My First Month on TCGPlayer Direct... this is what I learned

[@CNA-Games]

Thanks for the shout out! Good luck in the next few months! The hardest part is keeping good single sin so it keeps chugging on month 6 like it did in month 1 - but awesome work!

[@GameVitamins]

The storage truly top tier, thanks for the video on that. Everyone asks about it so I direct them to you haha. Thank you very much, it’s been a grind, and a lot of fun so far!

[@chrisjeffery8783]

My LGS!!!!

[@StreamlinedTCG]

Well done mate! Very inspiring to follow along! I'm impressed by the sheer volume of stock you are able to purchase, will get there soon enough as well! Keep pumping!

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you very much! Lots to break down, but we'll keep it flowing 😎

[@Bananahogie]

Great vid as always. Love to hear the behind-the-scenes.

[@GameVitamins]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ChaseDaTruth]

I have been doing TCG player for nearly 8 years now and would never do direct.. no company deserves to take 30% as fees. I don't mind the shipping of my own cards. I do around $280-$310k per year on TCG at a total profit margin at around 40% after all fees and overhead and a one man operation.

[@GameVitamins]

That's impressive, it's great you've made it work so well for yourself over such a long time! It is true.. direct is a bit painful to see the cut they take. Down the line maybe I'd scale back to be off direct, depends on how it plays out over a longer time horizon.

[@humbertoRios-si1wl]

If you don't mind, how many cards do you have in your inventory?

[@fgh2756]

@chasedatruth That's impressive. How many hours a week do you usual work?

[@ChaseDaTruth]

@@humbertoRios-si1wl Rotating constantly between 3500-4000, I am always buying collections on facebook market place, ebay and even from garage sales in about a 200 mile radius.

[@ChaseDaTruth]

@ On TCG no more than 3 hours or so a day on shipping and adjusting and keeping up with inventory, I dont really count going out to look at collections to buy as work because I enjoy it.

[@richardgroot1036]

Great video! I just wanted to point out. Only because I've seen it happen to people. If that mini split you have above your cards freezes by losing freon or other means or the drain gets gummed up it will leak water right out the front off the blade. Just wanted to throw it out there! keep up the great work!

[@GameVitamins]

Appreciate the heads up! I'll probably avoid putting anything on that top shelf then.. just a 'barrier' shelf!

[@Eluul]

@ you might consider moving the shelf entirely. or if you own the home its not that big of a deal to move the mini split

[@DarkRoastDiscGolf]

1. Stumbled on this channel today while researching potentially moving to direct, but man the quality of info is phenomenal. 2. Livestream cracking packs and discussing your processing would be great!

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you very much, I appreciate that 😎 sounds like that might be the move then, do a full run of breaking it down, sorting and integrating into the inventory.

[@scottrogers2186]

Keep crushing it. Don't let the trolls get you down. You do your thing and F what other people say !!

[@GameVitamins]

🫡👌

[@dfw_sleepypillz1007]

New sub here, going to go into level 1 at the beginning of second quarter, working on storage and logistics currently, great video. I'm going to find your ebay store now, because I want those lands. Rock on. Stay strong.

[@DarkCloverGames]

Congrats on the early success! def inspired me to keep pushing

[@GameVitamins]

Thanks for the support, keep hustling! 😎

[@meatytv]

I love to see the growth in your operation! I can’t wait to see how you integrate the sorter into the setup. I’d love to see you breakdown some of your sorting systems. Like how you go about adding cards to a set that is already existing in your inventory. I am always looking for ways to save time and little things like these go a long way.

[@HD-Cards-Collectibles]

Love the content! You're one of the channels that I've been watching that inspired me to get started selling cards.

[@GameVitamins]

Love to hear it, thank you!

[@timothyvandenberg2905]

Thank you! Very informative! (just a normal old consumer here....learning your side of things)

[@GameVitamins]

Appreciate you watching!

[@rickfaust3016]

Im very interested in how the sorter does for you, i think a lot of the confusion is simply there are full stores that have been around for years that also do youtube, and you often see them debating the sorter. If a store that is been around for years doesnt think they can afford it, it is strange seeing someone that has been doing this for months go into it so confidently. You know your numbers and are clearly thinking it is a good idea, so I love that you are going for it and wish you well!

[@GameVitamins]

I appreciate it -- I agree, definitely the 'out of the ordinary' factor coming into play. Really excited to see how it improves the workflow and opens up new product opportunities!

