The purpose of this FAQ is to be an athority on MTGO set redemptions. If you have ever wondered something like:
"So I hear I can get paper cards?", "How do I get my cards offline?", "How do I make money on MTGO?", or "How much does redemption cost?"
You're in the right place.
To help assure players that thier online purchases would be valuable, MTGO created a policy that allows players to redeem complete sets of online digital cards for complete sets of paper cards.
When you redeem a set the cards are removed from your online collection and you are mailed physical copies.
Magic Online Cards are released in sets the same way that paper cards are. A "Complete Set" is one of every card in that set. For example if you wanted to redeem a Zendikar Set you would need one copy of every card in the Zendikar expansion including a copy of each basic land.
Note that alternate printings and promo cards are usually not included. Zendikar for instance requires the full art lands that come from opening packs and not the standard lands that come out of the Zendikar deck products.
The easiest way to tell if you have a full set is to set the filters in the collection tab to show only the set you want to redeem and to toggle either for all foil, or all non foil. Order the list by collectors number. This makes it easy to see any missing cards.
You have the option to redeem either a complete foil set, or a complete non-foil (regular) set. You can't mix and match. If you redeem a regular set but have only foil copies of certain cards your redemption will not be processed. to ensure you have all of a certain type go to your collection tab, filter by the set you want to redeem and check the box to select either foil or regular versions. Order by collectors number. This makes it easy to see missing cards.
Unfortunately no. I find myself buying Tokens on eBay on a regular basis because of this.
The easiest way to tell is to go to the store in the client and click on set redemptions. This will bring up a list of every redemption available for purchase. Note that items will normally be removed from the store if they are out of stock, but they may appear later if they are reprinted. WOTC provides the following info for those who like to plan ahead:
"As a general rule, Magic Online sets will be available for redemption roughly one month after they are released. If a redeemable set runs out of stock before its Redemption Guarantee Date, the set will be reprinted. After a redeemable set's Redemption Guaranteed Date has passed, such set will be available while supplies last or until its Cutoff Date, whichever comes first."
You can see those dates on the Magic Online Calender in the section on Redemption Schedule.
None of these products are able to be redeemed. This means that unless the art is exceptional, or the print run is very small, promo cards are usually cheaper than non-promo versions if you need them for your decks.
To redeem a set go to the online store in the client and purchase the set redemption for the set you wish to redeem. Be sure to buy either the standard version (black logo) for non-foil cards or the Foil version (gold logo) depending on which type of set you have.
Cards are removed from your online account during weekly downtime (Wednesday morning). You must have your set complete and the redemption in your collection when the server goes down or it will not process. When the cards are removed from your account you will receive an email update from WotC.
Set redemptions of sets before Gatecrash have a base price of $5 per set. Set redemptions of Gatecrash and after have a base price of $25 per set. There is a one time shipping charge of $2.99 in the U.S. or $29.99 outside of the U.S. You will also be charged any VAT or Duties. Sets are valued at $75 each for this purpose.
Wizard's Redemption Information states that it can take 1-10 days to process your request and 1-3 weeks to ship your set. In my experience it is normally about a week (In the U.S.). You will get an email when the package ships with tracking info for FedEx Ground. Wizards employees have stated on twitter that redemptions are being processed faster now on average.
Per Wizards Website:
After the Redemption Requests are processed, they will be sent to the warehouse for fulfillment. Redemption orders will either be shipped via FedEx Economy or United States Postal Service, depending on your shipping address. Please note that your shipping address must be in the same country as your billing address or your redemption order may not ship. Please allow up to 3 weeks for delivery.
No. Unfortunately redemption is a one way street.
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Redemption is one method of turning MTGO Objects into real money. Full sets can be sold to online stores or bot chains, singles can be sold to stores or on ebay or traded for other paper cards. There are several other ways to "cash out" depending on whether or not your goal is to play more MTG or to pay bills. The chart below highlights some of the options:
You will need all cards numbered 001-269. The Deckbuilder's Essentials cards numbered 270-284 are not required.
I will continue to add to this FAQ as needed. In the meantime feel free to ask questions if they weren't covered above. Thanks.
12/31/2013 - Added Redemption Fee Increase Info
8/3/2014 - Fixed minor spelling errors. Added new mothership calender links.
