ABU Games | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com Play More, Win More, Pay Less Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:02:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/favicon.png ABU Games | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com 32 32 A Resurgence in the Alpha Market https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/a-resurgence-in-the-alpha-market/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/a-resurgence-in-the-alpha-market/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2021 11:00:11 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=97842

Nine years ago, Sig wrote his first article describing the collectibility of Alpha rares. At the time, he had no idea just how much the Alpha market could explode. This week, he revisits the topic, updating his view on the set and sharing tips on where to buy.

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The Re-opening Trade…of Magic https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/the-re-opening-trade-of-magic/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/the-re-opening-trade-of-magic/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2021 11:00:07 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=97756

Players, Vendors, and WOTC are all anxiously awaiting the time for MagicFests to resume. What will happen to the market once this happens? This week, Sig speculates on the format that stands to gain the most from the re-opening trade.

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Will History Repeat Itself This Time? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/03/will-history-repeat-itself-this-time/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/03/will-history-repeat-itself-this-time/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2021 11:00:50 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=97600

"History repeats itself." We hear this phrase time and again to describe all sorts of socioeconomic phenomena. But does it apply to the Magic market this time? This week, Sig examines the market-moving forces of 2020-2021 and compares back to 2017-2018.

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Discipline for a New Wave of Buyouts https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/01/discipline-for-a-new-wave-of-buyouts/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/01/discipline-for-a-new-wave-of-buyouts/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2021 12:00:54 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=97146

Don't Panic! This catchphrase will be important to repeat to yourself over and over again as we navigate another era of rampant buyouts. This week Sig shares a few strategies to remain disciplined in the face of soaring Magic prices.

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Staying Productive with Magic During this Pandemic https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/10/staying-productive-with-magic-during-this-pandemic/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/10/staying-productive-with-magic-during-this-pandemic/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:00:32 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=96351

For many, there's a lot less to do nowadays thanks to COVID-19. Luckily, Magic is an excellent way to stay distracted. This week Sig shares three ways he has tapped into Magic to grind a little value and pass excess time more productively.

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Strange Pricing Trends in the Market https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/09/strange-pricing-trends-in-the-market/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/09/strange-pricing-trends-in-the-market/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2020 11:00:40 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=96065

When buyouts occur, strange pricing trends can result. But a few trends in particular are causing Sig to scratch his head. This week he shares the discrepancies and tries to explain why his observations stand out.

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Italian Legends: A Worthwhile Consideration https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/09/italian-legends-a-worthwhile-consideration/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/09/italian-legends-a-worthwhile-consideration/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2020 11:00:10 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=96020

Sig has been examining different budget options to help folks acquire cards suffering the Reserved List buyout craze of 2020. Now he turns his attention to Italian Legends. Are there good deals to be found? This week Sig takes a look and shares how to shop for them!

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Buylist Competition Is Heating Up https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/buylist-competition-is-heating-up/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/buylist-competition-is-heating-up/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2020 11:00:55 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=95635

With COVID-19 halting paper events, vendors need to find alternate ways of restocking cards. Star City Games and ChannelFireball have been touting their buylist pretty hard lately. But can their prices compete with Card Kingdom and ABUGames? This week Sig investigates!

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Continue to Buy and Sell Despite a Soft Market https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/04/continue-to-buy-and-sell-despite-a-soft-market/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/04/continue-to-buy-and-sell-despite-a-soft-market/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2020 11:00:14 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=95160

You may be tempted to walk away from Magic finance during this time of uncertainty. Sig doesn't think that's the ideal strategy. This week he shares creative ways he's engaging in this soft market in order to refresh his collection and maintain liquidity.

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COVID-19 Retailer Updates https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/03/covid-19-retailer-news-updates/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/03/covid-19-retailer-news-updates/#respond Tue, 31 Mar 2020 04:06:58 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=95055

A list of major online retailers and their COVID-19 related news that will continue to be updated. Please check back frequently for updates.