[@jimmydsims]

I really like these videos. I personally just started on TCG Player as a level 1 on Saturday. I had to turn it off wasnt ready for the amount of sales I had just starting out and wanted to looking into my shipping numbers.

[@GameVitamins]

Glad you like them! It’s always good to take is ‘slow’ where you can to ensure you’re not missing out on extra margin. Sales are great.. but higher profit is even better 😎

[@jimmydsims]

@@GameVitamins do you have a video that goes over how to determine the EV of a box?

[@douken_tv]

I have been waiting for this so badly as i get closer and closer to direct. I should be in there next week. Thanks Vitamins.

[@GameVitamins]

Heck yeah, love to see it!

[@Unpopularmtg]

If Rares and Mythics are the money makers, have you opened and sold much Outlaws of Thunder Junction? The reason I ask is because the pull rates are listed on the back of a booster pack: 2 Rares: 41% 3 Rares: 12% 4 Rares: 1% 5 Rares:

[@shadow69034]

Always great info. Love the transparency too I've been sticking to pro for now and this weekend was new inventory and i raised my prices so i could open and sort....it wasnt enough and i still got 70 orders

[@GameVitamins]

Sounds like a good problem to have! 😂

[@shadow69034]

@@GameVitamins yeah i guess i should say im not complaining

[@JC_Collects]

I hope the card sorter is amazing. My husband and I started selling pokemon on tcg and on WhatNot. I used to play magic when I was younger so now I'm getting back into only seeing mgt cards now. I've watched every video and it's been helpful.

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you so much for checking them out! And I hope the 'insights' have been applicable for more than just magic!

[@JC_Collects]

@GameVitamins oh yeah man, your content applies to all TCG. Keep the great work up!

[@Therealbighustle]

Keep up with the content I’m just getting back in but I’m loving the state of magic locally people aren’t really buying but shipping out nation wide do sound like a good idea.

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you and welcome back to Magic!

[@MTGUnpacked]

Direct is definitely worthwhile for selling bulk, if you can spare the time to condition and inventory it all. There's no way you could physically sell and pack bulk cards individually, unless that was your full-time job.

[@russelravellette6612]

Good job

[@uckluck]

Do you have any opinion on the secret lair mystery boxes? I saw them drop today and thought it might be a good oppourtunity to flush out my inventory with playables that might move more than regular bulk. With the contents being focuses to a draft format and playables do you see that as a set to buy at msrp to open or would the small limit (3convention boxes) and the higher price tag turn you off of acquiring any to open for singles inventory? Or Should I just stick to finding opportunities on mainset playboosters that would come in a little cheaper per box

[@lurknload4594]

Make a video about the details and specifics around the card sorter!

[@GameVitamins]

Once I get it in, I'll be sure to make plenty of videos about it!

[@lurknload4594]

@@GameVitamins I think it was one of your videos that inspired me to finally create my seller account. Was able to get to Level 4 quick with Foundations and am now looking to get a card sorter if I can justify it. I have the capital for my little start up, but I’m extremely curious about the roi. Also, in this video you mentioned a lot about negative comments/feedback - Hobbies/collectibles mean a lot to the people who love them. The idea that somebody is making money off of it will always be viewed as a negative thing to that crowd. Maybe try reassuring in your videos that you play and respect the game but this video isn’t for that purpose (or something, idk.. that’s what paymoneywubby does on his magic Monday pack openings) And second, as a growing channel.. each negative voice is going to feel extremely loud. Just keep being authentic and people will keep showing up and appreciating it. By the way: Congratulations, I have never left a long KZbin comment, let alone a reply, let alone a “ignore the haters” comment haha Keep going man! I think our brains work in similar ways for this TCG player thing! I too was excited about my spreadsheets and new shelves lol

[@Eluul]

dont worry about the negative nancies bro, your videos are high quality and helpful. just to make a quick point tho, i buy alot of cards from tcg and i use the optimize button and almost always choose not to go with tcg direct. i dont like the huge cut they take, doesnt seem fair. so i almost always go with the middle option of people with solid track records

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you very much! I agree with you, TCG direct is tough, and the premiums on buyers isn't great either.. but if you're on the selling side and selling in volume it becomes more and more attractive as a seller 😕 the fees really suck though...

[@Wampahunter]

I may have missed this in your earlier videos, but how much capital did you start with when launching your business? Has your revenue surpassed your costs? As a smaller seller, I’ve had to wait 3-4 weeks to get paid by TCGPlayer just to reinvest in supplies, shelving, and more inventory. It’s been a slow process scaling up.

