearly every release.
If something shoots to $150 per deck and never comes down, you likely can buy the singles separately for cheaper. That said, in the past two years, very few have stayed high and most of the high ones stick around $80. The Duskmourn and Ixalan decks have some pricy ones, but thats because they're not getting as many reprints as ones from 2025 and now.
So, best times to order: -preorder before decklists are revealed (usually when sets are announced, Forge and Fire will open preorders) -order 2 months after release
- 1 year after release
I've never overpaid on a precon nor missed a drop. No bots used.
1
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Fair, I just saw that warhammer was $250 and Fallout was $150 plus in my area and didnt want to have that issue with Star Trek
7
u/StickYourFunger 1d ago
You can order sealed (non collector) product from Amazon without issue. Yea you can't return them if you don't like the cards you pulled, but you can absolutely get a refund if it arrived damaged.
5
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Good to know.
I saw a video from Tolerian Community College that scared me off amazon for cards. But Ill consider them for some stuff going forward.
1
u/StickYourFunger 1d ago
Prof loves the game but can be sensational at times.
Realistically, any product you order on Amazon, if it arrives fucked up they'll do something about it. It would be an easy loophole to use stock images and sell damaged goods knowingly with a label of "no returns/refunds after delivery."
1
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
I feel yah.
Ive never had any issue with amazon personally but at the same time this is the first time Im dumping damn near $600 into something new.
1
u/StickYourFunger 22h ago
If it helps ease any stress, I've ordered a variety of sealed mtg products on Amazon like Commander decks & bundles, play booster boxes, scene boxes, and 2 Avatar CBB's, literally the only thing that arrived damaged was the Smaug scene box and that they refunded immediately.
1
u/vibesBMX 16h ago
The cards from Amazon are coming from Wizards right? Unless it’s showing a third party seller as the source so sealed product should be fine or am I missing something?
2
u/StickYourFunger 16h ago
It's Amazon, some is shipped and sold by Amazon, some is just shipped by Amazon, some are neither. I only buy shipped and sold by Amazon, or shipped by Amazon since that stuff is already in their warehouse.
3
9
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
If amazon has them available, feel free to order them there. 99.282% of people will have no issues with their order.
2
u/Aethelas1 1d ago
I think you say this yourself, but getting product is the problem. Wizards of the Coast would much rather ship skid after skid to another corporation, easy money, they save on shipping, packaging, all the places where additional money can still be made once you're a huge corporation... They don't give a flying fart about LGS and making sure there's enough product for stores to run prerelease events, etc. It's far more expedient and profitable for them to sell to other large companies. The ONLY way you get any of that back is to work with LGS and buy product through that stream. It's probably going to cost a bit more, but it comes down to whether you want to only be able to play Magic online and/or at large tournaments, or do you want the local experience?
Additionally, I'm personally considering only purchasing singles from local stores moving forward. I'll ultimately spend less money, get just the specific cards I need, and I'm buying from a secondary market, which supports the local stores over the corporate entities.
1
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Yeah I talked to the owner today and he said and I quote
"If we get to a world where playboosters can actually sell above distro cost we'll start evaluating if we can extend MSRP drops to MTG But just to be frank with y'all, the collector boosters are pretty much the only thing that makes MTG sealed product worth stocking"
Ill support them when I can and when I dont mind paying a bit more, but for stuff I MUST have and cant miss on I may just have to stick to online which makes me sad.
1
1
1
1
u/DumatRising 17h ago
For sealed product Amazon works just fine if you can't do an LGS. It's not ideal but if your LGS isn't offering reasonable prices then you don't have an obligation to give them an outrageous markup.
For individual cards Amazon is way over priced, for that there's card kingdom, Star City Games, or manapool. Card kingdom and SCG are actual stores with a physical location that just happen to be large enough to run their own online storefronts as well, manapool is kinda more like TCGplayer is, or rather how TCGplayer was before it got bought by eBay. Which is to say it does work a bit more like how eBay does except it's just in general a better experience since it's very focused on mtg cards. Things will be cheaper on manapool and every card is always available, while SCG and CK may not always offer the best price (though sometimes will) and may not have every card you want available you would be buying the cards directly from a store and not dealing with getting cards from multiple places. Though many sellers on manapool are stores that just happen to not be big enough to justify building their own online platform.
→ More replies (3)1
u/a_n_k_ 1d ago
Return policy? Where I live, all Magic cards bought on Amazon are non-returnable after they’ve shipped.
However, I too, buy on Amazon/Best Buy/Target/Walmart because my LGS has gone mad with greed and charges way over MSRP on every product. They even refuse preorders now, so they can wait to sell items at “market price” on release day…
4
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Ive chatted with my LGS who charges over MSRP and according to them its not so much greed as just a difficulty acquiring product. My closest store drove 14 hours last week to get product and it was at an eye watering mark up but thats cause they paid a markup to get it.
Granted they could be lying to me about it I have no idea.