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Old School: Cautious Optimism for 2020 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/old-school-cautious-optimism-for-2020/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/old-school-cautious-optimism-for-2020/#respond Mon, 13 Jan 2020 12:00:57 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=94556

2019 has been a tough year to be holding Old School cards, to put it mildly. As prices equilibrate, Sig is slowly making new acquisitions for his collection. Will this be a brighter year for card prices? Or will they continue to stagnate? This week, Sig shares his take.

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On the Hunt for Deals https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/12/on-the-hunt-for-deals/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/12/on-the-hunt-for-deals/#respond Mon, 16 Dec 2019 12:57:56 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=94436

While it's true the Old School market has been particularly soft this season, some vendors have overdone their price cutting. The result: many deals are out there on major retailer sites...if you know where to look and can catch a restock.

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Six Cards to Buy Now, and Where to Buy Them https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/six-cards-to-buy-now-and-where-to-buy-them/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/six-cards-to-buy-now-and-where-to-buy-them/#respond Mon, 25 Nov 2019 12:00:43 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=94291

While the stock market breaks records, many components of the Magic market are well off of their highs. This has created some real buying opportunities. This week Sig shares some of his favorite pick-ups as well as where to buy them at the best price.

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Three Significant Changes at ABUGames https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/three-significant-changes-at-abugames/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/three-significant-changes-at-abugames/#respond Mon, 18 Nov 2019 12:00:26 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=94272

The glorious days of ABUGames trade credit arbitrage are over! Or are they? While ABUGames has been making significant changes to their grading system and pricing, there may still be deals out there if you know how to avoid the pitfalls.

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Why MTG Finance Exacerbates My Smartphone Addiction https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/10/why-mtg-finance-exacerbates-my-smartphone-addiction/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/10/why-mtg-finance-exacerbates-my-smartphone-addiction/#comments Mon, 14 Oct 2019 11:00:11 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=94002

Sig has recently accepted the fact that he has a problem: he's spending too much time on his smartphone, ignoring the world around him. This week, Sig uses Jeremy's Grab Bag sale as a case study as he explores ways to cut down on time wasted on MTG finance.

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ABUGames Arbitrage: Two Follow-up Questions https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/abugames-arbitrage-two-follow-up-questions/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/abugames-arbitrage-two-follow-up-questions/#respond Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:00:36 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=93929

Two readers had valid questions about Sig's ABUGames arbitrage article from last week. They inspired Sig to do a follow-up piece, where he talks about shipping costs and the brutally honest truth about motivations.

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Three Tips When Shopping Around For Deals https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/three-tips-when-shopping-around-for-deals/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/three-tips-when-shopping-around-for-deals/#respond Mon, 16 Sep 2019 11:00:02 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=93889

It's certainly a buyer's market out there, as prices have pulled back significantly from their highs. But you've got to know where to hunt for deals. This week Sig shares three tips on how to find great deals from some of the largest vendors.

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Examining MF Vegas Trends from Afar https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/examining-mf-vegas-trends-from-afar/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/examining-mf-vegas-trends-from-afar/#respond Mon, 26 Aug 2019 11:00:18 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=93759

Sig wasn't able to attend MagicFest Las Vegas last weekend. But that doesn't mean he was disconnected from price trends. This week he examines a particular vendor's hotlists throughout the event to identify winners and losers.

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Preparing to Sell at MagicFest Indianapolis https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/preparing-to-sell-at-magicfest-indianapolis/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/preparing-to-sell-at-magicfest-indianapolis/#respond Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:00:33 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=93747

Sig is planning on attending a Magic Fest next month, where he hopes to sell cards to vendors. But one can't just jump in blindly and expect to maximize value. This week Sig shares three helpful tips to help you prepare for selling to vendors.

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Insider: Lessons Learned From Commander 2019 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/insider-lessons-learned-from-commander-2019/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/08/insider-lessons-learned-from-commander-2019/#respond Fri, 16 Aug 2019 11:00:47 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=93739

Commander 2019 has offered incredible speculation opportunities, and Adam shares how he made the most of them - and the mistakes he made along the way.

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