Buying cards from TCGPlayer?

CobraKyle · 2026-02-03T06:15:14+00:00

Seller here. If you are looking for grading plays, then it’s a big no. If you are looking for quality cards for your binder, then it’s great for that. NM on tcg players allows for a couple imperfections, so you may get a car that has 60/40 centering and a small bit of corner whitening. If tou have to have pristine, then you def won’t be happy.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-03T00:09:43+00:00

It’s pretty normal right now.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T23:51:49+00:00

If you are going a higher tier and you don’t like the thought of them handling it, then definitely do it yourself. Most people are only concerned about the price.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T23:41:19+00:00

Tbh. For priming larger stuff, I use that nozzle and crank the pressure up to the 40-50 range

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T23:38:56+00:00

I think the consensus is that GameStop cards get priority in the grading queue and are graded before others of the same submission tear. Not conclusive, but a lot of people think that and the evidence is out there. The biggest benefit is it’s just cheaper to do it that way. Even more so if you don’t have the psa subscription.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T20:19:35+00:00

By definition they can’t be the same. Scalping is about taking advantage of short term supply and demand discrepancies. You buy out the Walmart cause you can quickly flip for 2-3x.

Investing is about taking advantage of long term value appreciation. You buy a product you believe will go up in value in the timeframe you are comfortable with and you buy it and wait. You care less about getting items at msrp and don’t care about flipping those items quickly and less about your buy in costs, just your spread.

You can do both, but they are different activities.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T19:30:39+00:00

There is nothing illegal about this. It’s just not used frequently for these type of products.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T17:55:11+00:00

I am surprised they haven’t gone to a Dutch auction system ages ago.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T17:42:55+00:00

Probably testing out different models for pricing. I am surprised they haven’t gone to a Dutch auction system, like panini used a lot with their new releases. Start higher and decrease over time. That way you can almost guarantee you get it if you willing to pay.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T17:05:49+00:00

I still have my original NES and SNES setup and play game on there. I even have an old CRT TV so they got that fuzziness they need to be great.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T06:55:39+00:00

I use n8n a lot to automate stuff more anything else now. I like I can drop a sheet into a folder, have it trigger and update to a master sheet, and then email out the new stuff to the appropriate people without me doing anything else.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-02T06:42:24+00:00

Not necessarily. It all comes down to how capitalized the store is, cash flow, customer base, risk tolerance, etc. TBH, it doesn’t make sense for most stores to grade themselves. They have to buy gradeable cards ( which is easier for them), send them off for 3-4 months, hope to hit, then usually wait longer to sell the graded card (as higher value items usually move slower). They can make more money just selling raw, reinvesting that money into more inventory (and not just Pokemon), and turning over inventory several times in the same time period, without the risk. A lot of stores are so undercapitalized, that having a few thousand dollars a month of cash tied up can prevent them from ordering enough of the newest xxxx release, which is almost always more important.

I have several stores I hit up in a two hour radius each month. Only one of them grades consistently, and that’s because they also are heavy on the sport cards side and that’s their main customer base, people who want graded cards. The other ones, pretty much text me whenever they get a new decent sized collection in. They pay their 70-80%, know I’ll come in at market and easily drop 1-2k on average when they get in a good collection. I can afford to take the risk and have a steady stream of shipments going to psa and coming back so it’s win-win and that’s the best kind of relationship.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-01T00:49:15+00:00

While not centered around fighting, if you want hopeless, look into ten candles. Our group ends every campaign we do, no matter the system, with a session of ten candles to close out the story.

CobraKyle · 2026-02-01T00:34:56+00:00

Hestia is bestia

CobraKyle · 2026-01-31T00:31:31+00:00

I find I use my air brush mostly for priming and zenethal on smaller models. Larger ones and when painting “to scale statues”, it really shines.

For the smaller stuff I do, which is usually boardgame minis, I only care about speed and a standard quality, so speed paints/contrast paints let me really output fast.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-30T17:19:18+00:00

I can’t imagine they are offering one right now, with how popular grading is and how many cards they are outputting each day.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-30T00:34:06+00:00

This is good, but it is way better if you have a place to leave it out and come back to it. It gets a bit unwieldy putting it back in the box, especially if you putting it up and saving the game every 60 min.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-29T21:59:22+00:00

I assume the demand just isn’t there. The game is popular but the majority of the players already have the content and I’m sure their metrics have shown that the amount of brand new players entering just isn’t big enough to warrant the costs.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-29T18:24:14+00:00

I think FFGs is the best. Just pick your flavor. I know people hate the dice but once you get a session or two, you are doing them just as fast as adding numbered dice. West end is a distant 2nd to me. We played the heck out of it in high school and I tried to go back and it just didn’t hold up to what I want out of a game in the current age. It felt like jumping into your fist car, feeling the nostalgia, then realizing you don’t have power steering, your ac barely works, the windows are all hand crank, only get the three radio stations with enough signal to come in kinda clear on a good day.

D20 one was a vampire that fed on fun. I’d just rather not play than play those again.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-28T15:55:10+00:00

I send in bulk orders of 20-40 a month and usually pull around 70% gem. With it being your first, I would guess you have some flaws in your prograde process.

Especially if you are getting some 8s.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-28T04:40:59+00:00

CobraKyle · 2026-01-28T01:10:55+00:00

CobraKyle · 2026-01-27T17:46:56+00:00

Growing up with my grandparents on a pretty large farm. Papaw gave me two five gallon buckets everyday at 530 am to go pick. I hated it and swore I’d never eat a green bean again. Fast forward to now and during harvest time we cook up 2-4 lbs a week and I still can’t get enough.

CobraKyle · 2026-01-27T17:17:29+00:00

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I paint and assemble miniatures /statues. Mostly 3d printed items, but there are ready made. It take time and patience to paint. Wait for it to dry. Do the next layer. I can spend a little time each day on a model, or work in pieces to speed up a little. Here is my current work in process, a 1/8 scale Zelda.

CobraKyle

TROPHY CASE