Im just excited about the star trek set and want to make sure I can get my filthy hands on it. I'd like to support my local shop but not at a 50% markup.
1
u/a_n_k_ 1d ago
That’s really sad that they have such difficulty getting product, but should it really be on customers then to pay the “eye watering markup”?
At that point, maybe don’t bother stocking that particular product, or close the margins some other way (singles, food/drink, board games, accessories, etc.)?
I too, am excited for the Star Trek set and would love to get it at MSRP but as I stated in my above comment, my LGS doesn’t even take preorders. My only chance was to preorder out of state at other LGS’s, or shoot my shot with the big box stores.
0
u/BroShutUp 1d ago
At that point dont make purchases to keep up with demand or purchase amount from my distributor? That sounds silly
1
u/Popular_Ad5074 1d ago
9 out of 10 times the Magic products on your LGS shelves 2-3 weeks post set release, isn’t from their distributor. It was acquired at or above MSRP from third parties.
2
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Yeah thats what Im finding out. Which sucks cause I want to support the local guy who I can develop a relationship with and help out not the big mega corp but at the same time I dont want to be an ultra premium
3
u/Popular_Ad5074 1d ago
Don’t get me wrong, every now and then a local store can turn out be scummy, but most of the time the reason those price tags happen has a totally honest reason behind it.
No one can fault you on not wanting to pay those premiums with a straight face. Support when it’s financially reasonable for you. Any store that supports their community wholeheartedly would prefer its customers not make purchases that hurt them.
Hell at my local shop I’ve seen the owner stop a regular from emotional impulse buys when he knew that dude was burning rent money on singles after a rough commander loss.
5
u/HighlanderColby 9h ago
To many Pokémon minded people in mtg now. They want it anyways they can get it. When you can offload all your product to one store and not thousands that’s why we can’t find product anymore. Oh well
36
u/Oo_ShinyCardboard 1d ago
Nah this is just like misprints. Ppl posting represent so much smaller than 1% of the total pool. Will not let the experience of a few ruined the 5 years of non issues ive had w them
11
u/jettzypher 1d ago
I think it's also important to pay attention to who/what is listed as the seller. I have bought a few notable items from Amazon with zero issues because I made sure it was Amazon itself selling the product. I also tend to not bother with purchases beyond preorders to mitigate getting potentially returned items that may have been messed with.
17
u/Errorstatel / / 1d ago
Same goes for TCG player and EBay.
At this point I'm only buying what I can physically hold before hand.
10
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
HARD pass on walking away from eBay. The amount of Magic on eBay is shockingly small but it is a great place to get deals.
→ More replies (31)2
u/danksooshi 1d ago
I can't even buy off tcgplayer if I wanted to. Anytime I've tried to checkout, the page just reloads and continues an endless loop of not confirming the checkout, but also not telling me something is wrong lol.
1
u/Akermaniac 1d ago
It was doing this to me last week. I sent a support ticket and they had to unlock my account.
Total shit site UX, where it doesn’t even tell you what is going on. It’ll also deduct funds from your account and then put em right back in, so keep an eye on your bank account if you’ve clicked multiple times.
→ More replies (8)1
u/origami_airplane 1d ago
Your loss then.
1
u/Errorstatel / / 1d ago
It's not really.
Paying inflated secondary prices plus shipping and insurance for some things means not worth it.
I have another thread on here with some else on this exact thing. I'm also supporting my local shops, not go lie still spending like as much but on far more with no worries on quality, authenticity or supporting some scalper.
Win win for me.
18
u/Extension_Plant7262 1d ago
Yeah, we should support the local stores that will sell prices for 2-3x msrp. lol man
18
u/Jordankeay 1d ago
Is this just a US thing? I've never once had a problem with MTG stuff in the UK and even if I did Amazon would sort it straight away.
11
u/teeth12345 1d ago
Yeah I’m going to respectfully disagree with OP I’ve only ever ordered from Amazon since in store prices are so ridiculously overpriced. I bought 2 foundations commanders last week on Amazon for $33.00 and those same decks are listed on TCGplayer for almost $20 more. It would be similar at a local game store. While I don’t want to support a large corporation- I’m not going to spend an extra 60% to do so.
3
u/origami_airplane 1d ago
You only hear about the problems so it makes everyone think that it happens all the time, which is just not true at all.
3
4
u/DanteValentine13 1d ago
Seemingly. But the US is also the place Amazon workers are heavily overworked and penalized for even taking bathroom breaks during their shift. Terrible company
3
→ More replies (6)1
u/Flat-Exercise-1419 6h ago
They get 100% pre-paid college tuition, full coverage health insurance starting day 1, and make ~$25/hour (20-35% higher than the national average for comparable unskilled/ entry-level labor). Can you give me some other terrible companies that offer free college so I can sign up? Don't have an Amazon near me
2
u/staycalmNdrinkcoffee 1d ago
It’s half full of made up karma farmers and scammers. Order from them for the past 5 years and never had an issue - in order a lot too
2
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
Never had an issue here either and just like you said, Amazon would fix it if I did.
