Customer Reviews

of our Magic collection selling service

Our best advice when grading does not align with what you were initially expecting is to reach out to us and discuss it. In this case the customer specifically asked us not to respond, and so we did not. However, for anyone considering the service - we are always willing to discuss grading and provide evidence supporting our grading - we want you to conclude every transaction with us on a high note. Tone can be challenging to convey via email at times, but we always do our best to remain respectful and informative throughout our communications.

Our best advice when grading does not align with what you were initially expecting is to reach out to us and discuss it. In this case the customer specifically asked us not to respond, and so we did not. However, for anyone considering the service - we are always willing to discuss grading and provide evidence supporting our grading - we want you to conclude every transaction with us on a high note. Tone can be challenging to convey via email at times, but we always do our best to remain respectful and informative throughout our communications.

We do not edit/remove negative reviews from our site, so this review will certainly see the light of day.

It is challenging to offer specific insight here since the cards were processed more than a month ago. Based on the description here, there may be a disconnect between the grading standards we use, and the standards used by the customer. We do our best to set expectations ahead of time on that front, and we always encourage customers to examine our grading standards, and also to inspect their cards (including the back) with adequate lighting outside of sleeves/binders, prior to sending their cards in.

The best advice we can provide for those considering the service is to reach out to us if you are surprised by the grading. We are always willing to provide additional insight and support for the grading, and in most cases this enables us to get on the same page. Staying silent should never be viewed as the best option - we want you to conclude every transaction with us on a positive note!

We do not edit/remove negative reviews from our site, so this review will certainly see the light of day.

It is challenging to offer specific insight here since the cards were processed more than a month ago. Based on the description here, there may be a disconnect between the grading standards we use, and the standards used by the customer. We do our best to set expectations ahead of time on that front, and we always encourage customers to examine our grading standards, and also to inspect their cards (including the back) with adequate lighting outside of sleeves/binders, prior to sending their cards in.

The best advice we can provide for those considering the service is to reach out to us if you are surprised by the grading. We are always willing to provide additional insight and support for the grading, and in most cases this enables us to get on the same page. Staying silent should never be viewed as the best option - we want you to conclude every transaction with us on a positive note!

The most important note here is that it is never a moot point. If you're surprised by the grading, you should absolutely reach out to us to let us know - we can provide more context and support our grades, and in most cases get on the same page, or otherwise find an agreeable solution. In this case, not only were we not made aware of any problems, the shipment was actively approved for payment, signaling to us that things were great.

We are never aware of the history of cards when they are sent in - and ultimately the only thing we can assess is the condition of the cards when they are received. The designation of "played" does not speak to what was done with the cards, and instead is a designation of the amount of wear on the cards.

We do not utilize computer programs to grade cards; everything is graded by humans.

If you're concerned that you may not be on the same page when your report comes in, we always recommend adding a hold for review on your shipment, which allows ... Read more

The most important note here is that it is never a moot point. If you're surprised by the grading, you should absolutely reach out to us to let us know - we can provide more context and support our grades, and in most cases get on the same page, or otherwise find an agreeable solution. In this case, not only were we not made aware of any problems, the shipment was actively approved for payment, signaling to us that things were great.

We are never aware of the history of cards when they are sent in - and ultimately the only thing we can assess is the condition of the cards when they are received. The designation of "played" does not speak to what was done with the cards, and instead is a designation of the amount of wear on the cards.

We do not utilize computer programs to grade cards; everything is graded by humans.

If you're concerned that you may not be on the same page when your report comes in, we always recommend adding a hold for review on your shipment, which allows us to easily have a discussion and provide you ample evidence to support the grading. Even without the hold for review, don't stay silent - reach out to us - we want you to conclude your transaction making the same recommendation for this service as your family and friends.

As graded, the price paid for this shipment was 64.7% after our fees of the NM TCGLow Value. Certainly this is lower than the 79.3% we would have paid had the cards all been NM, but it is much higher than 40%.

"Pack fresh" unfortunately is not a grade for a card. We always strongly recommend that folks inspect their cards for wear before sending them in, as assumptions about the condition can lead to disappointment. Ultimately, we need to grade the cards as they are received with consistent conditioning standards. Anyone concerned about the grading not matching the conditioning standards should consider a hold for review which will allow us to discuss the cards to get on the same page prior to finalizing your shipment. Even without a hold, we encourage you to reach out to discuss any surprises with your shipment - we will always do our best to try to reach an acceptable conclusion with you!

The payment was delayed by a day as a result of the bank holiday, but unfortunately that is not something we can control. We do offer the ability to be paid the next business day after you receive your report, but that was not selected in this instance.

As graded, the price paid for this shipment was 64.7% after our fees of the NM TCGLow Value. Certainly this is lower than the 79.3% we would have paid had the cards all been NM, but it is much higher than 40%.

