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Fearless Magic Card Inventory

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Hey, all!

Earlier this week in my alticle I hinted that I might be transitioning in my role here at Quiet Speculation. Jason's Alticle is no more. Instead, I will be writing an Insider "Alticle" each week. If that's not going to be enough of a fix for you, or you're not an Insider, fear not, because I will be posting something cool for you here on the free side every. Damn. Day.

If that's not enough of a fix, and you're already reading me on Gathering Magic and MTG Headquarters and listening to the podcast and following @jasonealt on twitter, you may need to get a life.

Since my Insider Alticle is going to focus on how I make money doing things that aren't speculating, I have been thinking about how I am going to write about Inventory. I found a couple very good examples around the web.

 

Now I Know My ABC's

This first one  from Ryan Bushard was an inspiration.

It may seem tedious at first, but organization is a big key to moving forward—even if your collection is manageable now, if it continues to grow—as most hope it will—it is better to have a handle on the problem before it forms. I wish I had someone to have told me these same tips and tricks years ago, but take it from me: This is one time-consuming effort that may not seem worth it at first, but in the long run, you will be glad you kept a hand on it.

Ryan advocates starting any project, acquisition or buylisting venture with a full set sort and alphabetization. Sounds like a lot of work? He makes the cast for it being worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Long-Term PlansThis ongoing series on Brainstorm Brewery is really shaping up as well. Part 2 is on the site as well if you'd like to read more. I think the author has some useful and inspiring info here.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Losses

Losses will kill you, as I said above. We are all inclined to shuffle these experiences to the back of our minds, but it is important that you recognize inventory-related losses. You can’t just forget about them or call it bad luck or stick them in the bad spec box. Here is an example with some numbers to illustrate:

If I buy five copies of Snapcaster Mage at $20 ($100 total investment), then sell them for $30 cash each, I have $150 for a profit of $50 or 50%. Awesome, 50% is great. But if my dog chews just one of those cards up (or more likely, I confuse collecting and finance again and stick it in my cube) and I can only sell four, I have $120. My initial investment is the same $100, but now my profit is only 20%, meaning I’ve lost more than half of my profit because one-fifth of my inventory disappeared.

I hope that's enough food for thought for now. Expect my first Insider Alticle early next week!

 

 

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Jason Alt

Jason Alt is a value trader and writer. He is Quiet Speculation's self-appointed web content archivist and co-captain of the interdepartmental dodgeball team. He enjoys craft microbrews and doing things ironically. You may have seen him at magic events; he wears black t-shirts and has a beard and a backpack so he's pretty easy to spot. You can hear him as co-host on the Brainstorm Brewery podcast or catch his articles on Gatheringmagic.com. He is also the Community Manager at BrainstormBrewery.com and writes the odd article there, too. Follow him on Twitter @JasonEAlt unless you don't like having your mind blown.

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