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Frequently Asked Questions

What is your Standard Service?
Just pack and ship. Send in your unsorted Magic cards. We'll catalog and assess the value for each card, provide a full report of our work, and send payment to you. Our fee for this service is 10% of the total value we assess for your cards, plus $0.03 per card.
What is your Curated Service?
Filter out your low value cards. Only valuable cards ($1+ buylist) are eligible for our Curated Service. We'll catalog and assess the value for each card, provide a full report of our work, and send payment to you. Our fee is only 5% of the total value we assess for your cards. Refer to our price checker or our collection estimate tool to confirm your cards meet our $1+ buylist value requirement.
What is your Sorted Service?
You do the sorting. List and sort your cards in advance. We'll assess the condition and value, and provide a full report of our work. Our fee for this service is 2% of the total value we assess for your cards, with no per card fee. After you create a Sorted Service shipment, you can use our selection tool to add eligible cards to your list.
What TCGs do you accept?
Magic: The Gathering. We may expand to other card games in the future, but for now we only accept Magic cards.
Is this consignment?
No. Our service provides buylist (wholesale) value for your cards. We issue payment to you within days of completing our value assessment -- unlike consignment, where you would wait weeks or months for your items to sell at retail price.
How does your service compare with buylisting on my own?
Less effort, better results. Our total payout, even after subtracting our fee, has been an average of 19% better than what you would get from a single major retailer buylist. Vendors differ in the prices and cards they are interested in buying, and we are able to optimize for the best price while also saving you from the effort of checking prices, sorting cards, and submitting to multiple buylists. [based on an analysis of customer shipments against major retail buylists we work with, Sept 2021 - Jan 2022]
After shipping my cards, I've changed my mind. Can I get my cards back?
Yes, if we haven't processed them yet. If your shipment has not yet been received, or has been received but we have not begun processing it, you can pay the shipping cost + insurance to have your shipment returned.
What if my Curated Shipment has low value cards?
We may need to apply our Standard Service fees. 90% of the cards in your Curated Service shipment should be at least $1 buylist value. If there are a significant number of cards falling short of our value criteria, we will need to apply the higher fees of our Standard Service when processing your shipment. We recommend using our price checker or our collection estimate tool to verify the value of your cards.
How should my Sorted Shipment be sorted?
By set code, then card name (but please consult our list). After you select the cards you'd like to send to our Sorted Service, we will provide a list that indicates how the cards should be sorted (by set code, then name). Your cards should form a face-up stack where the top card is the top item in the list, and so on.
What if my Sorted Shipment is not sorted correctly?
We may need to apply our Curated Service fees. Once you have finalized the cards in your Sorted Shipment, we will provide a list for sorting purposes and you will be expected to organize your cards accordingly. If we find a few cards have been incorrectly sorted -- it's fine, mistakes happen! -- but if the sorting is seriously off we will need to apply the rates of our Curated Service instead.
What if cards in my Sorted Shipment are missing, or the wrong version?
Adjustments will be noted. Any differences between the cards you submitted and the cards we received will be detailed on your shipment report.
What's the easiest way to verify my cards are OK for the Curated Service?
Check with our Estimate Tool, if possible. Our Estimate Tool will indicate whether your entire collection is eligible to send to our Curated Service. This is the easiest way to know for sure that your cards will meet our value criteria. In the event that your entire collection is not eligible for our Curated Service, our estimate tool report will also show the individual cards that are eligible so you have the option of separating them from the rest of your collection. Or you can spot check individual cards with our price checker.
The Estimate Tool says my cards are eligible for Curated Service, but there are some bulk cards in my collection. Is that OK?
Yes, if the Estimate Tool says your cards are eligible, you're all set. Our Estimate Tool will indicate if your entire collection is eligible for our Curated Service. In some cases, your collection may be eligible even when there are several bulk/valueless cards. While normally we do not permit any low value cards in our Curated Service, our Estimate Tool has a tolerance for low value cards as long as the overall value of your collection meets our requirements.
I have a LOT of copies of one card. Why is the Sorted Service limited to 40 quantity of each card?
Vendor quantity limits. Many of our retail buylisting partners limit the number of copies they will buy of any one card. And so, there can be diminishing returns when the best buylists have a quantity limit. In an effort to maintain price consistency, and to minimize such disappointment, we limit submissions to 40 copies of any single card.