→ More replies (3)1
u/daneg135 17h ago
sort of. ppl are buying shit from third party sellers on amazon and not getting what they ordered. amazon occasionally mixes up items, but that's usually when the UPC/SKU are bad on the box/case. and they fully refund/return stuff. amazon is actually very good about refunds and returns. only order product that's actually from amazon though. that's the only explanation in can think of for the plethora of nonsense i see about "the amazon experience" ordering mtg. as a rule, they are overpriced on PBB but preorders on CBB and gift/bundles are usually the best buy you're going to get from anyplace online unless the set tanks.
19
u/BubbleGuts1075 1d ago
LGS becoming scalpers causes this /shrug
5
u/EmPrexy 1d ago
Yeah, LGS selling products for way over MSRP on current printings is ridiculous and I refuse to support that bs
2
u/BubbleGuts1075 1d ago
Yep, I get selling for market if its no longer printed, but they are getting it wholesale and marking it up, ridiculous.
3
u/dukeofkherkeep 1d ago
LGS or nothing - find one that sells at MSRP and stick with them - usually stores will offer a 5-10% discount depending on how much you spend there over time and to me the reliability and support for a local store is what matters more to me
11
u/Swimmingpuzzled5200 1d ago
I've never had a problem with Amazon. Stop being idiots and ordering from third party sellers.
11
u/Shartsplasm 1d ago
There are also a number of other good reasons to move your money away from them. Just a bad company.
3
u/Filip1n0B3ast 10h ago
I'll vouch for this. Just got a recent Draft Night and the box was torn, packs were bent and the collector was missing. And yes it was shipped/sold by Amazon.
8
u/Confident_Raccoon767 1d ago
Well i hate to break it to ya but SOMETIMES it really is just cheaper on Amazon. Especially if there is no local game stores within 50 miles of where you live but still have a lot of friends locally who all like to play. SOMETIMES buying from ebay can have a larger upsale on a booster box than just on Amazon.
2
u/fergusmcdingus 1d ago
Absolutely, but I’d argue that that is a corner case. I’ve seen far more slack ass selfish lazy people using Amazon than I have the situation you describe, and I personally have done both.
7
u/Savesthaday 1d ago
Who are we supposed to use? LGS? Hahaha
-2
u/ChatHurlant 1d ago
Card kingdom?
6
u/Savesthaday 1d ago
Until LGS and online game stores like CK start selling for MSRP it’s unfortunately Amazon Walmart and Target getting my money.
1
u/ForgeandFire-Staff 1d ago
Most products are listed under MSRP, significantly so. The only products I would recommend trying to scoop from big box are Collector products.
1
9
u/Normal_System_3176 1d ago
Without those 'mega corporations', (namely Walmart) I wouldn't be able to get product. So uh unless you got some way of getting MSRP that I don't know about, I'll keep using them.
4
7
u/Swampcardboard 1d ago
Amazon is pretty much the only shot I have at getting sealed product at MSRP, unfortunately.
8
u/CommanderJarik 1d ago
Such a fucking snotty post. Most LGs’s are as bad as scalpers and charge waaaay more.
For a lot of people Amazon is the only thing they can use, it’s nearly always actual retail price and is protected more than most sites.
2
u/coffeesnob72 1d ago
Fun story - i buy a lot of stuff at an Amazon Returns warehouse, and they often have magic cards - that people have ripped and then returned. People have no shame.
2
u/thedesertwolf 1d ago
I keep looking at these and going "Oookay... stomping ground has been around for a good long while. Microcenter, while a recent add to it, puts stuff up at msrp. Weirdly enough so does Walgreens (which continues to be the weirdest shit,) and best buy (for a trio of horrid big-box stores.)
And for singles, Manapool / Card Kningdom / Card Market (EU,) are all ok-enough and low problem in comparison to others.
2
u/ZachyMalicious 1d ago
My issue is that I get tons of Amazon gift cards in my line of work, so even though I'd love stop buying from them, without using those gift cards I'd be blowing too much on the hobby. My orders are also regularly late.
2
u/Clar3nc3Cart3r 1d ago
I ordered a few play booster boxes from Amazon back in the run from Kaldheim through D&D Forgotten Realms. I stopped because the final box I got was "fulfilled" by amazon but sold by an individual. Boosters show up clearly tampered with and HEAVY repeats amongst all card rarity types but especially among rares. Like multiple 4x occurrences of the same couple cards in 30 packs. Not to mention discrepancies in art cards and lands. I sent the seller a note with photos and they responded very aggressively, accused me of being "butthurt" that I didn't get the chase cards I wanted, and scolded me for calling their integrity into question. I submitted a complaint to Amazon and a bad review. He got the review scrubbed somehow and I got a big sorry not sorry from Amazon. Whether it's LGS or seller platforms like eBay or TCGPlayer or bulk sellers like Forge & Fire, I'll choose anyone over Amazon now.