"Pack fresh" unfortunately is not a grade for a card. We always strongly recommend that folks inspect their cards for wear before sending them in, as assumptions about the condition can lead to disappointment. Ultimately, we need to grade the cards as they are received with consistent conditioning standards. Anyone concerned about the grading not matching the conditioning standards should consider a hold for review which will allow us to discuss the cards to get on the same page prior to finalizing your shipment. Even without a hold, we encourage you to reach out to discuss any surprises with your shipment - we will always do our best to try to reach an acceptable conclusion with you!

The payment was delayed by a day as a result of the bank holiday, but unfortunately that is not something we can control. We do offer the ability to be paid the next business day after you receive your report, but that was not selected in this instance.

We had reached out for clarification here, but unfortunately had not received a reply yet.

This shipment was over 1500 cards with an assessed value (before our fees) of 62.3% of NM TCGLow. Other recent shipments include one at 69.85% and another at 71%. It isn't clear where the 40% value cited is coming from. We always encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to us - we'd be happy to discuss and get on the same page!

We had reached out for clarification here, but unfortunately had not received a reply yet.

This shipment was over 1500 cards with an assessed value (before our fees) of 62.3% of NM TCGLow. Other recent shipments include one at 69.85% and another at 71%. It isn't clear where the 40% value cited is coming from. We always encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to us - we'd be happy to discuss and get on the same page!

The best approach if you are surprised by a grade is to contact us; we can get on the same page in most cases, and when we cannot, we can find some other solution. You can also request ahead of time that your shipment be held for review, which will allow you the chance to review your report before it is finalized. Even if you do not select this option, though, you should always reach out with any issues rather than staying silent until leaving a review.

The best approach if you are surprised by a grade is to contact us; we can get on the same page in most cases, and when we cannot, we can find some other solution. You can also request ahead of time that your shipment be held for review, which will allow you the chance to review your report before it is finalized. Even if you do not select this option, though, you should always reach out with any issues rather than staying silent until leaving a review.

This shipment was delayed 2 weeks from the planned reporting date, not 6 weeks. The shipment was fully processed 21 days after receipt at our processing facility, not 40+ days.

The delay was a result of a COVID-19 outbreak affecting a significant portion of our staff over a period of weeks, and we alerted all customers to potential delays resulting from the staffing shortage. Unfortunately, low-value, bulky shipments faced the most delay, as the time to complete those shipments takes a disproportionate amount of staff time.

We can certainly understand the frustration resulting from the delays, but it should be noted that this was an unusual situation that should not be assumed to be the norm for any future shipments.

This shipment was delayed 2 weeks from the planned reporting date, not 6 weeks. The shipment was fully processed 21 days after receipt at our processing facility, not 40+ days.

The delay was a result of a COVID-19 outbreak affecting a significant portion of our staff over a period of weeks, and we alerted all customers to potential delays resulting from the staffing shortage. Unfortunately, low-value, bulky shipments faced the most delay, as the time to complete those shipments takes a disproportionate amount of staff time.

We can certainly understand the frustration resulting from the delays, but it should be noted that this was an unusual situation that should not be assumed to be the norm for any future shipments.

We can definitely understand being frustrated when the grades you receive are not what you were expecting. We must grade the cards in the condition they are received, but are always willing to provide context and support for the grades received - and we encourage you to reach out to us if you are surprised.

Older foils in particular have a high premium for Near Mint because they are much harder to find decades later. We always recommend inspecting cards prior to sending them in - but critically - to do so without sleeves / binder pages that hide certain types of wear (scratching, clouding) very common with foils. This helps prevent surprises when it comes to grades.

If you are concerned about potential grading differences, you can always request that your shipment be held for review - which will allow us to easily provide you more information and context about the grades. Even if you haven't made that request, we will still do our best to provide additional information about grades in order to get on the same page - but you need to reach out to us in order to make that happen.

We can definitely understand being frustrated when the grades you receive are not what you were expecting. We must grade the cards in the condition they are received, but are always willing to provide context and support for the grades received - and we encourage you to reach out to us if you are surprised.

Older foils in particular have a high premium for Near Mint because they are much harder to find decades later. We always recommend inspecting cards prior to sending them in - but critically - to do so without sleeves / binder pages that hide certain types of wear (scratching, clouding) very common with foils. This helps prevent surprises when it comes to grades.

If you are concerned about potential grading differences, you can always request that your shipment be held for review - which will allow us to easily provide you more information and context about the grades. Even if you haven't made that request, we will still do our best to provide additional information about grades in order to get on the same page - but you need to reach out to us in order to make that happen.

We're sorry you did not have an exceptional experience with our service. Based on your responses, it appears that you did not receive any of the communications coming from our side – you were replied to via our website chat when you initially raised concerns about price shifts (prior to your report being finalized), you received a system message linking you to your finalized report, and you received a personal email from our head of operations walking you through your report. None of those points of contact received any feedback from you at any point in time.