Is there a maximum number of cards for your Curated Service?
No, not anymore. There is no limit to the number of cards you can send in a Curated Shipment, you just need to meet our value requirement for the cards you send. When we first launched our Curated Service there was a 150 card maximum, but that is no longer in effect.
Can I pay to have my cards cataloged (and mailed back)?
No. Our services are geared towards paying a great buylist price for your Magic cards. We're unable to offer a cataloging-only service at this time.
Are the reviews on your website real? Are there customer incentives for writing reviews?
They are real, and we offer no incentives. Our customers are welcome to contribute a review once we have completed shipment processing and issued payment. We do not offer any incentives such as discounts for writing a review, and all reviews on our website were voluntarily contributed by customers who used our service. Customers choose what name appears on their review, and whether to include details like their total payout and fees, or a link to their shipment's stats page. We don't edit reviews, but we may have to remove one if it contains very offensive language.
Does Card Conduit sell cards at retail?
Yes, but we don't have a public storefront. Our service pays buylist (wholesale) value to our customers, and many of the cards we process are forwarded to our buylisting partners. In some cases, however, we opt to sell cards outside of a traditional buylist; in those cases, the customer is paid an additional percentage on top of our normal buylist value assessment. We do not have a public retail storefront, but we do sometimes post higher end cards for sale on our social media channels.
Where do I need to ship my cards?
SLC, Utah. We provide our full shipping address and instructions during the shipment registration process.
How should I prepare my cards for shipment?
Refer to our Shipping Guide. Our shipping guide includes suggestions for packaging, shipping carriers, and other tips to ensure your cards reach us securely and without damage.
Should my cards be sleeved?
No, and there is a surcharge for sleeves. There will be an additional fee of $20 if your shipment contains (100+) sleeved cards, and another $20 for each additional 500 sleeved cards within your shipment. This fee helps offset labor costs of de-sleeving cards, and we hope encourages customers to de-sleeve their cards before sending them. Sleeves do not provide additional protection to cards in transit, and in fact are more likely to cause card damage.
Can I send multiple shipments in one box?
Yes, just clearly label them. It's not uncommon for customers to send multiple shipments in one box (and to combine our different services at the same time). To do so, register separate shipments in our system, and be sure to clearly separate/label them with the appropriate Shipment ID in the box.
Do you accept shipments from outside the US?
Yes, we do. We accept shipments from outside the US, but you should expect little to no value for non-English cards.
Do you accept signature delivery?
Yes. Requiring signature on your shipment is not a problem.
Do I need to pay for shipping?
Yes, you do. Shipping is your responsibility and we recommend you get insurance.
Can I drop off my cards in person?
Yes, but they must be sealed and labeled. We use a UPS store box location for receiving packages before we bring them to our facility. Dropoffs can be accepted provided all requisite information is on the packaging and it's sealed properly.
How can I receive payment?
Your choice of ACH/Direct Deposit, Check, PayPal, or Zelle. You will be prompted to select your payment method when registering a shipment. Our maximum Zelle payment is $3,000. Also be aware that PayPal transactions are in USD and have a fee (usually 3-4%).
How long will it take to get my shipment report and to issue payment?
Typically under 2 weeks. We are usually able to send your full report 1 week after we receive your shipment. Large shipments (3k+ cards) may take slightly longer, in which case we will contact you with an estimated timeframe (usually no more than 1 extra week).
Payment is issued 3 days later, but may be delayed if your shipment has exceptionally valuable/unique cards, in which case you will be contacted directly about the reason for delay and the timeline for your payment.
What will be in the final report of my shipment?
An itemized list of your cards with our assessed value. A searchable version of the report will be available via our website, as well as a CSV spreadsheet you can download. The report will include the condition of each non-bulk card.
Along with the report, we will provide a summary of the total amounts and our fees. Sometimes there are non-card items we could not process normally -- such as sealed booster packs -- and these will be listed separately as "miscellaneous items".
If I choose payment via check, how long will it take to get to me?
Expect 1 week for domestic mail delivery. We use a 3rd-Party check issuing company and 7 business days is the standard delivery estimate within the continental US. There is limited tracking via USPS business class mail scans, but we're unable to provide tracking information to customers directly at this time. If you have been waiting over 8 days since payment was issued, you can contact [email protected] and we'll be happy to investigate for you.