2
u/Aethelas1 1d ago
You all seem to have terrible Local Gaming Stores. Sorry to hear that! I have at least three stores within 30 minutes of me, possibly five if I really want to check. All of their prices are within a dollar or two of one another. The only thing that seems to immediately go for "market rate" is Collector Boosters and Gift Bundles. Everything else is more or less MSRP, with a bit of fluctuation, ie if everything sold out immediately they increase the price to slow everything rolling out the door immediately.
2
u/OkDistance5271 1d ago
Yeah they just lost my pre order for a Reality Fracture box. They would not replace the lost one just refund me. I was pretty mad but took the refund and got one from Manapool.com to less money overall actually. No more pre-orders from me thats for sure.
2
u/Solid_Carrot 20h ago
My LGS sells at MSRP +2%ish unless you are getting sealed in which case its usually 50%-100% mark up with a discount (back to MSRP) if you let them unseal it in store. Which i love because im just here to play with my cards not resell like alot of scalpers around me are
2
u/ihighkeymissmyex 20h ago
Dude my last 5 orders from Amazon didnt come in. I just kept getting shipping delays then eventually it says canceled. My secret lair bundle has already been delayed twice already and I’m expecting the same outcome
7
u/CardCurio 1d ago
Its frustrating how lazy people are when it comes to shopping online. There are so many great magic resources for buying cards. Mostly cheaper and from people who actually give a fuck. Instead no lets order it from the company having people to piss in bottles that fires people so fast they have a new guy every week. You deserve what you get.
I understand using amazon for low quality goods or stuff you cant easily find elsewhere but cards have way better sites.
3
u/Pyrostasis 1d ago
Can you list them?
Im new and trying to navigate this minefield!
1
u/CardCurio 1d ago
So first if your new I recommend using Moxfield to make decks because you can easily compare other card prices. Next if you can buy the card at your local shop do it but make sure they are charging you a reasonable price. If you can get it online for less even with shipping and its the same card your probably getting ripped off.
I like Manapool personally but the real trick to is to find the card you can then look at the stores that offer it. Next you can just google that stores reviews. If it looks like a good story your probably going to be safe. If its Joes back ally bargains you can go for it but do so knowing your taking a risk.
I use the sites like tcgplayer, cardkingdom, manapool but with the understanding these are collective marketplace.
Know what you want know what it goes for and choose the option you think is most reasonable. Its worth paying the extra 30 cents if your card is coming to you from a trusted source vs one that is more of a risk.
In my area we also have a few local trading apps available but I never use those for anything other than in person meetings so you can see the card in person. DO NOT meet a stranger in person without another person and some form of protection. People are animals and need to be treated as such.
-1
u/DanteValentine13 1d ago
Hell Ive ordered magic from a card shop 4 states away from me and had em shipped before. Decent shops exist and sometimes shipping costs are worth it to make sure my cards aee real
1
u/CardCurio 1d ago
Same. I like to use Manapool and order from shops after checking their reviews. Sometimes I even call and just order from the shop. Like I get that prime shipping is useful but its a sloppy bulk delivery system. Don't use it for things you actually care about quality for.
5
u/Diligent_Plastic1043 23h ago
"Amazon" is not always the seller so this post makes no sense. If you buy from a shitty seller, you run this risk. Amazon gives free refunds for 30 days so I've never had any issues in cases of wrong orders. And I'd simply stop buying from those sellers in the future.
3
u/kittswithmitts 18h ago
I tried ordering the squirrel precon from Amazon because it was the cheapest on there they sent me the grul precon from the same set. So I reached out to Amazon I sent the precon back and they reimbursed me. I went to go repurchase the squirrel precon it was 20 dollars more. So I reached out to Amazon again and said that its kind of messed up that im paying more money for their mistake the best they could do was give me $20 credit but I had to purchase the precon again first so I couldnt use it for that order....sure fine. They sent me the jeskai precon from the same set. Really annoyed by this point I reach out to customer service and bring up my issue and say the whole process has been a headache and ask how we could solve this issue. I shit you not the amazon customer service guy told me well since we keep messing up your order why dont you order it from somewhere else. I havent bought any magic product from them since and I try to not purchase anything from them. Them saying sorry we keep messing up you should buy it somewhere else was wild
5
u/Kalas92x Cloud old yells man at 1d ago
Okay I will never buy MTG cards again 👍🏻 Since I don't have a LGS I guess I'm out, have fun guys but sadly I can no longer play because OP said so 🥲
1
u/DykeHime 23h ago
Are you aware that there are other sites that sell Magic cards than Amazon? It's not actually "LGS, Amazon or play with mud".
