Hi All,
I was wondering, does anyone know of a very easy site to use for purchasing singles? This is kind of a tall order, but I'm hoping for something with prices close to Ebay, and as easy to use as Amazon.
My folks normally get me a whole lot of books for christmas, but this year they know that I have a huge amount of already-purchased books that I want to read. Or they get me clothes, but they know I've been dieting (very successfully) and I don't want to acquire any new clothes right now, since nothing will fit me in a year. (Hopefully!)
So, this year, my folks actually want to focus on magic cards. Hooray. I should be the easiest person in the world to shop for, since I've been playing magic from age 11-26, but I know that M:tG can be really confusing for outsiders.
I would leave my parents to their own devices, but they've asked for a list, and without it, they'll assuredly buy an M11 precon or a deckbuilder's toolkit or a planeswalker's guildhouse or something bizarre.
I tried to explain eBay to my mom, but she's convinced that she'll have to watch an auction, and for some reason didn't seem to get the "Buy it Now" stuff. And honestly most "Buy it Now"s are way overpriced.
I'm thinking about linking her to a few singles on Troll and Toad that I need for EDH or Cube, but again, worried that she'll wander around the site and get me Pokemon Fire Energy in bulk or something.
I know that this is only going to go well if I give my parents a very very easy site to use with a big "Buy" button. My parents are very intelligent people, but they've demonstrated before that online shopping eludes them.
Does Amazon have a reputable singles dealer? That would probably be the best way to go.
Thanks for the help guys! If I can't find something easy and in line with what I expect singles to cost, I'll just ask for socks again or something. (Seriously, I go through socks like crazy... I don't know where they all go...)
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Edit: Better yet, do you know of any MTG sites that do gift certificates or account credit? I'd think TnT and CF would, but I don't see anything...
Starcitygames are reasonable on a lot of cards, but if you're going for staples you'll be looking at premium prices. They're also a really good source for foils, if you're keen on those.
You could try cardshark.com, depending on what you're looking for, I've used them a few times, with no problems. They usually have a good selection of things. Just watch out because shipping will nab you there, since each individual seller charges shipping.
cardkingdom.com and channelfireball.com have much better prices than starcitygames and have excellent service and very easy to navagate. Would highly recommend.
Cardkingdom.com is my go to site most of the time. I had the same dilemma that you seem to have (It more has to do with not wanting them to try and find out what a Foil 10th Edition Time Stop is, considering it's oddly specific). My solution was to ask for a giftcard, which they have.
I don't use a ton of sites, but mtgfanatic.com also has gift certs.
If you're going to give them a 'list' to buy for you why don't you just go and fill out the entire order form and let them put in the CC info. Seriously it's not a 'surprise' if you are giving them a list. Why not just buy them yourself, have your parents pay, and then wait until Christmas to order them?
I did that like 4 years ago with my parents. Had 0 Christmas ideas (like this year, but I'm getting to the point where I don't even want gifts anymore) and just bought cards off ebay I wanted and my mom paid me back. I was happy either way.
And yes, in the past I had asked for random packs for Christmas and she got me the Kithkin theme deck from Lorwyn because it 'had more cards in it'. Parents just don't get it, just like anyone who doesn't play doesn't know.
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Pick a store you like, personally I find the best prices at Channelfireball, and copy and paste the URL's of specific cards into an email for you parents. I do that with my parents all the time (usually with CD's/books/DVD's on amazon or DeepDiscount). Spell out the card before the link so there is no room for mistake, ie, send an email to them that looks like:
List all the cards you're interested in, and let your parents pick. You could even post them in the order you want them. If they're not giving you your entire list, there will still be an element of surprise that your parents would enjoy that is more satisfying for them than by giving you a gift card or simply putting in their credit card # or paying you back for cards you bought yourself.
If necessary, make sure to ask for the condition or expansion you want, specifically. Yes it takes a little effort on your part, but unless your list is a hundred cards long it shouldn't be that time consuming, and you'll get what you want.
I do this every Christmas and birthday, link them to 10 things I'd like, and I end up getting half of them or so, never knowing exactly which ones I'll get. Works very well. I started doing it this way beacause often times there would be "special editions" of things I wanted, like CD's that come with a bonus CD or DVD, or extended editions of DVD's etc, items that came in a variety of formats. If I didn't give my parents links, they'd buy the RIGHT item, but WRONG version.
Also, back to your original post, just type in Gift Certificate at Channel Fireball in the same place you'd do a card search. It will come back with $25, $50, and $100 options. Coolstuffinc is highly reputable, but a little pricier on the whole, esp for Standard cards, but right on the homepage there are two buttons for 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. Clicking either of those will allow for a gift cert to be purchased in any amount.