8/17/2014 - Added M15 information
2/27/2014 - Updated Information about Tracking
Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
To make it even easier after you've selected the set you wish to check and regular/foil, set Owned count to = 0 (change the '>' sign in the drop down to '='). That way you get a list of the cards you don't have and nothing else.
Good tip. That works as a good check to make sure you have all the cards. I tend export my list to text and then to excel since normally I'm trying to redeem more than 1 and I want to know exactly where I'm short (and how much it might cost me).
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I find it extremely cheap of Wizards to remove the cards from the online collection. They make enough money as it is, why not let the player keep all cards online?
That's borderline spam. Please don't post stuff like this in an information thread about redemption.
Maybe I've got a new "FAQ" to add.
I asked the WotC staff it it's possible for me to redeem a set but instead of sending it to me (I live in Switzerland but I've got relatives in U.S.) if they would send it to my relatives. They said that's possible. When I'm back from Thailand I'll redeem M11, if you need/like to know if and how it happend I'll provide this information.
I was also curious about, if it's possible for WotC to mark this "redeemed set" as "a present" or if they'll add the market price on the package? I'm wondering because I'm afraid of the Tax/Toll at the boarder...
Maybe I've got a new "FAQ" to add.
I asked the WotC staff it it's possible for me to redeem a set but instead of sending it to me (I live in Switzerland but I've got relatives in U.S.) if they would send it to my relatives. They said that's possible. When I'm back from Thailand I'll redeem M11, if you need/like to know if and how it happend I'll provide this information.
I was also curious about, if it's possible for WotC to mark this "redeemed set" as "a present" or if they'll add the market price on the package? I'm wondering because I'm afraid of the Tax/Toll at the boarder...
If its shipping to a regular US address, then I don't see any issues with customs. It would be cheap of them to charge you VAT or something like that when shipping to the US. If something strange happens, let us know.
They won't mark the package a gift. It's merchandise with a $50 value. If you ship it to your family in the US that won't matter unless you need to declare it in your suitcase. They come in these little white boxes inside a big box which has all the shipping info on it.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
They come in these little white boxes inside a big box which has all the shipping info on it.
This has me curious. I'm currently working towards redeeming a set online, and I am wondering in what manner (packaging, etc...) they are shipped in?
I'm guessing it's too much to hope for them to come individually sleeved (pipe dream), but are they protected in any manner? Are they all just in one big box?
Question:
Would it be profitable to redeem a set and then sell it somewhere? (Any tips on a shop/person that buys full packaged sets?)
Or would you be better off selling the online cards for tickets somewhere? (Again, are there people that buy full sets specifically for the redemption?)
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I'm quitting paper magic, look at all the cards for sale cheap Here!
I get most of the cards I sell online through redemptions. The money you can make is totally dependant on what you pay for the cards.
The spread between the online retail prices and paper prices after they stabilize is normally about 20%. This shoudn't be a surprise when you realize that its about 5% redemption fees + 15% ebay/paypal fees.
If you are looking to make money doing set redemptions you need to find a way to buy the cards cheeper or sell them higher.
Sell them higher normally only works for named retail storefronts, so you're on to buy them cheeper. The large bot chains involved in redemptions get thier cards at the buy prices which can be very cheep esp on the bulk rares.
There are buyers who buy/sell full sets. I don't happen to have a contact for pre-redemption, but I suspect you could write some of the major chains and ask if they buy sets and get quotes.
Attached is what the small white redemption boxes look like. They are packed inside on each end with styrofoam padding that is the height/width of a MTG card and about 5mm thick.
I like redemptions for "cashing out" my MTGO collection over selling to bots for one reason. Commons/Uncommons. There is usually no way to make money on the commons/uncommons stashed in my MTGO account since bots generally only buy non chase commons 150:1 or what have you, while an ebay buyer will generally pay $30+ for a full set of commons/uncommons.
Whether its worth redeeming, sorting, mailing or simply selling the set online is up to you.
ATTACHMENTS
M12 Complete Set
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
Forgive me for what may be a silly question. I assume that by "full set" you get one of each card given to you in it's physical form? As in not a playset of 4 of each card?
Yes, one of each. Full set means "one of each and every card in the Mirrodin Besieged Set".