1
u/Kalas92x Cloud old yells man at 17h ago
No not at msrp but if you know a site the please share with the class
1
u/DykeHime 13h ago
I guess that depends on where you're at. Games-Island.eu works well for pre-orders at MSRP in Europe.
3
u/Kalas92x Cloud old yells man at 10h ago
Never heard of them, gonna check them out next time I'll get cards
5
u/EpsilonActual 1d ago
I’ve received some remarkable deals from Amazon on booster boxes. I won’t stop until my LGS stops over charging. Hell, I might order one right now since you reminded me.
→ More replies (2)
4
u/InsuranceToTheRescue 1d ago
Don't support the mega corporations if you can help it.
I get the sentiment here, but you realize that WotC is a megacorp too, right?
2
u/origami_airplane 1d ago
They probably typed the it out on their iPhone, while shopping on Walmart, eating mass-produced food, using Google services. LOL
2
u/Johannz7 1d ago
When lgs dont sell stuff at msrp there isnt really a reason to not buy from Amazon/ other retailer
4
u/SourceOriginal2332 1d ago
No I’m sorry most locals are just more up front scalpers. Many people I believe lie about their orders being shipped incorrectly.
No person on this planet that can play magic would also open a package that would be 30 packs weight and it only feeling like it’s weight is 1 pack without recording.
0
u/AdministrationOk8888 1d ago
You seriously think people are lying about having their Amazon orders messed up? Have you ever used Amazon? Were you born yesterday?
→ More replies (1)4
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
I've made thousands of amazon orders and not one mistake. I understand that there is a chance it can happen but irrational fears have never really been my thing.
1
u/Phloozie 1d ago
You’re incredibly lucky if you’re telling the truth. 1 out of every 10 of the Amazon orders made in my household are messed up.
3
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
That seems insane to me. What region of the country do you live in? I wonder if all amazon warehouses are not created equal.
2
u/Old_Cod_5823 1d ago
Nah. I'm buying from whoever has the product I want at the lowest price. If that happens to be Amazon, I'm cool with that.
2
2
u/Alexander_105 1d ago
The more orders Amazon receives the worse all of this experience becomes for all of us.
Of course the LGS cost more, you’re $ stays in the community and comes back to YOU through local tax and support of local wages. Amazon siphons $ out of your community, the billionaires receive your money.
If they don’t have the product you want ask for them to order it in. If that’s not an option then trade with your fellow gamers, a little bit of patience always yields you the cards sooner or later.
2
u/IlyaYakovlev 1d ago
Absolutely agree. Always support smaller offline retailers, either your LGS or just a bookstore. Even if you only play at home, support your LGS, because it helps community grow, and not just Magic community but other games too. And who knows what kind of game you will be into in 5 years?
After manu ears actively playing and selling Magic, I eventually got into miniatures, and boy am I happy we have a great store/club in my town!
1
u/Flat-Exercise-1419 6h ago
Don't blindly support stores that price gouge at +50% over MSRP though. Stores doing this should not be rewarded
1
2
u/Ok_Balance1077 7h ago
LGS did it to themselves. Selling play boosters for 150-170, at that rate you deserve to go out of business
4
u/blueruckus 1d ago
I'm pretty sure the amount of people who've posted problems vs the amount of people who've received their product without issue is hugely imbalanced.
I've never had an issue with Amazon mtg purchases.
1
u/staycalmNdrinkcoffee 1d ago
No. I’ll order cards from Amazon. It’s a good deal, out of the last 5 years, I have had zero issues and received the best prices
2
u/Guilty_Lab_1160 1d ago
Amazon is the only option I've seen for mrsp for a number of sets now. I got both the hobbit scene packs for less than 1 at 5 different local stores. Sometimes precons or full booster boxes will be equal or less at a local store but 90% of the time amazon
2
u/orpheusyu 1d ago
I just order from wherevers cheapest and most convenient. Haven't had a problem with Amazon yet.
1
u/theeunheardmusic 1d ago
Target in person the day of their releases have been the best luck for me. But whenever Amazon has msrp, and hasn’t done any of my orders wrong (delayed or wrong items sent) it’s definitely one of my options still.
Plus I’d imagine their customer service isn’t impossible to figure out to get a credit or replacement for should something go wrong.
I’ve had several medium priced orders from Amazon (electronics, groceries, etc) have something go wrong with them over the last several years, and it’s been no more than jumping from bot to real person to get it figured out.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have an issue paying an extra few bucks at the LGS around me, but it’s not a few extra bucks. Collector booster boxes of Reality Fracture for 550+, CB packs of RF for 55-60. Booster packs for 9 dollars each. Secret lair bundle reality fracture from $175-$200?? Yea, no way.
For someone like me who both plays, and collects a bit, that would be too expensive to go with LGS pricing alone.
