Bulk Processing System for Trading Cards

[@KrakenPacksOFFICIAL]

Oh dang! The playmat showcase caught me totally of guard and made me crack a smile - can’t wait for an official playmat from the cardboard 👑 Absolutely excellent video 💪

[@TCGBulkKings]

You spelled 'krak' a smile wrong lol, glad to do it man, thanks so much for the playmat

[@Thegoodgame_dev]

I like how he responds to all of his comments and that is a good idea to do random cards and not just Pokémon cards.

[@TCGBulkKings]

Me too 😂 how do you think he'll respond to yours? Seriously though, the skills transfer, so there's no need to limit yourself to just one game 👍

[@smr.trading.cards.]

Great content as always and a very efficient process! Bulk sorting can be a chore and any steps you can streamline (conditioning while sorting) make a huge difference!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Absolutely, no need to prolong it, even as therapeutic as it can be sometimes. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@CageFreeLowFatSugarFreeRange]

Hell yeah these are the vids that people need!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Y'all keep watching them, I'll keep making them

[@datmek]

Interesting to hear your method, and definitely sounds like we have developed a similar approach! I deal in Pokemon cards regularly, my method at present, when it comes to sorting goes: Sort by "era" (each era is somewhat unique style wise). Each of these cards art style is a little different. Also, pro tip, sort the cards upside down initially (when you are looking at symbols to sort). It goes so much faster. Anything after XY has the symbol on the right, anything prior has it on the left (aside from WOTC). Quick way to separate modern from "less modern." Eras: WOTC, Ereader, EX Series, DPP, HGSS, BW, XY, SM, SWSH, SV ---(also these but not technically eras) Promos/POP/Mcdonald's Promos, Trainer Kit, Word Championship Decks, 1st Edition, foreign cards, etc. Once I have done that, I then divide each stack into the appropriate set, then break them down numerically (but you could also do this alphabetically at this step). I can certainly go in more depth with my process if you have any interest! Hope that helps!

[@TCGBulkKings]

That's exactly what I was looking for, I just have a hard time telling the different eras apart. Probably just need to have more non-SwSh in my hands, which means I need to get more collections =]

[@cinnatoastkrunch6638]

Glad I looked in the comments, New seller here for Bulk pokemon! Thank you so much

[@TheLabTCG]

Fantastic video Chase, really love the new video elements!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Thanks, been working on this one for a while ☺️

[@russelravellette6612]

You sir are a gentleman and have made wonderful videos. Thanks!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@alexandreallain8314]

Love the sort system I'll implement it in my FaB bulk sorting.

[@TCGBulkKings]

Glad to be able to help, let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback or modifications =]

[@klmmkb88]

Really enjoy your videos. Watching your videos have inspired me to start selling singles of bulk myself. Just bought a few bulk boxes from ebay to get myself started. I'm sure it's pretty picked through but I feel like I can still make money off of them. Anyways, please keep it up, I look forward to watching your videos when they come out!

[@TCGBulkKings]

I'm so glad to hear it, that means a whole lot to me

[@Nightflux_Hobbies]

Great Info Chase, Thank You!

[@alfredpolicastro1655]

Another great video! Do you inventory all your cards into a spreadsheet or similar inventory system when you've completed your sort? I use an excel spreadsheet but would love to see how you do it if you've figured out a better system!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Honestly I just use TCGplayer's system for inventory. If I ran an LGS, I might do something different, but it's not something I've ever really needed, and if I do, I can just export a csv file

[@javierdoll1828]

Had another question, I just got 40k in mtg bulk and I’m doing the first set sort by alphabetical set. I don’t know all the set names so I started memorizing based on the symbol and got kind of good at it really quickly. A friend pointed out that each card has an acronym for the set name.. do you personally use the acronym or set symbol and just know where to put things? Sometimes they don’t maych up, like Throne of Eldraine is ELD. I sorted it as T and not E l, etc

