1) Is there an option to ship to only North America (Canada, the U.S., and Mexico) only? As mentioned earlier, I wouldn't want to ship $1.00 in singles to somewhere in Europe for $1.50 in shipping.
You post a list of "Haves". Then you go to your trades list. Turn on Auto-Matching. Auto-Matching will show only a user who has a card on his "Wants" list that matches your "Haves" list (and the user must have enough points to afford the transaction). You can then filter out all countries except United States, Canada and Mexico. You can sort the list on the User's name to get a clear picture of how many cards a user wants from you.
2) And is your hand forced to send if you have something someone wants? Or can one just decline? (for instance, someone in the Netherlands wants $2.00 in cards, but I do not want to ship cards that far)?
You are never forced to send any cards. Your "Haves" list is not visible. Your "Wants" list is Visible. From the trade screen mentioned above you simple select "Send Card" when you find a trade you would like to accept. At that point you can ship the card immediately. There is no haggling over the "price". By selecting "Send Card" you agree to accept the value in Puca Points at the time you agree to send the card. Shipping is the responsibility of the Seller.
By adding a card to the "Wants" list you are agreeing to accept a trade from any user who is willing to fill your order. Puca Points will be taken immediately when someone agrees to send you the card at the going rate when they do so.
3) How exactly does it work for foils? Does the premium membership mean you can now post foils? Or does it mean you can get foils? Is it worth posting foil commons/uncommons?
You have to have a Paid membership to receive foils. Without a paid membership, you will not be able to add any foils to your "Wants" list. You can still add them to your "Haves" list. You can still fill orders for those looking for foils.
Since about half the people on there seem to have premium accounts it cuts down on the number of people who want them, but I've still managed to move or have have people want all of mine.
I really think the best strategy is to list everything you want to or might want to get rid of. You are never forced to send anything so you can just see what's up.
The problem is there are points entering the system but none going out. Eventually we will reach a point where no one wants to sell cards for points, because they can't get get anything they need.
Points do enter and rarely leave the system. However the danger is not in too many points, but in too few.
Imagine the system at its inception. Say there are 100 users and all have 0 points. No one can trade anything, so the admins give everyone $10 in points.
Now players begin trading cards. But the total number of points in the system can't change, because the only way to obtain points is for another user to send them to you via a card trade. If 100 new traders sign up but don't get $10 in points, the average wealth per-player is cut in half and trading becomes more difficult.
The economy must have money in order for trades to take place. For this reason several methods have been introduced to bring points into the economy.
1) New traders accrue about $4 in points just for setting up their account.
2) People buying a paid account receive a one-time point bonus when they initially subscribe.
3) People earn a small point bonus when they refer a friend who signs up.
4) People may buy points at a 1:1 dollar ratio.
Points rarely leave the economy, pretty much just by a player stopping trading on PucaTrade without spending their points.
Regarding card costing - the card values are usually just a little above TCGPlayer mid pricing. This is important for two reasons. First, this prevents someone from buying PucaPoints at 1:1 value with real money, and then dumping them all to obtain cards at a virtual discount. Second, players who trade within the system don't actually care if card values are slightly inflated. We receive "inflated" points and then spend them at "inflated" rates. The inflation of low value cards is actually important, because otherwise those cards would be unlikely to move at all - only high value cards would be traded. But when I can send out 7 commons and a dollar rare for $2 in points and the cost of a stamp, I am now motivated to do it.
EDIT: Final note - you can limit your exposure easily - just don't sit on a ton of points. I float between 10 and 200 dollars in points, usually sending out high-cost cards after pre-release and then buying staples once prices settle. I had an extra $25 I didn' need, so I nabbed an extra Snapcaster Mage because I know he will always have value. Worried about being left with too many points? Spend them when you get them.
Has anyone had any condition issue disputes? Pucatrade seems to have a definition of NM that is way more strict than any other site I've used. A lot of my pre-Mirr 2.0 cards are starting to show typical binder wear (small little white knicks, general smudgyness) so I'm worried that people are going to dispute NM condition over a tiny white chip or two.