Shipping at CFB is free on orders of $50 or more, otherwise it will run you $3-$5 depending on how much you buy, and shipping at Coolstuffinc is only 99 cents for up to 100 cards (or free if the total is over $100).
I was wondering, does anyone know of a very easy site to use for purchasing singles? This is kind of a tall order, but I'm hoping for something with prices close to Ebay, and as easy to use as Amazon.
My folks normally get me a whole lot of books for christmas, but this year they know that I have a huge amount of already-purchased books that I want to read. Or they get me clothes, but they know I've been dieting (very successfully) and I don't want to acquire any new clothes right now, since nothing will fit me in a year. (Hopefully!)
So, this year, my folks actually want to focus on magic cards. Hooray. I should be the easiest person in the world to shop for, since I've been playing magic from age 11-26, but I know that M:tG can be really confusing for outsiders.
I would leave my parents to their own devices, but they've asked for a list, and without it, they'll assuredly buy an M11 precon or a deckbuilder's toolkit or a planeswalker's guildhouse or something bizarre.
I tried to explain eBay to my mom, but she's convinced that she'll have to watch an auction, and for some reason didn't seem to get the "Buy it Now" stuff. And honestly most "Buy it Now"s are way overpriced.
I'm thinking about linking her to a few singles on Troll and Toad that I need for EDH or Cube, but again, worried that she'll wander around the site and get me Pokemon Fire Energy in bulk or something.
I know that this is only going to go well if I give my parents a very very easy site to use with a big "Buy" button. My parents are very intelligent people, but they've demonstrated before that online shopping eludes them.
Does Amazon have a reputable singles dealer? That would probably be the best way to go.
Thanks for the help guys! If I can't find something easy and in line with what I expect singles to cost, I'll just ask for socks again or something. (Seriously, I go through socks like crazy... I don't know where they all go...)
-----
Edit: Better yet, do you know of any MTG sites that do gift certificates or account credit? I'd think TnT and CF would, but I don't see anything...
BUWGRChilds PlayGRWUB
BUWGR Highlander GRWUB
UBSquee's Shapeshifting PetBU
BW Multiplayer Control WB
RG Changeling GR
UR Mana FlareRU
UMerfolkU
B MBMC B
I don't use a ton of sites, but mtgfanatic.com also has gift certs.
I did that like 4 years ago with my parents. Had 0 Christmas ideas (like this year, but I'm getting to the point where I don't even want gifts anymore) and just bought cards off ebay I wanted and my mom paid me back. I was happy either way.
And yes, in the past I had asked for random packs for Christmas and she got me the Kithkin theme deck from Lorwyn because it 'had more cards in it'. Parents just don't get it, just like anyone who doesn't play doesn't know.
My Trade List (long dead)
My Sales List (long dead)
">Foil Japanese Death and Taxes! (In progress, needs <10 cards)
I am just everybody for cash, personally. Baha.
"Fruitcake elemental": http://store.channelfireball.com/products/search?query=fruitcake+elemental&store.x=18&store.y=23
"Season's Beatings": http://store.channelfireball.com/products/search?query=season%27s+beatings&store.x=50&store.y=23
List all the cards you're interested in, and let your parents pick. You could even post them in the order you want them. If they're not giving you your entire list, there will still be an element of surprise that your parents would enjoy that is more satisfying for them than by giving you a gift card or simply putting in their credit card # or paying you back for cards you bought yourself.
If necessary, make sure to ask for the condition or expansion you want, specifically. Yes it takes a little effort on your part, but unless your list is a hundred cards long it shouldn't be that time consuming, and you'll get what you want.
I do this every Christmas and birthday, link them to 10 things I'd like, and I end up getting half of them or so, never knowing exactly which ones I'll get. Works very well. I started doing it this way beacause often times there would be "special editions" of things I wanted, like CD's that come with a bonus CD or DVD, or extended editions of DVD's etc, items that came in a variety of formats. If I didn't give my parents links, they'd buy the RIGHT item, but WRONG version.
Also, back to your original post, just type in Gift Certificate at Channel Fireball in the same place you'd do a card search. It will come back with $25, $50, and $100 options. Coolstuffinc is highly reputable, but a little pricier on the whole, esp for Standard cards, but right on the homepage there are two buttons for 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. Clicking either of those will allow for a gift cert to be purchased in any amount.
Shipping at CFB is free on orders of $50 or more, otherwise it will run you $3-$5 depending on how much you buy, and shipping at Coolstuffinc is only 99 cents for up to 100 cards (or free if the total is over $100).