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Insider Stories Podcast: Nick Becvar, Master PTQ Dealer

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First off, this episode was recorded live at a PTQ – I tuned up the audio as best I could but I can’t work miracles. Nick was very patient with me stopping the show several times when it got too noisy around us.

You can listen to it here (right-click to download)

This week, my guest is Nick Becvar of Affinity For Cards. Nick has made a profitable niche of selling at PTQs. If you want to get into dealing but you aren’t ready to commit to a day job, Nick sets out what it requires. You’ll find out:

-The sweet spot of sales for a one-person operation

-Why you need events to get inventory

-The one and only card that Nick wants to hold long-term

-What’s in his “box of shame”

-What kind of shipping problems he’s encountered with over 5,000 transactions under his belt.

and plenty more!

You can find Nick here:

@Becvar

http://www.affinityforcards.com/

As you’ll hear in the interview, Nick finds his subscription to Quiet Speculation to be essential for making money on Magic. If you want to find out more about QS, you can click here.

You can ask questions and post comments here or tweet to me – @quietspec is where you’ll get ahold of me!

Douglas Linn

Doug Linn has been playing Magic since 1996 and has had a keen interest in Legacy and Modern. By keeping up closely with emerging trends in the field, Doug is able to predict what cards to buy and when to sell them for a substantial profit. Since the Eternal market follows a routine boom-bust cycle, the time to buy and sell short-term speculative investments is often a narrow window. Because Eternal cards often spike in value once people know why they are good, it is essential for a trader to be connected to the format to get great buys before anyone else. Outside of Magic, Doug is an attorney in the state of Ohio.  Doug is a founding member of Quiet Speculation, and brings with him a tremendous amount of business savvy.

View More By Douglas Linn

Posted in Free, Insider Stories, Podcast

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4 thoughts on “Insider Stories Podcast: Nick Becvar, Master PTQ Dealer

  1. Just got through listening. Awesome podcast. The mic not so much. I understand the event was part of it but it wasn’t that great sound with Kyle either. People hear you great though Doug. I really enjoy these dealer interviews. You should get Ogre on soon.

    One thing I’d like you to ask these guys. Where do you see magic at in the next couple years. I’d love to hear some long term thoughts.

    Thanks GJ

  2. Very good topic for this podcast series!
    I have a few questions I would love to get the answer to:
    With TCG player fees being roughly 12% + .50 per transaction, and paypal fees adding up, and the competition between sellers on cards, how is it profitable to sell on TCG player? For example, Chained to the rocks is being sold on TCG Player for under $1.00 with free shipping. The fees along add up to a dollar, plus the cost to ship, the seller is losing money on the card even if they got it for free. And if you ask for more than that on the card, you never sell it because there are so many people cheeper on the card. What am I missing?

    1. There are certain cards that you can indeed straight up lose money on when they sell, but thats really only if your order is like $1-1.30. Slightly higher, you kind of lose money depending on what you bought the card at, but you dont actually just wind up negative in shipping the card itself.

      Since the min order is $1, I use 50c shipping, thus I still wind up with like 50-60 cents when someone buys a $1 card (fees through crystal commerce are only 30c per transaction, not 50c like on TCG only). That doesnt happen that often though, so typcially orders are $3+, and you do fine. Its about volume.

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