"Discrepancies" indicates that perhaps you misunderstood how our service works. You are not submitting your own grading to us – instead, we are assessing your cards and assigning a grade. The estimates prices are just that – estimates for each potential condition type, and you confirm you understand that when creating a shipment with us. As such, we are unaware of what you yourself may have graded the cards – and a ... Read more

We're sorry you did not have an exceptional experience with our service. Based on your responses, it appears that you did not receive any of the communications coming from our side – you were replied to via our website chat when you initially raised concerns about price shifts (prior to your report being finalized), you received a system message linking you to your finalized report, and you received a personal email from our head of operations walking you through your report. None of those points of contact received any feedback from you at any point in time.

"Discrepancies" indicates that perhaps you misunderstood how our service works. You are not submitting your own grading to us – instead, we are assessing your cards and assigning a grade. The estimates prices are just that – estimates for each potential condition type, and you confirm you understand that when creating a shipment with us. As such, we are unaware of what you yourself may have graded the cards – and are simply assessing them per the relevant vendor criteria; the only way we would know if you disagreed with that assessment would be if you expressed it to us. Had you done that, we would have been happy to walk you through the grading process and provide evidence supporting the grades – and to find a mutually agreeable solution. Unfortunately, having said nothing to us for two weeks, that is no longer a possibility as those cards are not in our possession any longer.

We do offer the ability to request a hold for review, which gives you the opportunity to review the report prior to finalization. Even without requesting this, though, we always want people to feel like the have the opportunity to discuss and understand their report – but that cannot happen unless you speak with us – and we absolutely encourage everyone to never hesitate to reach out to us for a discussion.

While it can be frustrating that a card pulled from a pack is not Near Mint, that unfortunately can be the case. We have seen the exact same wear on other copies of The One Ring (foil) coming out of packs and is indicative of a quality control issue. Condition does not factor in whether it was out of the pack in that condition, and as always we must assess the card in the condition it is in when received.

While it can be frustrating that a card pulled from a pack is not Near Mint, that unfortunately can be the case. We have seen the exact same wear on other copies of The One Ring (foil) coming out of packs and is indicative of a quality control issue. Condition does not factor in whether it was out of the pack in that condition, and as always we must assess the card in the condition it is in when received.

We can understand and sympathize with customers who have certain expectations regarding grades, only to find out that they didn’t have a full understanding of how grading works in the industry. We do our best to offer photographic evidence to educate and explain the grading process; as is cited here, a very clear example was provided, though the customer declined to see any further examples when offered. The fact that the pictures show clear wear supporting the grade, but it was “unconvincing” certainly does indicate a disconnect, and unfortunately that is a difficult bridge to gap.

“Micro-abrasions” are not unseen – they are visible, but small – and the more there are, the more it factors into the grade. “Micro” does not mean you need a microscope to see them. The explanation provided to this customer, with contrasting supporting pictures, was that sleeves in particular can hide (and also cause) wear that exists on a card. Cards must be inspected outside of sl ... Read more

We can understand and sympathize with customers who have certain expectations regarding grades, only to find out that they didn’t have a full understanding of how grading works in the industry. We do our best to offer photographic evidence to educate and explain the grading process; as is cited here, a very clear example was provided, though the customer declined to see any further examples when offered. The fact that the pictures show clear wear supporting the grade, but it was “unconvincing” certainly does indicate a disconnect, and unfortunately that is a difficult bridge to gap.

“Micro-abrasions” are not unseen – they are visible, but small – and the more there are, the more it factors into the grade. “Micro” does not mean you need a microscope to see them. The explanation provided to this customer, with contrasting supporting pictures, was that sleeves in particular can hide (and also cause) wear that exists on a card. Cards must be inspected outside of sleeves with proper lighting to make an accurate assessment, and pictures were provided to show how much wear can be hidden by sleeves.

The grade you purchase a card at is not determinative of that grade. Similarly, opening a card and double sleeving it and putting it in a binder does not necessarily mean that card is near mint. Cards should be inspected prior to sending in to understand the condition they are in, rather than relying on a condition those cards may have been in several years ago. We must grade the cards in the condition they are received, and that was what was done here.

Vendors do have different criteria for grading, and our system is unique because it factors in criteria from many vendors – and our job is to maximize the value, not maximize the grade. When you go to an LGS, often you may not even get a grade – you just get a price, which is reflective of the grade – and it can be easy to ignore the fact that your payouts from our service are vastly superior to the typical LGS even if the grade itself is disappointing you.

Grading can be subjective, and that can be difficult to grapple with especially when dealing with large amounts of cards. For anyone who has concerns about grading, we always recommend requesting a hold for review on the shipment, which will allow us to provide documentation of wear on any cards in the shipment and give us the opportunity to get on the same page prior to finalizing your experience with us.

Unfortunately we do not have any control over what Paypal decides. We are always willing to confirm our receipt with Paypal to reduce or remove holds, but that option isn't always available. Absent that, we are also always willing to switch payment methods if Paypal has decided to be unreasonable. All of those options are available to anyone who reaches out to work with us on it.

Unfortunately we do not have any control over what Paypal decides. We are always willing to confirm our receipt with Paypal to reduce or remove holds, but that option isn't always available. Absent that, we are also always willing to switch payment methods if Paypal has decided to be unreasonable. All of those options are available to anyone who reaches out to work with us on it.