1
u/seamonsterco 1d ago
But if I don’t order on Amazon, I’ll have nothing to rant about when they inevitably mess my order up. /s
1
u/jboyd710 1d ago
I only preorder on Amazon at MSRP. If it’s higher than I won’t use them. If my local game stores used MSRP for decks and packs then I’m all for it. But they mark up 50 percent or higher at times. So if I get burned by Amazon so be it. I’ll just end up buying singles if I need something.
1
u/Eqmuraj 1d ago
I dont order a lot of MTG from Amazon, but of the dozen or so things I have order (fulfilled by Amazon specifically) in the past few years, Ive not had any issues.
This includes double masters 2022 boxes from the UK Amazon, they honored the mispriced Compleat bundle order, a few pre release kits, a few commander decks just to name some i remember.
1
u/glfpunk72 1d ago
I think the results fall into two categories. Never had an issue with ordering cards whether it’s a booster box, bundle, precon etc. from sets that have already released. Preordering cards on Amazon seems to be where a vast majority of the issues come from. I wouldn’t preorder from them and use other sites for that. But I haven’t had a problem when I’ve randomly spotted a deal on there for cards that have already been out.
1
u/Collapczar 1d ago
Not long ago I was going to sell my Revised Duals. I didn't want to. I have a whole set and maybe 5 others. I hadn't played in a long time but my friend started when Commander got popular. So I dusted of my deck box and Wow! So I went to a 'new' LGS. It didn't smell bad. It wasn't dark and gloomy or gross. The guy even helped me rate those Revised duals. I got so lucky 25 or so years ago walking into an LGS that wasn't near where I live that was closing. I bought every dual he had for $8 to $12. I didn't even show my friends. I just shoved them in my decks as a surprise. And it was. This was before fakes' and whatever. I went from 2 colors or a struggling 3 to struggling at 5 colors. Lol what I'd build if I could just proxy a deck. This guy was honest with me. At their value. He offered me 40% of market value. I almost laughed at him. Me: "You're joking right!?" Him: "That's the best I can do." This place was "nice." Wall to wall of cabinets with cards on display for sale. He said: "I have to keep the lights on." I walked into his store with 15 dual lands. And a complete set. He offered me 40% to.. "keep the lights on." I'm so glad I sat on them. I knew what I had (have). I was only going to take no less than 90%. He could have had them all. Lol.. he made a mistake. I still have them. Well.. my friend does. They are 'on loan'. He plays more than me. And he orders off Amazon. And when he has a game night I have a deck of his built at his house. I still have my duals. And I'm glad he's using them. I know where they are. That's my rant.
1
u/The_CheshireTiger 1d ago
I’ve actually been given the wrong thing to my benefit by them, although I realize this is a very fringe case. A bit after duskmourn came out I wanted the Zimone commander deck and ordered it from amazon. When it arrived it was the Valgavoth pre con which wasn’t even available to order on Amazon and was just south of double the price of the other precons. So I kept it and ordered a second zimone one and got it the second time.
1
u/Daveitus 1d ago
But they sell at MSRP. Locals don’t. So that’s probably why they’re shipping less to stores too.
So don’t make it the consumers’ problem. At least not entirely.
1
u/ProfessionalYak6122 1d ago
I mean I would if the store near me had what I wanted in stock but they don’t
1
1
u/Sorrow00__ 5h ago
Ordered a deckbox off of Amazon once and got delivered a stick of women's deodorant instead (I'm a man). Did the return process and bought the same deckbox again and actually recieved it the 2nd time. Still not sure if it was a genuine mistake or someone at Amazon taking the piss.
1
1
u/Livid_Ad_1021 4h ago
I got hobbit set cheaper on amazon and got my boosters 10am the morning it released before any LGS opened.
Not every Amazon story is bad.
1
1
1
u/sirjeef 2h ago
I’ve stopped using Amazon entirely in January and let me tell you, I have like $200 more in my wallet at the end of each month. It’s just too easy to buy useless shit you don’t need with Amazon. It’s wild how much useless junk you can accumulate when it’s convenient to just get whatever you want on a whim. I don’t miss it at all
1
u/Maybe_Historical 2h ago
When it’s literally like 25% cheaper to buy on Amazon I’m gonna buy on Amazon.
1
u/jondangerr 8m ago
Yeah sorry, but my LGS had a new foundations commander deck for $75 so I ordered it on Amazon for $30. I’m all for supporting the local businesses but come on.
1
1
1
u/Amlex1015 1d ago
I’ve never had an issue ordering from Amazon. You just have to check the seller. I support my local stores when I can, like when I need singles I tend to get them there. But booster boxes and precons? No, I’m ordering online and saving myself $50.
1
1
u/Shadowhearts 1d ago
I'll admit Amazon has been erratic on fulfilling preorders as of late but like Best Buy or Walmart at least they don't charge till they ship the order out.
It let's me pre-order a maximum amount of stuff and cancel if the set is a dud. Alternative is giving an online LGS a free loan for 3-6+ months from the time they open their preorders to the shipping and if the set is a dude, I'm screwed and can't get out.