[@juliomilian90]

What size is that frame for the art cards

[@GameVitamins]

22x28!

[@InkedGhandi]

I learned a lot by watching your videos and made level 4 in less than a month. But now I’ve hit a slump. Just wondering what I’m doing wrong.

[@GameVitamins]

Hmm well I suppose the question would be, what do you mean by a slump? Less orders? Stagnant and not increasing sales volume?

[@InkedGhandi]

@ maybe 10 orders a day on a good day. But hardly anything over $5. Or they put enough in their cart to hit that free shipping mark in which I’m now losing at least $.80 for shipping/supplies.

[@jkromes20]

i wish tcgplayer let us have store credit back. its much better for small time sellers

[@Eluul]

another question... if you had to start over with nothing tomorrow, would you still start with 20k bulk cards, or would you go straight to cracking packs and selling singles?

[@GameVitamins]

Hmm, well it really comes down to starting capital. Considering I got 20k cards for $200, I still think it's a good spot to start and build out a big inventory on a budget. I'm a big proponent of the 'wide inventory base'. That being said, if you have the startup cash to dive right into larger orders of sealed, the consistency of product, cards, sell through rate, etc. is better in my opinion.

[@InnovateTCG]

Game Vitamins Im a big fan! While I am not a hobby shop and I am not a big seller myself I already see your process has a lot of bottle knecks. You will be flipping items QUICKLY but youll just have TONS of revenue and little to no profit. My question to you would be, why not begin focusing on starting with bulk and slowly moving your profits into bigger ticket items with more total profits rather than commit completely on bulk?

[@Crocodonk]

I have not seen all your videos, but did you grow your business using only money generated from the initial 1k? Or did you invest thousands of dollars outside of that initial 1k?

[@GameVitamins]

I didn't only use the initial $1000, that was a starting point. I saw opportunities and utilized outside capital to bring myself to a point where I can now keep rolling over inventory to buy more. This can be done at whatever scale is fit for the person doing it -- I just wanted to do it at a larger scale faster.

[@IonFONE]

When you say 10k a month as a solid goal, is that net or gross? Either way, congrats on everything! I'm also curious if you tend to be busier on certain days of the week over others. Or do surges tend to happen when spoilers release or a popular influencer does something?

[@GameVitamins]

$10k/mo in sales, so I definitely think that'll be doable. Weekends are definitely busier, probably just people have more time to browse, build decks, etc. In terms of influencers / spoilers I don't follow them enough to probably notice the direct impact on certain cards.

[@VentusGR]

People are salty of you getting a sorter because they're not in a position where they can justify a 500$ business expense per month in addition to what they spend. I'm personally planning to just get a scanner and use the new scan & identify feature as I sell more games than just the big 3. Any automation for laborious stuff like sorting and listing cards is a good thing. Margins are very slim in this industry sometimes.

[@GameVitamins]

You know it, to remove the more labor intensive tasks to improve margins / create new avenues for income is my main goal.

[@VentusGR]

@@GameVitamins It's just how it is in this industry. People have been sold the lie that you can just buy a box and open thousands of dollars from 2-3 cards but the reality is you need volume and volume takes time. Even something as simple as a 4row box or doing cards alphabetically only can massively reduce labor time long term. Yet you'll see many complain about how much time it takes to ship orders while they still sit down and write all details on the envelope despite doing 20+ orders a day.

[@SolraneN7]

Nice beard bro, and thanks for the information.

[@GameVitamins]

Haha thank you 🙏

[@vervastar]

thanks !

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you!

[@williampaskewitz5383]

Did you get the card sort robot yet,

[@GameVitamins]

Still waiting for it to arrive! 😓

[@bertrammorris214]

Are you just finding booster box deals online from ebay and amazon or getting boxes elsewhere?

[@GameVitamins]

A mix of everywhere. I’ve certainly gotten plenty via Amazon and eBay, the best deals were ones I’ve found through looking around on more ‘local’ websites

[@bertrammorris214]

People are going to be haters. You do you man. Rng games started out just like. Go kill it man. ​@GameVitamins

[@sakidickerson]

I noticed you have the card separated by set and by Rarity would it be easier to have a box just consisting of the cards you listed on Direct instead of having the direct cards possibly mixed up with the non-direct cards? Or does it not really make a difference for you

[@Wampahunter]

You'd have to operate two separate TCGPlayer accounts to do this. They add and remove new/old cards to Direct randomly every single day based on their stock at the warehouse.