Has anyone had any condition issue disputes? Pucatrade seems to have a definition of NM that is way more strict than any other site I've used. A lot of my pre-Mirr 2.0 cards are starting to show typical binder wear (small little white knicks, general smudgyness) so I'm worried that people are going to dispute NM condition over a tiny white chip or two.
No. I have sent a few cards that were NM- and have received some EX commons. I could fight it, but whatever. I think most people are on there looking for cards to play with and act accordingly.
Has anyone had any condition issue disputes? Pucatrade seems to have a definition of NM that is way more strict than any other site I've used. A lot of my pre-Mirr 2.0 cards are starting to show typical binder wear (small little white knicks, general smudgyness) so I'm worried that people are going to dispute NM condition over a tiny white chip or two.
No. I have sent a few cards that were NM- and have received some EX commons. I could fight it, but whatever. I think most people are on there looking for cards to play with and act accordingly.
For newer cards, I expect the condition to be very good. I give more leeway on old cards because they come from an era where many people played without sleeves. I also have a note in my profile stating that I will take SP cards at 75% value, which occasionally gets exercised. And some players have a profile note stating that they are very strict on their grading, so I accommodate them accordingly.
Has anyone had any condition issue disputes? Pucatrade seems to have a definition of NM that is way more strict than any other site I've used. A lot of my pre-Mirr 2.0 cards are starting to show typical binder wear (small little white knicks, general smudgyness) so I'm worried that people are going to dispute NM condition over a tiny white chip or two.
No. I have sent a few cards that were NM- and have received some EX commons. I could fight it, but whatever. I think most people are on there looking for cards to play with and act accordingly.
For newer cards, I expect the condition to be very good. I give more leeway on old cards because they come from an era where many people played without sleeves. I also have a note in my profile stating that I will take SP cards at 75% value, which occasionally gets exercised. And some players have a profile note stating that they are very strict on their grading, so I accommodate them accordingly.
How can you determine how much value you will take a card at? I thought the site auto-deducted points from people. I guess I'll have to check people's profiles before I ship, but people's want lists seem to vanish in seconds!
Has anyone had any condition issue disputes? Pucatrade seems to have a definition of NM that is way more strict than any other site I've used. A lot of my pre-Mirr 2.0 cards are starting to show typical binder wear (small little white knicks, general smudgyness) so I'm worried that people are going to dispute NM condition over a tiny white chip or two.
No. I have sent a few cards that were NM- and have received some EX commons. I could fight it, but whatever. I think most people are on there looking for cards to play with and act accordingly.
For newer cards, I expect the condition to be very good. I give more leeway on old cards because they come from an era where many people played without sleeves. I also have a note in my profile stating that I will take SP cards at 75% value, which occasionally gets exercised. And some players have a profile note stating that they are very strict on their grading, so I accommodate them accordingly.
How do you go about offering/accepting 75% for lower condition? Is there a way to do it within Puca Trades system?
How do you go about offering/accepting 75% for lower condition? Is there a way to do it within Puca Trades system?
If you are a paying member you can send points. So I would send you the beat up card and points to refund you the difference. That's how people have done it with me.
How do you go about offering/accepting 75% for lower condition? Is there a way to do it within Puca Trades system?
If you are a paying member you can send points. So I would send you the beat up card and points to refund you the difference. That's how people have done it with me.
Exactly. Many traders with large older collections subscribe to the $5/month so they can receive foils and send points. Plus you get bulk import and export functions, and so forth.
Alternately if the person with the card doesn't have an upgraded account, they message me about the card. I remove it from my Want list, you mail it to me, and I use my own upgraded account to send you the reduced number of points. I got a bunch of snow-covered lands this way.
Been using it for over a year. It's pretty much the only way I trade now. Would definitely recommend it. It's how I got revised duals for my commander decks.