Does anyone know a way to hide the backside of the DFC's from Innistrad on the collection page? It's annoying when I'm trying to see what cards I have left for a set (by setting the filter to cards = 0) and I have to scroll through a bunch of cards I have even though they show up as me not having them.
Can anyone provide some insight into what the package looks like when it arrives? I assume it is double boxed with the white labelled box inside another box. The reason being I would like it shipped to my office, but don't want the mail guy at my office to know I am having personal items shipped (they get annoyed by that stuff).
They are shipped in the same box as a booster case if you have seen one of those.
I don't know if you order a smaller amount than 4 because that's the smallest quantity I've ever redeemed.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
Do redeemed sets come with the tokens/emblem cards from that set? I'd assume not, but it would be a nice surprise from wizards if they included those...
Do redeemed sets come with the tokens/emblem cards from that set? I'd assume not, but it would be a nice surprise from wizards if they included those...
They only come with the cards that leave your account, so no tokens but you do get a full set of basics.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
Has there ever been a set to have run out of stock in that year between the redemption guarantee and redemption cutoff dates? Thanks!
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Standard (KLD):UR Thermo-Thing Modern:UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters Legacy:UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves EDH:GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
Find me on MTGO and Twitter with the same username
Has there ever been a set to have run out of stock in that year between the redemption guarantee and redemption cutoff dates? Thanks!
I was under the impression Zen was out of stock, but I just checked and its in the store right now. Before M10/Zen wizards extended the availability of a lot of the old sets due to a long production problem. Both M10 and Zen wiped their first two print runs pretty quick (because people were buying online sets because they couldn't get boxes). The third reprint of these sets was according to WotC_K "Massive".
To my knowledge since they started the policy with the guarantee/cutoff date system they have never run out early.
I always wondered what happens to sets that they still have a big stock of come the end of redemption.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I always wondered what happens to sets that they still have a big stock of come the end of redemption.
I'd assume that's where the majority of the wal mart promo packs and such come from, overstock on printed cards. It's the only real way they can liquidate the print runs quickly without having a major "real estate sale" type thing.
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I always wondered what happens to sets that they still have a big stock of come the end of redemption.
I bet they get sent to 3rd World countries along with the t-shirts made for Super Bowl losers.
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Standard (KLD):UR Thermo-Thing Modern:UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters Legacy:UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves EDH:GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
Find me on MTGO and Twitter with the same username
Added a section on other ways to cash out and updated prices to reflect GTC increase.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I can't see anything in that last spoiler box, other than the two lines of text. Maybe it's my browser. Can anyone else see it?
Also, I thought I'd add that when the cards arrive, they are ordered by rarity, then by collector number. When I opened my first ever redemption (RTR), I nearly had a heart attack when I didn't see Angel of Serenity, which I knew was #1. Eventually I clued in as to what was going on. Commons first, then uncommons and rares. I can't remember if the mythics were in with the normal rares or not. I don't think so.
I can't see anything in that last spoiler box, other than the two lines of text. Maybe it's my browser. Can anyone else see it?
I'm curious to know. This is what you are supposed to see.
ATTACHMENTS
MTGO Redemption Cash Flow
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
If I redeem more than 1 set at a time, can I combine shipping costs?
Yes. It's one shipping charge regardless of how many sets are redeemed.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
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"So I hear I can get paper cards?", "How do I get my cards offline?", "How do I make money on MTGO?", or "How much does redemption cost?"
You're in the right place.
To help assure players that thier online purchases would be valuable, MTGO created a policy that allows players to redeem complete sets of online digital cards for complete sets of paper cards.
When you redeem a set the cards are removed from your online collection and you are mailed physical copies.
Read the Official Redemption Information and Redemption Policy.
Magic Online Cards are released in sets the same way that paper cards are. A "Complete Set" is one of every card in that set. For example if you wanted to redeem a Zendikar Set you would need one copy of every card in the Zendikar expansion including a copy of each basic land.
Note that alternate printings and promo cards are usually not included. Zendikar for instance requires the full art lands that come from opening packs and not the standard lands that come out of the Zendikar deck products.