[@sakidickerson]

@Wampahunter oh okay I think I misunderstood how direct works I thought the seller got to decide which cards are listed under direct but it seems like TCGplayer pulls from your entire inventory based on what they need to put under Direct

[@paulgps1]

How is direct for you so far I've heard they are picky when they go through your cards like NM can be lp. Im trying to work my way up to direct but still debating if I will do it

[@GameVitamins]

Since all my cards are fresh out of packs I list all as NM and don’t have many issues. I’ve just had a few one off situations.

[@Pokepastortcg]

Which sorter did you get?

[@GameVitamins]

Phyzbatch-9000

[@Palatopia]

When you are sending in RI's to TCG Player for direct, are you paying for the labels. I assume TCG Player doesn't send a label. Also, are you insuring your RIs when you send in or are you just going with the basic carrier insurance?

[@Palatopia]

Also, thank you so much for the videos!!!!

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you for watching! Yes I have to pay for the labels, and I do basic insurance because it would add up very quickly... so far so good, (knock on wood)

[@harryg6169]

Your growth has been amazing, but are all the products you are buying coming from your business or is there an outside source of income that allows you to buy all these products?

[@GameVitamins]

Thank you! I funded the initial large purchases of product via outside sources from my other businesses. Now I have enough in the business where I can just keep turning over inventory for capital to purchase more. Generally speaking to grow at a fast rate in any business it always helps to be well capitalized. Though it can certainly be done with reinvesting, it’s just a slower process. Appreciate you watching!

[@DiabeticGameGuy]

Do you use a credit card for your purchases? The number of points you would get for the thousands of dollars in spending would be Amazing

[@GameVitamins]

Yes I do! But only spend what can be paid off in full! The points and cash back is definitely taken into account on my purchase price for all my inventory.

[@MorganFleurDeLys]

that's crazy to watch you open Amazon boxes for inventory.

[@GameVitamins]

They still do ‘dumps’ pretty frequently it’s worth watching for. Also they were doing MH3 sales via a subsidiary company and I guess they still ship it in Amazon boxes.. most of the stuff I get isn’t Amazon though.

[@bradgriffin9892]

Would you recommend pro for a part time seller? The mass price tool looks pretty great and I’m a bit bummed it’s behind a pay wall of sorts.

[@GameVitamins]

As of right now I don't even have pro -- the reason being that I export all my live inventory and update it via formulas in excel once per day. I think stores should have pro and all the features, but you can update pricing pretty quickly without mass price.

[@Crocodonk]

@@GameVitamins Did you make a video on how you export your inventory and use the formulas?

[@Jesse31597]

its all about feeding the beast brotha

[@TachibanaTengoku]

"By the time that 3600 has hit my account, I've probably already spent 3600 on other stuff" Shit, even without direct that's the truth lmao.

[@GameVitamins]

Haha yeah not much has changed in that regard 😅

[@zero380kyle]

Video starts at 6:45

[@GameVitamins]

Thank god for timestamps. My rambling can get out of hand haha

[@MagictheGatheringDigest]

Hey you gotta do what you have to do, if doing an uptick in inventory to fill more orders to then make more money it may be worth it but I wouldn’t do that because I wouldn’t want to do that as a 1 man squad, too much filling inventory and listing and not enough enjoying the product. If I had an extra hand then yea I totally would, and if I had the capital I would as well.

[@jasonbenson7436]

Hey man. Have been watching for a while. Kinda need to pick your brain on some of the more specifics. May I reach out? Not trying to bother.

[@GameVitamins]

Feel free to shoot me an email!

[@josephpurdy8390]

Lands more lands. You can never have enough land. Slab them signature lands even if it is graded as damaged. The videos of building elaborate card castles that you light on fire. That way, you buy even more lands.

[@GameVitamins]

I think you might be onto something there…

[@TripsAhoy]

Good stuff. It seems like its a whole job in itself. Too much for me...i like my downtime lol.

[@GameVitamins]

Haha it does take some time, it's not for everyone 😅

[@rfccw949]

Yeah it’s gonna be impossible to do some kinda of accrual accounting. Just use cash.

[@joesilveira8468]

Did direct for a couple months a few years ago and will never so it again.

[@QuentinT9]

Love the fact you are getting a card sorting machine. As far as I have come as a seller on TCGPlayer, just hit over 10k sales, I haven't had the motivation to make that push to direct so it's nice to see someone else on the progression I have only been thinking of come to fruition. Thanks for taking us along with so much detail.