Could I get a chance to review my results before processing is finalized?
Yes, but we need advance notice. We realize some customers would like an opportunity to review how we've assessed and graded their cards. If you reach out in advance (either via your shipment "special instructions" or in an email), we can plan on setting your processed cards aside for a 48-hour review period upon completion of processing. This differs from our usual workflow where, for efficiency purposes, we will merge cards into our general inventory as we complete processing. We offer this option for customers who have specific expectations about results, and would like an opportunity to review and resolve any concerns.
Do you file tax documents (e.g. 1099s) for customer payouts?
No. Because we are not a payment processor, we are not required to, nor do we report payments made to you via 1099. It is up to you to handle accounting and filing for any income you may have related to your sale.
What are your Standard Service fees?
10% of value + $0.03/card. Our Standard Service is for cards of any value, and fees are 10% of the total value we assess for your cards, plus $0.03 per card.
What are your Curated Service fees?
5% of value. Our Curated Service is for valuable cards only ($1+ buylist), and fees are 5% of the total value we assess for your cards, with no per card fee.
What are your Sorted Service fees?
2% of value. Our Sorted Service is for valuable cards ($1+ buylist) you have selected and sorted in advance, and fees are 2% of the total value we assess for your cards, with no per card fee.
Are there any fees aside from processing fees?
Only for desleeving cards. There will be an additional fee of $20 if your shipment contains (100+) sleeved cards, and another $20 for each additional 500 sleeved cards within your shipment. This fee helps offset labor costs of de-sleeving cards, and we hope encourages customers to de-sleeve their cards before sending them. Sleeves do not provide additional protection to cards in transit, and in fact are more likely to cause card damage.
What if fees exceed the total value of my shipment? Could I owe money?
No payment will be issued; you do not owe anything. You would not receive any payout from your collection, but you would also not owe us any additional fees to cover the deficit.
Does the per-card fee apply to every card? Even the cards worth nothing?
Yes, for all processed cards. Our per-card fee applies to every card we process for your report, even the cards worth nothing. This fee is for the labor involved with processing your shipment. You can avoid per-card fees by choosing to exclude classes of cards that are typically worthless, such as non-foil Basic Lands, Commons, and Uncommons. This option is provided during our shipment registration flow.
Do your bulk rates account for the Standard Shipment per-card fee?
No, our listed bulk rates are before any fee is applied. This means that some bulk (such as bulk commons and uncommons) would have a net negative impact on your final payout for the cards you ship to us. You can find our bulk rates in our terms.
Can I avoid processing fees on cards with no value (i.e. bulk)?
Yup. Check out our 'Exclusions' option. For standard shipments, our Exclusions option let's you choose to omit non-foil Basic Lands, Commons, and/or Uncommons from processing.
Fees are waived for such excluded cards, and they will not appear itemized in your shipment report. We will, however, still value these items at our bulk rates as payment to you.
How is card value determined?
Best graded buylist price. Card value is based on the highest amount being paid by our major buylist partners at the time of processing, and with consideration for the card's condition. Prices are not locked in until the cards have been processed.
What partners does Card Conduit use for selling / buylisting cards?
Most major retailers. We utilize buylists from a variety of major vendors (e.g., Card Kingdom, Star City Games, MTG Seattle, and more), as well as smaller buying partners, some of which are not publicly available. In some cases, we opt to sell cards outside of a traditional buylist; in those cases, the customer is paid an additional percentage on top of our normal buylist value assessment.
How is card condition determined?
Industry standards and buylisting partners. We apply industry standards regarding wear, scratches, clouding, indentations, and various other criteria to assess the condition of your cards to one of: Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played, Damaged, or Rejected (no value). This condition assessment will appear on your itemized report (for non-bulk cards).
In some cases, we need to adjust the condition depending on the varying standards of our buylisting partners. What is Near Mint to one vendor may be considered Lightly Played by another, and so on. We will always strive to match your card with the best paying buylisting partner, and that partner's specific criteria may have an impact on the final reported condition of your card. We may even downgrade the condition of your card when it results in a higher valuation (it can happen!).
What is bulk?
Cards with litte to no value. Usually cards that are in very high supply, or with little or no demand. These cards will still have a retail value, but they are not being purchased in the wholesale market and have no buylist value.