The easiest way to tell if you have a full set is to set the filters in the collection tab to show only the set you want to redeem and to toggle either for all foil, or all non foil. Order the list by collectors number. This makes it easy to see any missing cards.
You have the option to redeem either a complete foil set, or a complete non-foil (regular) set. You can't mix and match. If you redeem a regular set but have only foil copies of certain cards your redemption will not be processed. to ensure you have all of a certain type go to your collection tab, filter by the set you want to redeem and check the box to select either foil or regular versions. Order by collectors number. This makes it easy to see missing cards.
Unfortunately no. I find myself buying Tokens on eBay on a regular basis because of this.
The easiest way to tell is to go to the store in the client and click on set redemptions. This will bring up a list of every redemption available for purchase. Note that items will normally be removed from the store if they are out of stock, but they may appear later if they are reprinted. WOTC provides the following info for those who like to plan ahead:
"As a general rule, Magic Online sets will be available for redemption roughly one month after they are released. If a redeemable set runs out of stock before its Redemption Guarantee Date, the set will be reprinted. After a redeemable set's Redemption Guaranteed Date has passed, such set will be available while supplies last or until its Cutoff Date, whichever comes first."
You can see those dates on the Magic Online Calender in the section on Redemption Schedule.
To redeem a set go to the online store in the client and purchase the set redemption for the set you wish to redeem. Be sure to buy either the standard version (black logo) for non-foil cards or the Foil version (gold logo) depending on which type of set you have.
Cards are removed from your online account during weekly downtime (Wednesday morning). You must have your set complete and the redemption in your collection when the server goes down or it will not process. When the cards are removed from your account you will receive an email update from WotC.
Set redemptions of sets before Gatecrash have a base price of $5 per set. Set redemptions of Gatecrash and after have a base price of $25 per set. There is a one time shipping charge of $2.99 in the U.S. or $29.99 outside of the U.S. You will also be charged any VAT or Duties. Sets are valued at $75 each for this purpose.
Wizard's Redemption Information states that it can take 1-10 days to process your request and 1-3 weeks to ship your set. In my experience it is normally about a week (In the U.S.). You will get an email when the package ships with tracking info for FedEx Ground. Wizards employees have stated on twitter that redemptions are being processed faster now on average.
Per Wizards Website:
No. Unfortunately redemption is a one way street.
Redemption is one method of turning MTGO Objects into real money. Full sets can be sold to online stores or bot chains, singles can be sold to stores or on ebay or traded for other paper cards. There are several other ways to "cash out" depending on whether or not your goal is to play more MTG or to pay bills. The chart below highlights some of the options:
You will need all cards numbered 001-269. The Deckbuilder's Essentials cards numbered 270-284 are not required.
I will continue to add to this FAQ as needed. In the meantime feel free to ask questions if they weren't covered above. Thanks.
12/31/2013 - Added Redemption Fee Increase Info
8/3/2014 - Fixed minor spelling errors. Added new mothership calender links.
8/17/2014 - Added M15 information
2/27/2014 - Updated Information about Tracking
Good tip. That works as a good check to make sure you have all the cards. I tend export my list to text and then to excel since normally I'm trying to redeem more than 1 and I want to know exactly where I'm short (and how much it might cost me).
Thanks for the work on this, cardfather.
My Moderator Helpdesk| My Custom Set List | My MSE Template HostingBeers Tasted: 113 | Last Beer Sampled: Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine Ale
That's borderline spam. Please don't post stuff like this in an information thread about redemption.
My Moderator Helpdesk| My Custom Set List | My MSE Template HostingBeers Tasted: 113 | Last Beer Sampled: Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine Ale
I asked the WotC staff it it's possible for me to redeem a set but instead of sending it to me (I live in Switzerland but I've got relatives in U.S.) if they would send it to my relatives. They said that's possible. When I'm back from Thailand I'll redeem M11, if you need/like to know if and how it happend I'll provide this information.
I was also curious about, if it's possible for WotC to mark this "redeemed set" as "a present" or if they'll add the market price on the package? I'm wondering because I'm afraid of the Tax/Toll at the boarder...
If its shipping to a regular US address, then I don't see any issues with customs. It would be cheap of them to charge you VAT or something like that when shipping to the US. If something strange happens, let us know.
