Over the past few weeks, I have been using Quiet Speculation's Ion Core scanner to help me sell the extra cards in my collection, and I've detailed my experience using the scanner and the process of selling to stores with the help of Trader Tools. There’s always some uncertainty with card grading and price offers when sending cards off across the country, so today I wrap up this buylisting series with my report on the results of my experience with each store.

Mythic MTG

The first store to process my buylist order was Mythic MTG, which wasn’t surprising given that it was the closest store to me. The original price for the cards was $119, and the revised offer was $111.35, a multiplier of 0.94 and a price I was very satisfied with. Given their close proximity and my good grading experience, I look forward to selling to them again. Earlier this week, I sent out a few playsets of Kaladesh mythic speculations that Mythic MTG was paying the best price for, and I expect to get paid full value by week's end.

Strike Zone

The next store to process my buylist was Strike Zone. They finished the process two days after Mythic MTG, and I was impressed by the expediency given that my package likely took two more days in the mail before arriving.

Based on what I had read about harsh grading, I was somewhat reticent about Strike Zone, but they paid $90.76 of the $102.26 original estimate, or 89 percent of the original price. They sent back a few cards that they weren’t interested in. Conveniently, because I had already paid $1 to have a check payment shipped, they simply packed them together. I was very satisfied with the speed and the grading. One of my qualms about the buylist not having a search function was resolved by a reader who directed me to it on Strike Zone's website, so I guess my only concern with their buylist is that it doesn’t work with Trade Routes.

This week I did another round of buylisting, this time processing all of my foil cards with the Ion Core Scanner, and Strike Zone paid the best price on the majority of them, so I happily sent them a large stack of cards worth more than the previous order.

Cape Fear Games

My small Cape Fear Games order was processed quickly, paying $33.05 of the $33.50 order. Knocking a few cents off felt like a slap on the wrist – basically nothing, with the order paying nearly 99 percent of its original estimate. This made me confident to send them another small buylist order of foils this week.

Isle of Cards

Isle of Cards was my biggest buyer, and I actually sent them two orders in the same package, as explained last time. They were both processed at the same time, and I was paid a combined total of $492.74 of the $497.81 quote, a payment that actually exceeds the Cape Fear Games percentage but with a much bigger sample size. I was very satisfied and look forward to selling to them again.

ABU Games

I also sent a two-part order to ABU Games. Their processing is nuanced, separating out all of the cards they will pay full value for from the cards they have revised an offer on, and then asking you to approve the sale of the changed cards or alternatively to have them returned.

They offered to pay $77.59 of the original $104.55 offer for the played cards, a 0.74 multiplier that seemed quite fair. They also paid half price for a couple cards that were heavily played or even damaged. It all equates to them paying me $148.93 of their $185.20 offer, or an overall multiplier over 0.80. Given their ease of use with Trade Routes and fair grading system, I recommend their buylist.

Card Kingdom

Card Kingdom paid $102.34 of their $130.59 offer, a multiplier of 0.78 comparable to ABU, and given their reputation, my experience with harsh grading and the fact that many of my cards were played, I was satisfied. They also processed my cards quite quickly given the longer shipping time to the northwest corner of the country.

Cool Stuff, Inc.

Cool Stuff, Inc. didn’t send me any email confirmation of receiving my buylist, and when I checked on their website I was informed they had processed it but needed me to specify a payment type. Once I did, I was immediately paid. I was informed that a couple cards they did not want and were slated for return at my convenience, but otherwise my order was processed and paid in full, which means I certainly recommend them and have already sent them another order of foil cards.

Troll and Toad

Troll and Toad didn’t send me a confirmation that my cards were processed, but their website indicated they offered the full $73.99 of the original invoice, which matches my previous experience and expectation. I recommend them highly.

Magic.Cards

I sent Magic.Cards a large, two-part order, and the order took over a week to be processed, but they did alert me that the cards had been received and would take some time to process. They offered a total of $215.90 of the $262.15 original estimate, a 0.82 multiplier. Given that they accepted three grades of cards and I was lax in my classification, I was very satisfied with their price, and combined with their outstanding website, it means I will gladly sell to them again.

AdventuresON

AdventuresON's website shows that they received my cards on the same days as the first stores to pay, but they still haven’t made an offer.

Conclusions

Selling to online buylists can be a lot of work, but the Ion Core Scanner made the job very manageable. Using Trader Tools to look up the prices of cards was already a huge upgrade to scouring each buylist, but the Ion Core Scanner elevates it to the next level, and I couldn’t imagine tackling future projects without it.

Now that I have gone through my extra cards, I’m excited at the prospect of acquiring collections and using the Ion Core Scanner to quickly and efficiently convert them to cash or credit. I can’t recommend the Ion Core Scanner highly enough. If you’ve already used it, then I’m preaching to the choir, so please share your tips in the comments!

--Adam