Is it worth sending just my bulk cards?
Absolutely not. In the vast majority of cases sending a shipment of pure bulk won't be worth the shipping fees (or our labor fees) to process.
What if my shipment is a mix of valuable cards and bulk, and I don't want to filter out the bulk?
Use our Standard Service with exclusions. If you have a fair amount of bulk in your collection, you don't necessarily need to go to the trouble of filtering it all out. We recommend using our Standard Service with the option to exclude commons and basic lands -- which you can do during our shipment registration flow -- and which means we'll filter out the (non-foil, non-full art) commons and basic lands and pay our bulk rates for them. There are no fees for excluded cards, and any valuable commons/basic lands we notice will be cherry picked for normal processing, so you don't miss out on significantly valuable cards but still benefit from the reduced fees.
Non-English Cards: What value should I expect?
Little to no value. Unfortunately, non-english cards in the US have very few outlets when buylisting. Most of the time that means we're unable to assess any value for such items. Rather than shipping non-english cards to us, we recommend the Foreign High-End Foil MTG and the Non-English MTG Facebook groups for selling your high value non-english cards.
Artist-Signed Cards: What value should I expect?
Not recommended: Limited buyers; condition downgrade. Most vendors consider artist-signed cards to be Heavily Played or Damaged condition (regardless of actual wear and tear) and will not purchase them. The vendors who do purchase signed cards will only buy them if in Near Mint condition, and even then they will downgrade their buy price (typically applying their Lightly Played or Moderately Played price). Typically we don’t recommend sending them in to our service, as there is a risk they will not return much value, but we will of course process them to the best of our ability if you choose to include them in your shipment.
Altered Art Cards: What value should I expect?
Not recommended: Automatic damaged condition. Unfortunately, most US vendors do not purchase Altered Art cards. The ones that do tend to grade them as "Damaged" (Even if they're otherwise in pristine condition) and so at best we'll see is 25% of Near Mint value given. So while, yes, we can accept them, in most cases you'll get better value soliciting offers from some of the various Facebook groups that deal with Altered Art cards such as the High End MTG Alters group. There are numerous others, so your best bet would be to solicit multiple or find one the fits the niche your Altered Art cards belong.
Tokens: What value should I expect?
No value. We do not process tokens, and those items will not appear in your itemized report.
What about cards with a strong/unusual smell?
No value. Unfortunately, cards with strong or unusually heavy smells permeating them such as smoke, mold, or mildew, are unable to be liquidated/sold wholesale and in extreme cases will be returned to you. In some of these situations there are remedies available around the web, however, they can be time consuming and so are not a service we're able to provide here.
How can multiple copies of the same card have different assessed values?
Buylist quantity limits. Some of our buying partners have limitations on the quantity they'll accept of a specific card. If you send several copies of the same card, we may need to sell copies to more than one partner at different prices.
What if I disagree with Card Conduit's assessed value of my cards?
Contact us with your concerns. Our business is set up to maximize the value of your cards by utilizing large, reliable buylist vendors and understanding the grading conditions (and value downgrades) of those vendors. However, due to the cost and time required to individually catalog shipments, we are unable to change the assessed value (or assessed condition) of any cards.
We will, however, certainly review specific items of concern to further explain our valuation/grading process, and provide any additional details we can to help you understand the basis for our conclusions.
I'm a wholesale buyer. How can I partner with Card Conduit?
Email us. We are always on the lookout for reliable, responsive vendors with extensive buylists to add to our sales outlet options. Reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss being included.
Do you have an affiliate program?
Yes, we do. We do have a limited affiliate program. If you're interested in becoming an affiliate, please reach out to us at [email protected]
Would Card Conduit donate cards to my charity organization?
Yes, we would. We'd like to work with any charity or organization that can put Magic cards to a positive non-commercial use. Please reach out to us at [email protected].
How does Card Conduit handle culturally insensitive cards?
Customers receive buylist value; our proceeds are donated. We have special handling for cards deemed culturally insensitive or otherwise problematic by WoTC. Our customers will receive buylist value for such cards, just like any other card they send to us. On our side, however, any proceeds generated through the subsequent sale of these cards will be donated to charity. We are currently using these funds to support The College Settlement of Philadelphia.
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