But the twitter feed also has other junk on it. What about people who are browsing the custom card forums who want to see new custom cards? What about the other sections that need it? Why should we be forced to browse the forums by what's popular instead of what's new?
That is a Walmart with illiterate employees. The 3 boxes containing that stand are each marked with "Do not open until 10/05/12". The distributor is Beckett.
Also, they come approximately 750-800 boxes to a trailer.
I like how 99% of the posts have zero comment on draft, the format played most by any serious competitive player.
Quite frankly, every decision related to mythics has an extreme impact on draft. I'd rather have all the cards at mythic rarity stay there instead of making it back into the regular rare pool, where I can face idiots who win purely because they had double first-pick Baneslayer Angel.
On the print runs, the common slot that was destroyed was taken up by an Eldrazi. One has Hand of Emrakul, and the other has Ulamog's Crusher. That makes them each 1.5 times as common, since each other common appears twice on the print runs.
It depends on whether or not you plan to play extended or legacy in the future. Paying extra for a playset is basically tantamount to paying for format insurance. For example, I started getting playsets at Ravnica, which means I didn't experience any of the bonkers fads, such as Tarmogoyf and Baneslayer. In two rotations, this will also start applying to extended.
The real answer is whether or not you can get consecutive playsets long term, otherwise you just have a neat binder to look at.
There are around thirty regular EDH players that go to the store, and the cards that cause the most problems are the ones listed. In fact, some of the cards are only listed because I personally run them. A resolved Channel, for example, means winning the game within one round of turns 100% of the time.
I've been thinking of starting 4p EDH tournaments at the store I go to with an entry fee of $1 or $2 and store credit as prize. I'd also like to use this as an opportunity to get people to stop using certain broken cards. I have a preliminary list to think about banning, and would like some input.
When you cast this spell, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card that shares a [quality]. You may put that card into your hand. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.
You probably want to change it so it only looks for a [quality] listed, that way you reduce the amount of stuff you have to remember, and you open up your mechanic to look for other cards as well.
Ex..
BlueDraw U
Instant
Untap a permanent you control. Stream sorcery
Another thing about the singles. Since most of the sales go to casual players, you absolutely have to be stupid nice to them, or they don't come back.
Another note: They like to see cards in display cases, with prices on them. Binders are good for storage, but pages don't hold 20 cards in a pocket, and there's nothing worse than flipping through fat binders to find that the stuff you want is sold out. This brings out another problem, though -- keeping prices synchronized. I've worked out a way to parse through Starcity's database and check for changes. After that it's just keeping up with the daily changes.
We keep prices synchronized with Starcity because they have the lowest average price on any given card. Other places have better buy prices, but only because they sell it for much more. While this does mean that players get more cash from other stores, it also means they come to us first to buy singles.
Also, Since Starcity already keeps up with the market, we just keep the prices synchronized.
Our event schedule --
Thursday
--Draft
--Draft #2 of mostly same people
Friday
--FNM
--Draft
--EDH
Saturday
--$5 Tournament for 200% total singles credit
--Draft
Sunday
--Draft
--EDH
We have so many drafts because they are $10, redraft rares, and you can supply your own packs. Lots of people trade in $20 in cards to draft, as packs are 4 each in credit. Since we redraft rares, you only need about two thirds of them to actually pay to make your money back in draft. If they all pay, we sold a box for $120. If only one-third pays, you got $80 in singles to sell.
That's just it, you're doing singles wrong. Our store makes tons of money off singles, even though it's only been open for slightly more than a year. One case is opened for starters, and then another half in the next week. No more boxes are opened after that because the tremendous number of drafts and casual players who trade in their stuff. There's only about 150 total nonjunk expansion rares and uncommons between Ice Age and Zendikar that are sold out. In fact, other stores in the area owe a few hundred dollars for out of stock singles they accidentally sold on the internet. It's probably a given that they lucked out on some guy selling a massive collection for undervalue because he needed the money right then, but that's no reason why you can't find the same sweet spot for your location for standard.
We have dollar boxes for junk rares. Everything over $2.00 and angels and the like are in cases. All other cards are in boxes behind the counter.
Trade credit for boxes, packs, and certain singles are full price, ie $3.99 and $143.64.
I assume you have 20-30 copies of unsellable rares because you don't have the casual player base to support that kind of market. We're sold out of at least half of the junk rares between Lorwyn and Zendikar because of our massive casual player base and trade credit policy.
That doesn't mean we won't give out cash. A guy two weeks ago sold two Baneslayers to the store for $70 because we knew they would be gone over the weekend.
Boxes are a throw. Some people will buy them cheap, some people won't. All the people here are used to getting it for 90. Whether you can do the same can only be determined by you.
At any rate, our store makes money with singles. 60% trade-in, storable credit, 4-5 draft pods a week, and a massive casual player base all make this possible. Other stuff makes money too, but nothing in the quantities that singles makes.
We won't know how your formula is going to work. In fact, singles wasn't planned for our store, it just happened. If I had to point out one deciding factor on why our store makes money on singles, it would have to be the casual player base. Our DCI database has several hundred uniques, on top of the people who only play casually. Well over half of them only come in to buy singles and packs. If you don't have them, then you're not going to make money on singles. If you do, and you can keep cards in stock, you'll make tons of money off singles.
If you are going to make your money on singles, as most stores in my area do, I suggest you find a few large collections before opening, as well as a sizable quantity of junk rares. That will get casual players to notice you.
The only two things that are going to keep you open are drafts and casual players.
Casual players remember two things, and two things only -- price and availability. If they are both at the right level, they are coming back -- with friends. If neither of those two are at the right level, they aren't coming back.
Case in point -- A family of four came in today and dropped down over $100 for singles. They are back every other week. We have dozens of other people just like them.