[@TCGBulkKings]

The set codes are good mental shorthand. It really doesn't matter since the sets themselves aren't being alphabetized, but rather stored in TCGplayer's order. So, while I set sort by the set's name (mostly because they only started showing the set codes on the cards less than 10 years ago), whatever works for you is the best thing to work for you. If it makes more sense that you put Throne of Eldraine in "E", then go ahead and do so, as long as you're consistent with it

[@benjaminsantiagosstuff]

I was curious, do you just turn your stores “off” if you take time off (health/vacation/etc?). Curious mostly because I got inspired to start selling from your vids and RNG Gamez and also thinking about starting a family and would like to have folks that could fulfill orders while I am gone if I wanted to take time off.

[@TCGBulkKings]

Yeah, I don't have any employees yet, so turning my store off, or hiding my inventory, is the only option I really have. Hoping to change that sometime before long though

[@JeremyCulbreath]

My Pokemon macro sort has 12 bins: WotC to e-card, EX to Call of Legends, BW and XY, Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield. I also separate foreign language, energy, codes, special sets, promos, and all ultra-rares on the first sort. And anything MP or less gets tossed into a box for a local buddy that sells them.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I think I just need to get more familiar with the card designs or the set symbols, I just don't have it at this level yet. Thanks for sharing!

[@jjacks50]

Pokemon macro level sort is by era. Sword & Shield series, Sun & Moon series, XY series, etcetera. Each series has a however many number of sets in it. Good video, thanks.

[@TCGBulkKings]

Yeah, I figured, I just have a hard time telling the difference in a half second glance sometimes, wondering if there was a better way. Thanks for your info, and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@bad_dreams2346]

Great video! In your spare time, I would see if you can find some videos on LEAN practices. You see it used in many of the most successful manufacturing plants in the world, but many of the principles it teaches can be applied anywhere. It is all about efficiency. I only sell yugioh, so your application will obviously be more involved, but I am able to gather orders, print order sheets, physically grab inventory, package the orders, all the way to completed without taking a step. Or standing up if I happen to be sitting down on a bar stool. These same principles will pay enormous dividends as you expand as well. I'm more than willing to help you with that or anything yugioh related, as you have helped us. Btw, shipping shields > top loaders all day lol.

[@TCGBulkKings]

With 160k inventory, and many orders for identical items, it actually reduces repeated steps by slightly batching the processing of orders. Of course, this video was about processing the incoming raw materials into finished goods, taking raw bulk and making it into listable inventory. It ends up being unnecessarily time consuming to perform each step on each card individually. The lean practice works best when considering who the customer of each process is. The "customer" of the Sorting Department is Listing/Inventory Management - and they need stacks of alphabetized, set-sorted cards to maximize their efficiency. The customer of Listing & Inventory Management is the Shipping Department, who's customer is the actual customer. Long Tail inventory businesses can't be /too/ dedicated to Lean - they are in many ways opposed philosophies. But you can practice Long Tail business in as Lean a way as possible, by recognizing who the customer of each process is.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I'm glad you've enjoyed this video though!

[@bad_dreams2346]

@TCG Bulk Kings absolutely right! It's definitely tough to see the results of it when we are solo operations. It seems your pretty familiar with it already. It is crazy how similar our procedures are when it comes to sorting. Looking forward to your next videos!

[@mattroberts2028]

Do you separate basic lands and keep them with the sets or do you sell those all in bulk mixed together?