So I signed up today and put in my list of haves which is about 500 cards, anything over 25 cents. One thing I noticed when I went to look for people who listed their wants as something that I have is that most people have very small amounts of points to spend so it isn't worth while for me to send 70 cents of stuff to Europe (it seems most of my matches are located in Italy. I'll start stalking the site and hopefully more info emerges.
It will likely be like this for a while. There has been a large influx of new users recently and they haven't had a chance to amass points yet. I also posted this on Reddit and it kind of took off. Pucatrade contacted me and let me know that my posts helped to break the record for new users in a day.
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It will likely be like this for a while. There has been a large influx of new users recently and they haven't had a chance to amass points yet. I also posted this on Reddit and it kind of took off. Pucatrade contacted me and let me know that my posts helped to break the record for new users in a day.
Not surprised at all. I have more people wanting my crap than ever, but they all want $.20 each. Once they start sending and build up some points themselves it should start making things worth shipping.
Can you guys help me understand how people don't cheat the system? Can't you just put want list cards, get them in, and say you never got it? Is there a dispute resolution, and how does it work?
Can you guys help me understand how people don't cheat the system? Can't you just put want list cards, get them in, and say you never got it? Is there a dispute resolution, and how does it work?
As with all things, tracking is your friend. Plus the vast majority of online traders are honest people, so the amount of problem situations can usually be dealt with via proof of tracking and I'm fairly certain there is a system in place with pucatrade to allow for a sender to show that they delivered their end, and you would get the points as a sender of the cards. People more familiar with pucatrade can speak up about their system further though.
Can you guys help me understand how people don't cheat the system? Can't you just put want list cards, get them in, and say you never got it? Is there a dispute resolution, and how does it work?
I haven't gone through the process myself but from what I've learned it's similar to other online trading services. If there is a dispute you can open a case with "Case Admin".
"Seller" is responsible for ensuring the cards arrive so if you don't use shipping you will probably lose the case. If you do use shipping you would probably win the case if the "Buyer" is claiming they didn't receive the package at all.
As with any online trade system there is an element of trust involved. I presume the Case Admins keep a history of cases and can use that to remove any user who consistently abuses the system.
Trust other user when sending low value cards and use tracking and other validation methods when sending the cards. Set that limit yourself but I only use tracking for cards 25-50+ range.
Quote from Puca Trade »
When shipping higher value packages, we strongly recommend utilizing USPS Tracking. Because Senders are responsible for making sure that all cards are delivered in a safe and timely fashion, documenting the status of your shipment with tracking services may be critical in the event of a dispute.
The problem is everyone wants the good cards (duals, forces etc), and people are 'trading away' their crap cards (uncommon/bulk rares etc).
Once you get points, how do you actually get a card you want? Wait forever?
The same "problem" exists in the real market. Everyone wants Reserved List/Legacy Staples so in response the price goes up. Then someone decides they would rather build an entire deck for the cost of 1 Dual land and they sell it off.
Point being, this really isn't a problem at all. Price will adjust according to Supply/Demand and Puca Point value will adjust based on Price.
If there becomes an issue where there are no Reserved List/Legacy Staples on Puca Trade you can always trade in for some Modern Staples and then trade those into Reserved List/Legacy Staples or turn them into cash in your local market.
Can you guys help me understand how people don't cheat the system? Can't you just put want list cards, get them in, and say you never got it? Is there a dispute resolution, and how does it work?
In order to get any cards, you have to first send cards. So you could, theoretically, send out $20 worth of cards. Then you could try to spend those points multiple times. The first time, an admin would probably just give you back your points. The second time an admin would start asking hard questions. And if someone sent to you with tracking, it would be over really fast. So you would have sent out $20 worth of your own cards and cheated maybe $30 back out of the system. You'd be blocked and unable to try again without sending out another $20 worth of cards and getting a new IP address. Seems like a lot of time and effort to cheat someone else out of relatively small value.
The problem is everyone wants the good cards (duals, forces etc), and people are 'trading away' their crap cards (uncommon/bulk rares etc).