Drafts, by themselves, don't actually do anything. The best you can do is offer $10~ drafts and pick your rares, and you'll still only make a portion of the money you make on singles. The real benefit, however, is that if you run enough of them, you exponentially increase the available singles. Combine that with a favorable trade policy, ours is 60% and usually a taker on anything NM/M except foils, and you'll never be out of more than a half-dozen cards from any set available.
Case in point -- Our store credit list has almost 50 people on it, not including those who use credit immediately.
Prices are synchronized with Starcity Games, with a few exceptions. Rares and uncommons start at $1 and commons at $0.25. Noone else updates prices as regularly as them.
Also, they come approximately 750-800 boxes to a trailer.
Shoot you twice, Shoot itself once.
Quite frankly, every decision related to mythics has an extreme impact on draft. I'd rather have all the cards at mythic rarity stay there instead of making it back into the regular rare pool, where I can face idiots who win purely because they had double first-pick Baneslayer Angel.
The real answer is whether or not you can get consecutive playsets long term, otherwise you just have a neat binder to look at.
1 Arcum Dagsson
1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls
1 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
1 Vendillion Clique
1 Zur the Enchanter
These are all on the 1v1 MWS list
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Grindstone
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mind Twist
1 Mindslaver
1 Necropotence
1 Shahrazad
1 Sol Ring
1 Staff of Domination
1 Sundering Titan
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Capsize
1 Channel
1 Conflux
1 Intuition
1 Mana Drain
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Necropotence
1 Reiterate
1 Reveillark
1 Skullclamp
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Time Spiral
1 Time Stretch
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Yawgmoth's Will
When you cast this spell, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card that shares a [quality]. You may put that card into your hand. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.
You probably want to change it so it only looks for a [quality] listed, that way you reduce the amount of stuff you have to remember, and you open up your mechanic to look for other cards as well.
Ex..
BlueDraw
U
Instant
Untap a permanent you control.
Stream sorcery
Another note: They like to see cards in display cases, with prices on them. Binders are good for storage, but pages don't hold 20 cards in a pocket, and there's nothing worse than flipping through fat binders to find that the stuff you want is sold out. This brings out another problem, though -- keeping prices synchronized. I've worked out a way to parse through Starcity's database and check for changes. After that it's just keeping up with the daily changes.
We keep prices synchronized with Starcity because they have the lowest average price on any given card. Other places have better buy prices, but only because they sell it for much more. While this does mean that players get more cash from other stores, it also means they come to us first to buy singles.
Also, Since Starcity already keeps up with the market, we just keep the prices synchronized.
Our event schedule --
Thursday
--Draft
--Draft #2 of mostly same people
Friday
--FNM
--Draft
--EDH
Saturday
--$5 Tournament for 200% total singles credit
--Draft
Sunday
--Draft
--EDH
We have so many drafts because they are $10, redraft rares, and you can supply your own packs. Lots of people trade in $20 in cards to draft, as packs are 4 each in credit. Since we redraft rares, you only need about two thirds of them to actually pay to make your money back in draft. If they all pay, we sold a box for $120. If only one-third pays, you got $80 in singles to sell.
We have dollar boxes for junk rares. Everything over $2.00 and angels and the like are in cases. All other cards are in boxes behind the counter.
Trade credit for boxes, packs, and certain singles are full price, ie $3.99 and $143.64.
I assume you have 20-30 copies of unsellable rares because you don't have the casual player base to support that kind of market. We're sold out of at least half of the junk rares between Lorwyn and Zendikar because of our massive casual player base and trade credit policy.
That doesn't mean we won't give out cash. A guy two weeks ago sold two Baneslayers to the store for $70 because we knew they would be gone over the weekend.
Boxes are a throw. Some people will buy them cheap, some people won't. All the people here are used to getting it for 90. Whether you can do the same can only be determined by you.
At any rate, our store makes money with singles. 60% trade-in, storable credit, 4-5 draft pods a week, and a massive casual player base all make this possible. Other stuff makes money too, but nothing in the quantities that singles makes.
We won't know how your formula is going to work. In fact, singles wasn't planned for our store, it just happened. If I had to point out one deciding factor on why our store makes money on singles, it would have to be the casual player base. Our DCI database has several hundred uniques, on top of the people who only play casually. Well over half of them only come in to buy singles and packs. If you don't have them, then you're not going to make money on singles. If you do, and you can keep cards in stock, you'll make tons of money off singles.
The only two things that are going to keep you open are drafts and casual players.
Casual players remember two things, and two things only -- price and availability. If they are both at the right level, they are coming back -- with friends. If neither of those two are at the right level, they aren't coming back.
Case in point -- A family of four came in today and dropped down over $100 for singles. They are back every other week. We have dozens of other people just like them.
Drafts, by themselves, don't actually do anything. The best you can do is offer $10~ drafts and pick your rares, and you'll still only make a portion of the money you make on singles. The real benefit, however, is that if you run enough of them, you exponentially increase the available singles. Combine that with a favorable trade policy, ours is 60% and usually a taker on anything NM/M except foils, and you'll never be out of more than a half-dozen cards from any set available.
Case in point -- Our store credit list has almost 50 people on it, not including those who use credit immediately.
Prices are synchronized with Starcity Games, with a few exceptions. Rares and uncommons start at $1 and commons at $0.25. Noone else updates prices as regularly as them.
Don't sell boxes. Nobody makes money on boxes.
I now have a spreadsheet and a series of programs I run to process the prices in the entire starcitygames database daily.
It has now occurred to me that someone else might find the spreadsheet useful.
Would anybody here care for it? I'd upload it here, but the file size is much larger than the max attachment size.
It's in Excel 2007 format, because Calc doesn't have the formulas necessary.
EDIT: Mediafire link.
Link removed -Rax