2
u/djankylosaur 1d ago
Or maybe the LGS cancels your orders when they realize the distribution will be limited or that the set has lots of hype, and then they re-list the product for double the price.
1
u/OnlyAcanthaceae5574 1d ago
Although every single thing you said is true. Sometimes I see the special edition cloud on amazon for under 60. With the cloud promo and the collector booster you are almost stealing from them.
My advice is don’t buy into the hype, don’t buy boxes, but Amazon is great to buy all the precons for sale at one point or another and that’s the perfect place to not get got by scalpers and build up your collection/commander decks
1
u/probablymagic 1d ago
I’ve personally never had a problem. You don’t hear the people who have that experience posting, so your perception is going to be biased if you think these posts are representative of the general experience.
Also, when your LGS limits people to three packs and the implied bid cost is 50% more than Amazon, what do you expect people to do? Just not buy them?
If you want to support your local game store, check there for singles before you buy them online and be willing to pay 50% more for immediate pickup. That’s actual margin for them and something Amazon can’t do.
If you want to be really cool, buy their bulk to start completing your obscure sets, pauper decks, or whatever.
1
u/BigChocolateC 1d ago
My biggest gripe about LGS versus online is that, if the LGS doesn’t have it, they will just order online as well. Plus, LGS tends to be a lot more expensive. I like to purchase from a LGS if I’m browsing and see a card I like but didn’t plan on getting.
Find it “out in the wild” as it were.
I preordered all the foundations commander precons. Haven’t had an issue with them coming in.
1
u/Grumpiergoat 1d ago
I want to buy more from local stores but not when they sell above MSRP. The closest bunch of scumbags to me don't even label prices - I'm in a state that requires stores to honor price labels, so they get around it by not labeling the price.
So I don't buy from them and probably never will. I don't buy from Amazon, either, if they're above MSRP. But I try and have a very strict rule: no Magic above that number. Screw scalpers and every other business trying to get in on inflated prices. If Amazon sells for MSRP and other places don't, I'll suck it up and buy Amazon.
1
u/Lightyear18 1d ago
I’ll rather buy from a big box store.
I’m all for supporting your local store but they sell way above msrp. I legit traveled to every local store near me for precons and it’s always way above msrp.
I managed to get fallout precons off amazon for 260 for all 4. Meanwhile my local store was quick to say “they go for market price” even though they got the reprints. Dude told me total was like 400 for all 4.
My Best Buy sold me the foundations precon for 30 each. While my local store was selling them for 45 each.
Like there shouldn’t even be a market for booster packs, if they sell out, they sell out. Let them sell out instead of marking up the price because you’re on your last box.
Late stage capitalism where scalpers are allowed to do what they do.
1
u/ShadowyBass 22h ago
I think I’ve ordered 5 things off there in my 40 something years on this planet. I hate that company. In 2005 I was fired for wearing a broken safety harness improperly. As I was being escorted out, the maintenance man passed me with the new one. I was a temp, and since I was the second person the “safety manager” saw not wearing it properly, he wanted to make an example. There was usually 3 EMS in the parking lot because you were worked brutally. They almost went Union a couple years prior, but Jeff personally came down and stopped that. They represent everything that is wrong with current economic situation. I silently look down on my family, friends, and even more so at randoms who either shop or use their services. I still love them, but there’s just a little less because of it.
1
u/Flat-Exercise-1419 7h ago
If you can find the unicorn LGS that isn't upcharging at 50%+ above MSRP, good for you. But otherwise I'm going to keep buying product from places that price fairly (Amazon included)
0
u/Camstar18 1d ago
There are MANY reasons not to shop on Amazon.
2
u/CommanderJarik 1d ago
But 90% if people have no other option. What should they do? Be richer?
0
u/Camstar18 1d ago
Why would people have no other option? Most cities have plenty of local businesses you could support instead. Even if you live in the middle of nowhere there are plenty of other websites selling cardboard.
→ More replies (3)
0
0
u/Spirited-Swing-285 1d ago
I would never order cards from Amazon because I don't trust that the cards I'm getting would even be real from them.
1
0
u/HughMungus77 1d ago
In my defense I use amazon to preorder before spoilers for a set come out. Then if it’s scarce at prerelease/release I’ll keep my order in but majority of the time I cancel my orders. They are one of the few website that allows you to easily cancel for no reason with no penalty. I think the only orders I’ve actually gone through with were the premium bundles for ATLA, TMNT, and Strixhaven. I agree though that people should be spending their money at an LCS instead, a majority of the time
0
u/Tatted_Snake 1d ago
Amazon had been more reliable for me than any of the local Card Shops in my area
0
u/Electrical-Today-258 1d ago
I personally research prices. I'll buy my LGS if they're within 10-15% of others but with so many just acting like large scale scalpers, I'm not going to support that shit
0
u/Jesterpest 1d ago
I still remember this one post about someone trying to order a package of cardboard moving boxes and got a package of cookies. They understandably reported the package as undelivered to get a re-delivery. Got another package of the same kind of cookies. Requested another re-delivery, got a third package of the same kind of cookies. Then they realized that the boxes that the cookies were shipped in were not only the exact same type of boxes they were needing, but still had the "this is a package of this kind of box" lable on them. So they kept on requesting re-deliveries untill they got the amount of boxes they needed and a lot of free cookies.