[@TCGBulkKings]

Basic lands are a separate category. They get listed and kept with the sets once listed, in alphabetical order just like everything else, but generally I expect them to be separate for the purposes of dealing in bulk

[@mikeblaze365]

With pokemon I sort set by year as value is in the older bulks

[@akaRikki]

I was just curious, I have a .10c floor price for all cards, even 1c commons. What do you do of you get an order for $4 with 20 cards in it? Do you just ship in a bubble mailer and take the loss? Thanks for the help

[@TCGBulkKings]

I've been trying to push the limits of the PWE, but in my area anyway, it really seems like 16 cards is the max for PWE. So, yeah, I will ship in a bubble mailer and take the loss. I'm not so concerned about the loss - at a $4 order, I'm probably out less than a dollar, and I get the chance to wow the customer with my service and in the same instant market my website and channel to them. Cost of acquisition seems pretty low, from an advertising standpoint. If they have a good experience, there's a good chance that at least the next time my name pops up on TCGplayer at them they'll be happy to order from me

[@akaRikki]

@@TCGBulkKings even if it’s happening on multiple orders. I think in the last day I’ve have 25 orders and 3 of them are 20-30 cards at only like $4 order total

[@TCGBulkKings]

@@akaRikki if you're worried about the couple dollars, if the cost isn't getting covered by all the other sales you're making by being in that price range, then raise your prices, or charge for shipping. You will get fewer sales like this, but you'll get fewer sales at all. And again, you won't have a chance to capture the future sales of those customers

[@shadetree1175]

one thing I do to sort magic cards faster between sets is to sort them upside down, so I can see the set symbol faster without looking at the whole card. If your table is large enough you can spin your play-mat after sorting and everything is right side up.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I've tried it, but I end up not doing it as quickly. I dunno why, I suspect there's some psychology involved

[@shadetree1175]

@@TCGBulkKings my sister is the same way. she has to sort the cards right side up or it bothers her.

[@TCGBulkKings]

@@shadetree1175 it's not that it bothers me, I think it just distracted me and I find myself wondering about the cards more, looking at them more often

[@Moondrius24]

How do you get the cash sound effect for a card sale?? You had it at the beginning of your video.

[@TCGBulkKings]

Lol is a phone notification. I have that email address set to a "ka-ching" sound so I can tell it apart from personal stuff. And for the tiny hit of dopamine 😂

[@Moondrius24]

@@TCGBulkKings Haha. Gives you a nice boost throughout the day! When you do your sorting process and store your inventory until it's purchased, do you keep commons separate from uncommons?

[@TCGBulkKings]

@@Moondrius24 sets are sorted alphabetically for easier listing and then stored the same way to make pulling orders easier

[@GarrettFoster]

Curious how you take the sorted cards and add them to the existing (physical) inventory so they can be found later. Is it just thumbing thru the BCW box and placing each card in the right spot? If so, do you have any tips to make that step faster (e.g. dividers)?

[@TCGBulkKings]

I am transitioning from simply having the cards in a set alphabetized towards having a separate tab for each card. Check out this video for how I'm going about that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5uleYqIdrObeac

[@Mutoforma]

What's your process like for bringing in new inventory? As a fellow TCG store owner, I'm finding it difficult to find collections to pick up on a regular basis.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I've always found that there are plenty of people willing to sell me cards. Never been the limiting factor for me. That said it can be irregular and random. Price tweaking comes into play a little, but really it's just getting the word out, especially via social media, that gets me bulk collections

[@dariobortolotti3906]

Where would you put an english/foreign language check? Dealing with English and non English cards can be messy alphabetical sorting-wise. Right now I'm sorting my common-non common collection in NM/not NM -> English/non-english -> sets -> alphabetic order but I'm not sure this will be a solid choice on the long term.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I treat that as part of the category sort. I make a single pile of lower value but otherwise unable to be listed with normal bulk cards at that time. They later get sorted out and will (eventually) be listed in other marketplaces

[@TCGBulkKings]

Really, is whatever workflow works best for you, though. Don't stick to something that just won't align with your brain, it's okay to change things to fit you

[@outtadisworld5760]

With the amount of cards you process I'm surprised you don't use BCW sorting trays.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I do sometimes, but they seem not to have enough slots for the whole alphabet, and they only hold so many cards, so I have to dedicate a lot more space to where I put the cards after the slot fills. Without a tray, I can just make the stacks higher and higher until I feel uncomfortable with them lol

[@outtadisworld5760]

@TCG Bulk Kings makes sense, watch out for those Jenga piles.