[@GameVitamins]

Impressive sales count, nice job 👌🏼 I'll keep updating along the way, and I hope in the long run it continues to make sense. Getting used to the fees and adjusting pricing to keep margins solid is still taking some getting used to.

[@JayysCollection]

Can you make a video how you ship a bulk order of 20+ cards without tracking...im experimenting selling .25 cent pokemon cards that total to $5 but over 20 plus cards i dont wanna stop doing it but idk lol

[@GameVitamins]

Hmm I should elaborate on this size of order more. The "large envelope" option via USPS is HUGE for shipping larger amounts without tracking. Starts at $1.50 and I use 6x9 envelopes. I place a bubble mailer inside of it. Works like a charm. Cheap for the amount of cards being sent out, professional, well secured.

[@JayysCollection]

@GameVitamins thank you i wasn't sure if I was able to add bubble mailer inside a large envelope 👍

[@AlaskaSkull]

I think people who can't afford to make the moves you've been making are the cry babies in your comments. Anyone who's about really creating a business like this KNOWS that getting a sorter is game changing. They can't see themselves being able to make the moves you're making because they either can't find deals or are just haters. Keep pushing.

[@GameVitamins]

You’re probably right - just still getting used to the comments haha. Will certainly keep pushing 😎 thank you

[@le_med]

Is your air conditioning blowing on the shelves? Big no-no especially if you have cards out in the open. Keep it up, good content

[@GameVitamins]

No it’s not, the top shelf has nothing on it and I angle it to blow air straight. The top shelf blocks any air from going down towards the cards too

[@GreenSnale]

I love your videos dude, but the mic getting hit by your beard the entire time is incredibly distracting.

[@GameVitamins]

Yeah I need to figure out something new I thought I adjusted it to fix the scratchy noise… 🤦🏻‍♂️ it’s very annoying

[@southdaytontradingco]

Also the fees don’t mean as much cuz your sales price on direct is significantly higher

[@GameVitamins]

Exactly, it helps a lot to offset the fees

[@billybermuda]

If people are salty about the card scanner its most likely because your method of selling creates a race to the bottom and sucks all of the value out of the market, razor thin margins are not good for businesses. I agree with a lot of what you say here but you not understanding this concept I can definitely see why people are frustrated. I don't even blame people for doing things in a bad way for the market for short term gain, but you must at least understand the cause and effect at play.

[@GameVitamins]

I should have mentioned my pricing again, but I don't bid down cards -- I actually list all my cards 3-5% over TCG Direct Low, I don't agree with the 'race to the bottom' attitude either. I set a floor price for all low value cards too. I try to extend margins as much as I can.

[@decksdicellc882]

As always appreciate the videos and your style. Who is giving you crap for having a sorter? Those things come in handy. Especially the one you're getting. It's going to build lots for you on top of just scanning things/importing CSVs, etc. I mean the low end one I have helps out tremendously even though I do have to go back over its work to see if the reject pile is a true reject pile. Your Direct sales results are pretty good for just starting out. My thing though with your info, and I do mean this in the best way/most respectful way possible, but would that $3600 you made that entire month be worth it if you had lets say "legitimate" overhead and not just doing this out of your house? I'm talking like extra rent due to another building you're leasing, utilities for the place, upkeep costs like toilet paper, soap, PoS services, extra internet fee, etc? I know with places like Mason and Rob (CnA and RNG) they churn a crap ton so the volume is there to sustain the business and then some, but if you had that upkeep over your head would Direct still be worth it so early on in your adventure I guess is the question? And, when I questioned you about your product, your seemingly deeper pockets to buy things (at just starting out level), and how much your inventory had ballooned I wasn't being salty (not saying it was directed at me) I was just clarifying that there were other elements at play like another business(s) providing funds for this endeavor to start/limp through the beginning phases other than "I'm going to dump a few thousand into this because it's all I have and lets hope for the best."

[@JamesOliverLindsey]

weird question... how do you keep beard hair off your magic cards...

[@GameVitamins]

Beard net... just kidding, I haven't really run into that issue too much haha

[@filipealmeida7301]

Is that bait or are there seriously ppl that criticize card sorters lol.... I can't understand the rationale if true.

[@GameVitamins]

Well not criticizing card sorters, criticizing me getting one haha

[@filipealmeida7301]

@GameVitamins I do roughly close numbers in my RIs and work from home and have distro access, but I can't justify a sorter myself I think it would really eat up my margins and would take a while to pay off but if you have the means, go for it. All I'd say is that even when there are no sales or good ev products, you're still getting billed by the sorter. But best of luck mate! Curious to see how it goes.