Once you get points, how do you actually get a card you want? Wait forever?
I have had no trouble getting the cards I want. Sent out 3x Gitaxian Probe and a bunch of 1-2 dollar rares. Got two new fetchlands. Right now it takes about 10 minutes for any substantial want orders from standard to be filled. I've had bigger orders like Liliana of the Veil or Snapcaster Mage filled within a day. I have a friend who got Guru lands, and another who is getting Holiday Promos and a complete Modern Tron deck.
The key is that PucaTrade brings together traders who would never meet in real life. Sure, if everyone there had your interests and your collection, nothing would happen. But PucaTrade brings together people who want different kinds of cards. That's what makes trading work.
These weeks held an amazing milestone for PucaTrade, as Mox Emerald was traded to Chris Hanrahan, marking the completion of the first trade of a piece of the Power Nine on the site!
Not everyone is trying to obtain Reserve List staples though. A lot of people are aiming towards Modern and Standard, and there is definitely a Casual crowd on there trying to turn Modern Staples into EDH, Cube, and Kitchen Table stuff. What I like about Pucatrade is that you have much better access to people who want the chaff than any other site. I know here, you have people listing the cards they perceive as tradeable and/or bulk rares. I do not see a lot of uncommons and commons unless they are "chase." So, a person like me isn't going to bother looking through the trade section here because the cards I have to offer aren't going to show up on wants, and the cards I want are only obtainable by trading more than they are worth (sorry MTGS traders, despite your believe that your cards are worth TCG-mid and mine are worth TGC-low, you aren't dealers) or getting value-squeezed by someone who knows they are in the power chair.
RE: CHris Hanrahan's Mox Emerald.... that guy deserves it. I think that every time I post a new deck list he has half of it filled before I can even double check to make sure I have the right cards.
This seems very interesting (with MOTL being the 1# spot to get ripped online for the last 5 years and MTGS dying on the scene for whatever reasons with regards to sales and trade threads I can't find a reason not to list on this new site).
Is it best to start off as a paying member or go the free route?...good question,
S.M.
I signed up two days ago under a free membership. The only limitation I have run into so far is the inability to add Foils to my want list. Foils are not that important to me so I'll probably just deal with it.
If it all works out I may sign up for a paid account at some point. I should still be eligible for a One-time sign up bonus if it's still offered.
The only other "feature" you may miss out in is the extra points you get from referral for the paid accounts.
All the other features are just features and I don't think you miss anything by signing up for a free account first then upgrading later.
Some users mentioned the feature to Give Points is helpful in negotiating trades for cards at less than nm condition.
Sent off my first cards today at lunch. We'll see how it goes!
Regarding free vs paid: I think starting out free is the way to go. I'll want foils but until I have enough of a balance to afford multiple foils I'll just stick to trading away cards and then when I'm ready to start receiving I'll pay the membership fee and fill out my list.
I just sent out 6 envelopes, one including a RV Plateau. Seems like an interesting way to trade off cards and get cards you would rarely see in trade binders without stressing that someone is grinding for value.
Anyone with an uncommon puca account that could answer this for me? How reliably are you able to get any specific foil you list? I know they won't be filled nearly as quickly as others, but would you have to leave it for just a couple days or would it take a lot longer?
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You post a list of "Haves". Then you go to your trades list. Turn on Auto-Matching. Auto-Matching will show only a user who has a card on his "Wants" list that matches your "Haves" list (and the user must have enough points to afford the transaction). You can then filter out all countries except United States, Canada and Mexico. You can sort the list on the User's name to get a clear picture of how many cards a user wants from you.
You are never forced to send any cards. Your "Haves" list is not visible. Your "Wants" list is Visible. From the trade screen mentioned above you simple select "Send Card" when you find a trade you would like to accept. At that point you can ship the card immediately. There is no haggling over the "price". By selecting "Send Card" you agree to accept the value in Puca Points at the time you agree to send the card. Shipping is the responsibility of the Seller.