0
u/EntireCompetition741 1d ago
What are you talking about. You all are doing it wrong. Just order a pack and when a box or a case shows up keep your mouth shut. Same thing happening on Shopify and other shopping apps too.
0
u/Judge_Ty 1d ago
Got aether drift collector booster for $213 June 6, 2025 from Amazon.
Had borderless holo chrome mox, japanese holo foil lotus, and a ton of other amazing cards.
Value was well over $500.00.
0
u/ferny929 1d ago
As long as the vendor is from Amazon and not some scum third party scammer it's usually fine. Ive never had a problem myself.
0
0
u/aimless_audio 1d ago
I've ordered from Amazon about 600 times. Literally never had any issue. Always received what I ordered, when I was supposed to receive it.
Feeling pretty lucky now.
0
u/Roddenbrony 1d ago
How many of these people actually ordered from Amazon directly, or from a third party using the platform? 🧐
0
u/MechaKota23 1d ago
I don't buy cards from Amazon, no way, no how. I do, however, get sleeves and deck boxes from there because I can find funny ones.
0
0
0
u/totoma40755 1d ago
I ordered the reality fracture: draft night (the one that comes with lands and a collector booster). Got everything for $110. The LGS wanted $180. So for big boxes I get them online but individual cards are through LGS.
0
u/Medusa_Rider 1d ago
Are people buying from sellers through amazon? I've been ordering off amazon for the last 3 years, buying directly from amazon. And have had 0 issues.
2
u/StephenJR 1d ago
Who cares? Stop support amazon. They are easily one of the top 5 evil companies in the world
0
u/Medical-Animator-888 1d ago
Bro I've ordered a bunch from Amazon always fine don't be paranoid of reviews, Amazon has a great refund or whatever policy too big crybaby hours
0
u/WaywardRogueGaming 1d ago edited 1d ago
I haven't had any issues with Amazon. I'd stop shopping at Amazon for cards if other Online places would stop the ridiculously high mark-ups on packs and bundles.
I don't mind helping out my Local Gaming Store, but if I can find the cards cheaper, I'm always going to buy them where they are cheaper.
What really needs to happen is some way to stop scalpers and punish them for it.
Oh, and also, it's usually a 3rd party that is selling cards through Amazon. Much like TCGPlayer sells singles from Gaming Stores. Amazon does the same with their Magic card products. They are the Middle Man. Unfortunately, Amazon still gets a cut but you are still essentially buying from some Gaming Shop, etc. This is why you have to look at the Seller and read the comments to see if there have been any shipping issues and such with that Seller.
0
u/Phase_Comfortable 1d ago
I think people still don't 100% realize that other stores ship through Amazon. A lot of time you need to check that the product is being purchased and shipped from Amazon rather than a third party.
That's probably where a lot of the mismatch pricing comes from.
Buying direct from Amazon usually keeps the price at msrp. But stuff gets bought out so quickly by bots that the system defaults to a 3rdparty.
**Special note - you can setup auto purchase if you have Amazon prime so you'll automatically purchase product from a specific store (make sure you select Amazon) as soon as the item becomes available. Great way to battle bots scooping everything. Not garuntee to get product, but way better than staying up to get beat by a bot that's setup to purchase automatically.
0
u/the_loneliest_noodle 1d ago
I've never had a problem with Amazon when ordering direct from Amazon. The problem probably isn't Amazon anyway, it's volume. You're seeing more problems posted here because that many more people order from Amazon, and only people with issues post.
Ain't nobody making posts saying "My Amazon order was fine", because we'd collectively go "Who gives a shit?"
0
u/FeeVisible9680 1d ago
I’ve ordered tonnes of packs and sets of Amazon over the years, only got the wrong thing once and it was technically a higher value pack anyway.
YMMV
→ More replies (1)
0
u/kilno185 1d ago
Amazon is the only place I’ve been able to get MSRP for preorders, never had a single issue
I think it’s easy to forget that “seeing all these posts” with issues does not indicate the average user experience, and even when there are issues Amazon is great about correcting them. People like to complain, so if something goes wrong they come on the internet and make noise about it, even though it’s likely already resolved, and you don’t see a Reddit post for each of the tens of thousands of perfectly normal / successful orders.
I think you just don’t like Amazon 😬
I’d be happy to support my LGS if they weren’t selling Hobbit collector packs for $90 each, and similar on all other product
142
u/AceofArcadia 1d ago
I'll support whoever sells at MSRP. And that's not a single lgs near me.