[@shadetree1175]

What is the best low cost team bags for shipping shields? I’ve been using the ultra-pro, but I’m getting low. I saw they have the highest price per case.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I get mine from BCW, which are pretty cheap, especially if you use my discount code. I do get a little kickback if you do, but you get 10% off your total, so hopefully that helps. I like the quality of BCW plastic for anything like that

[@Ifyouhavethecoin]

I definitely see the value of this kinda sort, I feel more comfortable doing a quick condition sort first checking backs, seems to be the easiest to condition for magic for me. I do this till I fill up a flat rate medium box of non near mint cards and sell them for a little less then I paid. Helps keep things moving for me

[@TCGBulkKings]

I've just moved that step into the category sort and treated it like a category: bulk c/u, foils, LP or lower condition, &c.

[@Ifyouhavethecoin]

@TCG Bulk Kings ya I feel it I normally buy from a few people that are big into getting a few play sets so it's normally some what if all set sorted already normally no rares or foils but I pay them a little more then market normally 7 to 8 per thousand so I like to do conditioning first to make back most of my money and make room lol

[@parkerolson4509]

What do you do when you purchase a collection and it is in tons of mismatched sleeves.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I dispose of the gross ones and harvest the nice ones to ship in, reducing my costs. I also store foils in sleeves just to prevent scratching during the handling process

[@ETCS423]

Since I’ve recently started dabbling with magic I sort by year then by set then I alphabet sort each set starting with the biggest quality sets. I found that I can update inventory faster starting with the higher quantity sets 😅

[@TCGBulkKings]

Right? Goes so much more quickly when there's a lot. Takes only slightly longer to list 20 copies each of every card as it does 1 each of only a few cards

[@Jdjsksjdhdj]

The card sorter could be a tax write off and it could help you automate to free time up. I dont blame you if you dont want to.

[@TCGBulkKings]

I have to be able to afford it to begin with, as well as rework my whole system around it, when I could hire an actual person with more flexibility and who I don't have to pay a big amount up front for and can retrain for other tasks as well. I just don't see the sorters as nearly as useful for my particular business as others seem to think they would be

[@kylekppack7978]

Hey man. I'm finally a direct seller. What's your opinion on best minimum price?

[@TCGBulkKings]

Congratulations! I've got mine set to $.05, can still get a penny of profit on a Direct sale there

[@kylekppack7978]

@TCG Bulk Kings that's awesome. I did 24 hours of that, and it did decent! I set my regular shipping to $4.99, and people still buy cards, not direct. I'm just trying to figure out what works best.

[@ItzCornYT]

where do you get the bulk cards to sort?

[@TCGBulkKings]

I mostly buy from people who submit through my website or from locals who scoop up collections and sell the bulk off to me =]

[@zero380kyle]

Video starts at like 4:45

[@shorebreakcards]

You should check out Warhammer 40k Dark Galaxy! Awesome set released last year, cheap, and has lots of growth potential!!!

[@TCGBulkKings]

Hadn't heard about this one, but looks only to be available in UK? I'll keep it on my radar for sure, thanks! Looks really nice

[@shorebreakcards]

@@TCGBulkKings yeah, UK exclusive but there's a couple bulk eBay sellers. As far as I can tell, first non TCG set since they've been a company in 1987! I bought about $300 worth of boxes, will probably get $200 more to save

[@kickzNkardz]

Is buy sports cards a good place to sell on?

[@TCGBulkKings]

I've only just started trying there, and I don't have a lot of cards to sell, but I've made a couple sales. If you are already used to TCGplayer, it's explicitly set up to be like it, really easy to use. I think the biggest hurdle is in getting more people to shop there