By adding a card to the "Wants" list you are agreeing to accept a trade from any user who is willing to fill your order. Puca Points will be taken immediately when someone agrees to send you the card at the going rate when they do so.
You have to have a Paid membership to receive foils. Without a paid membership, you will not be able to add any foils to your "Wants" list. You can still add them to your "Haves" list. You can still fill orders for those looking for foils.
Hope that helps.
I really think the best strategy is to list everything you want to or might want to get rid of. You are never forced to send anything so you can just see what's up.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Points do enter and rarely leave the system. However the danger is not in too many points, but in too few.
Imagine the system at its inception. Say there are 100 users and all have 0 points. No one can trade anything, so the admins give everyone $10 in points.
Now players begin trading cards. But the total number of points in the system can't change, because the only way to obtain points is for another user to send them to you via a card trade. If 100 new traders sign up but don't get $10 in points, the average wealth per-player is cut in half and trading becomes more difficult.
The economy must have money in order for trades to take place. For this reason several methods have been introduced to bring points into the economy.
1) New traders accrue about $4 in points just for setting up their account.
2) People buying a paid account receive a one-time point bonus when they initially subscribe.
3) People earn a small point bonus when they refer a friend who signs up.
4) People may buy points at a 1:1 dollar ratio.
Points rarely leave the economy, pretty much just by a player stopping trading on PucaTrade without spending their points.
So points enter but don't leave. However points HAVE to enter as new traders enter, or the system stops working. Because the majority of point acquisition comes from methods 1-3, the system is well-balanced. FYI they hired a professional economist to help them balance the points influx/outflux. More info in this AMA.
Regarding card costing - the card values are usually just a little above TCGPlayer mid pricing. This is important for two reasons. First, this prevents someone from buying PucaPoints at 1:1 value with real money, and then dumping them all to obtain cards at a virtual discount. Second, players who trade within the system don't actually care if card values are slightly inflated. We receive "inflated" points and then spend them at "inflated" rates. The inflation of low value cards is actually important, because otherwise those cards would be unlikely to move at all - only high value cards would be traded. But when I can send out 7 commons and a dollar rare for $2 in points and the cost of a stamp, I am now motivated to do it.
EDIT: Final note - you can limit your exposure easily - just don't sit on a ton of points. I float between 10 and 200 dollars in points, usually sending out high-cost cards after pre-release and then buying staples once prices settle. I had an extra $25 I didn' need, so I nabbed an extra Snapcaster Mage because I know he will always have value. Worried about being left with too many points? Spend them when you get them.
Check out Odds//Ends - My articles on Quirky Cards and Oddball Builds
Long-time PucaTrade member and sometime author. Send me cards!
Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
Trades
Pucatrade with me!
(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
For newer cards, I expect the condition to be very good. I give more leeway on old cards because they come from an era where many people played without sleeves. I also have a note in my profile stating that I will take SP cards at 75% value, which occasionally gets exercised. And some players have a profile note stating that they are very strict on their grading, so I accommodate them accordingly.
Check out Odds//Ends - My articles on Quirky Cards and Oddball Builds
Long-time PucaTrade member and sometime author. Send me cards!
Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
How can you determine how much value you will take a card at? I thought the site auto-deducted points from people. I guess I'll have to check people's profiles before I ship, but people's want lists seem to vanish in seconds!
Trades
Pucatrade with me!
(Signature courtesy of Argetlam of Hakai Studios
How do you go about offering/accepting 75% for lower condition? Is there a way to do it within Puca Trades system?
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Exactly. Many traders with large older collections subscribe to the $5/month so they can receive foils and send points. Plus you get bulk import and export functions, and so forth.
Alternately if the person with the card doesn't have an upgraded account, they message me about the card. I remove it from my Want list, you mail it to me, and I use my own upgraded account to send you the reduced number of points. I got a bunch of snow-covered lands this way.
Check out Odds//Ends - My articles on Quirky Cards and Oddball Builds
Long-time PucaTrade member and sometime author. Send me cards!
Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
See my write up here
It will likely be like this for a while. There has been a large influx of new users recently and they haven't had a chance to amass points yet. I also posted this on Reddit and it kind of took off. Pucatrade contacted me and let me know that my posts helped to break the record for new users in a day.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Once you get points, how do you actually get a card you want? Wait forever?
As with all things, tracking is your friend. Plus the vast majority of online traders are honest people, so the amount of problem situations can usually be dealt with via proof of tracking and I'm fairly certain there is a system in place with pucatrade to allow for a sender to show that they delivered their end, and you would get the points as a sender of the cards. People more familiar with pucatrade can speak up about their system further though.
I haven't gone through the process myself but from what I've learned it's similar to other online trading services. If there is a dispute you can open a case with "Case Admin".
"Seller" is responsible for ensuring the cards arrive so if you don't use shipping you will probably lose the case. If you do use shipping you would probably win the case if the "Buyer" is claiming they didn't receive the package at all.
As with any online trade system there is an element of trust involved. I presume the Case Admins keep a history of cases and can use that to remove any user who consistently abuses the system.
Trust other user when sending low value cards and use tracking and other validation methods when sending the cards. Set that limit yourself but I only use tracking for cards 25-50+ range.
The same "problem" exists in the real market. Everyone wants Reserved List/Legacy Staples so in response the price goes up. Then someone decides they would rather build an entire deck for the cost of 1 Dual land and they sell it off.
Point being, this really isn't a problem at all. Price will adjust according to Supply/Demand and Puca Point value will adjust based on Price.
If there becomes an issue where there are no Reserved List/Legacy Staples on Puca Trade you can always trade in for some Modern Staples and then trade those into Reserved List/Legacy Staples or turn them into cash in your local market.
In order to get any cards, you have to first send cards. So you could, theoretically, send out $20 worth of cards. Then you could try to spend those points multiple times. The first time, an admin would probably just give you back your points. The second time an admin would start asking hard questions. And if someone sent to you with tracking, it would be over really fast. So you would have sent out $20 worth of your own cards and cheated maybe $30 back out of the system. You'd be blocked and unable to try again without sending out another $20 worth of cards and getting a new IP address. Seems like a lot of time and effort to cheat someone else out of relatively small value.
I have had no trouble getting the cards I want. Sent out 3x Gitaxian Probe and a bunch of 1-2 dollar rares. Got two new fetchlands. Right now it takes about 10 minutes for any substantial want orders from standard to be filled. I've had bigger orders like Liliana of the Veil or Snapcaster Mage filled within a day. I have a friend who got Guru lands, and another who is getting Holiday Promos and a complete Modern Tron deck.
The key is that PucaTrade brings together traders who would never meet in real life. Sure, if everyone there had your interests and your collection, nothing would happen. But PucaTrade brings together people who want different kinds of cards. That's what makes trading work.
Check out the "Trades This Month" listing: https://pucatrade.com/blog/2014/toptradesoct14
Check out Odds//Ends - My articles on Quirky Cards and Oddball Builds
Long-time PucaTrade member and sometime author. Send me cards!
Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
RE: CHris Hanrahan's Mox Emerald.... that guy deserves it. I think that every time I post a new deck list he has half of it filled before I can even double check to make sure I have the right cards.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Is it best to start off as a paying member or go the free route?...good question,
S.M.
If it all works out I may sign up for a paid account at some point. I should still be eligible for a One-time sign up bonus if it's still offered.
The only other "feature" you may miss out in is the extra points you get from referral for the paid accounts.
All the other features are just features and I don't think you miss anything by signing up for a free account first then upgrading later.
Some users mentioned the feature to Give Points is helpful in negotiating trades for cards at less than nm condition.
Regarding free vs paid: I think starting out free is the way to go. I'll want foils but until I have enough of a balance to afford multiple foils I'll just stick to trading away cards and then when I'm ready to start receiving I'll pay the membership fee and fill out my list.