They won't mark the package a gift. It's merchandise with a $50 value. If you ship it to your family in the US that won't matter unless you need to declare it in your suitcase. They come in these little white boxes inside a big box which has all the shipping info on it.
This has me curious. I'm currently working towards redeeming a set online, and I am wondering in what manner (packaging, etc...) they are shipped in?
I'm guessing it's too much to hope for them to come individually sleeved (pipe dream), but are they protected in any manner? Are they all just in one big box?
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
Would it be profitable to redeem a set and then sell it somewhere? (Any tips on a shop/person that buys full packaged sets?)
Or would you be better off selling the online cards for tickets somewhere? (Again, are there people that buy full sets specifically for the redemption?)
WUBRGhttp://GGxGames.blogspot.com/GRBUW
I post about Magic, life, and the universe, it's worth the read.
I'm quitting paper magic, look at all the cards for sale cheap Here!
The spread between the online retail prices and paper prices after they stabilize is normally about 20%. This shoudn't be a surprise when you realize that its about 5% redemption fees + 15% ebay/paypal fees.
If you are looking to make money doing set redemptions you need to find a way to buy the cards cheeper or sell them higher.
Sell them higher normally only works for named retail storefronts, so you're on to buy them cheeper. The large bot chains involved in redemptions get thier cards at the buy prices which can be very cheep esp on the bulk rares.
There are buyers who buy/sell full sets. I don't happen to have a contact for pre-redemption, but I suspect you could write some of the major chains and ask if they buy sets and get quotes.
Attached is what the small white redemption boxes look like. They are packed inside on each end with styrofoam padding that is the height/width of a MTG card and about 5mm thick.
I like redemptions for "cashing out" my MTGO collection over selling to bots for one reason. Commons/Uncommons. There is usually no way to make money on the commons/uncommons stashed in my MTGO account since bots generally only buy non chase commons 150:1 or what have you, while an ebay buyer will generally pay $30+ for a full set of commons/uncommons.
Whether its worth redeeming, sorting, mailing or simply selling the set online is up to you.
Yes, one of each. Full set means "one of each and every card in the Mirrodin Besieged Set".
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I don't know if you order a smaller amount than 4 because that's the smallest quantity I've ever redeemed.
They only come with the cards that leave your account, so no tokens but you do get a full set of basics.
Modern: UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters
Legacy: UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves
EDH: GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
Find me on MTGO and Twitter with the same username
I was under the impression Zen was out of stock, but I just checked and its in the store right now. Before M10/Zen wizards extended the availability of a lot of the old sets due to a long production problem. Both M10 and Zen wiped their first two print runs pretty quick (because people were buying online sets because they couldn't get boxes). The third reprint of these sets was according to WotC_K "Massive".
To my knowledge since they started the policy with the guarantee/cutoff date system they have never run out early.
I always wondered what happens to sets that they still have a big stock of come the end of redemption.
I'd assume that's where the majority of the wal mart promo packs and such come from, overstock on printed cards. It's the only real way they can liquidate the print runs quickly without having a major "real estate sale" type thing.
The Merciless Lord of Torture, Permanently Bound To: ">[THE PACK] 11/5/63 - 11/25/09 Goodbye mom, i'll always love you...
Tibalt & His Devils vs. Avacyn's Inquisitors
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I bet they get sent to 3rd World countries along with the t-shirts made for Super Bowl losers.
Modern: UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters
Legacy: UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves
EDH: GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
Find me on MTGO and Twitter with the same username
Also, I thought I'd add that when the cards arrive, they are ordered by rarity, then by collector number. When I opened my first ever redemption (RTR), I nearly had a heart attack when I didn't see Angel of Serenity, which I knew was #1. Eventually I clued in as to what was going on. Commons first, then uncommons and rares. I can't remember if the mythics were in with the normal rares or not. I don't think so.
I don't always post about Rafiq of the Many, but when I do, I cardlink to the original artwork, and not the supplementary product version.
"I trust myself to do my duty, even unto death. It's what comes after that I'm afraid of."
"Just fight without fear. Your soul is protected by the hand of Avacyn and will never submit to evil."
I'm curious to know. This is what you are supposed to see.
Thread | Draft
Fixed
Yes. It's one shipping charge regardless of how many sets are redeemed.