The most common mistake Australian TCG sellers make is submitting a buylist to the first store they check. Buylist prices vary significantly between Australian stores for the same cards, and accepting any offer without comparing alternatives is the fastest way to leave money behind.
This guide gives you the exact process for comparing buylist offers in Australia, what to look for, and how to decide which store to use.
Check at least two or three Australian store buylists for your highest-value cards before submitting. Good Games and TCG Singles are the best starting pair for MTG. For Pokemon, Good Games and Gameology. Note the price for each card at each store in a simple spreadsheet, then submit to whichever store offers the best total. For a collection of 50 or more cards, this process typically takes 20 to 30 minutes and can add AU$30 to AU$150 or more to your return.
Why Comparing Buylists Matters
Australian card stores set their buylist prices independently. They are not coordinated and do not match each other's prices. A store sets its buying price based on its own current inventory, its customer demand for that card, and its overall pricing strategy.
The result is that the same Near Mint card, on the same day, can have a buylist price of AU$8 at one store and AU$12 at another. Neither store is doing anything unusual. They simply have different inventory situations and different demand levels for that card.
For a single low-value card, this difference might be AU$1 or AU$2. Across a collection of 50 or 100 cards, the compounded difference between checking one store and checking several can be AU$50 to AU$200 or more.
The Comparison Process Step by Step
Step 1: Sort your cards by value first.
Before checking any buylists, do a rough sort. Separate cards you believe are worth AU$5 or more each from everything else. The comparison effort is worth applying to your higher-value cards. Bulk commons and uncommons will fetch similar rates at any store that buys bulk.
Step 2: Choose two or three stores to check.
For MTG: Good Games, TCG Singles, and Ronin Games are the main options with comprehensive online buylists.
For Pokemon: Good Games and Gameology cover most of the market. TCG Singles also buys Pokemon.
For Lorcana and One Piece: Gameology and Good Games are the primary options with active buylists.
Step 3: Check each store's buylist for your high-value cards.
Every store's buylist tool allows you to search by card name. Note the cash and store credit prices for each card at each store. A simple spreadsheet with card name, Store A price, Store B price, and Store C price is enough.
Most buylist tools are slow and require searching one card at a time. This is the most time-consuming part of the process and the core reason most sellers skip it.
Step 4: Add up the totals.
Sum your totals across all three stores. In most cases, one store will come out ahead on the majority of your cards. In some cases, you may find it worth splitting your submission — sending certain cards to Store A and others to Store B to capture the best price at each.
Splitting a submission adds postage costs and processing time. Whether it is worth it depends on the dollar difference. A AU$15 difference across 50 cards split between two stores costs two tracked postage parcels (roughly AU$15 to AU$20 combined). The numbers need to work in your favour before splitting is worth it.
Step 5: Decide on cash or store credit.
Once you have chosen your store, check whether the store credit rate changes your calculation. If you are an active buyer at that store and would use the credit, the 20 to 30 percent premium on store credit is effectively free money. If you have no plans to buy from that store, take cash.
Step 6: Submit and pack correctly.
Read the store's submission requirements before packing. Most Australian stores require cards to be:
- Unsleeved
- Unsorted to match the order of your buylist submission
- In a tracked postage parcel
- Labelled with your buylist reference number
Submitting cards sleeved or out of order typically results in a 15 percent processing fee being deducted from your offer at stores like TCG Singles. This is an avoidable cost.
What Makes a Good Buylist Comparison
A good comparison looks at more than just the top-line price. Check these things before committing:
Payment speed. How long after cards arrive does the store process and pay? Most Australian stores quote 2 to 5 business days. Some are slower. If speed matters to you, check recent reviews or ask before submitting.
Returns policy for rejected cards. If some of your cards fail condition checks, are they returned at your expense or the store's? Most stores return rejected cards at your expense. Know this before submitting.
Processing fee risk. Some stores charge a fee on the whole submission if a significant number of cards do not match your stated conditions. Submitting accurately avoids this but it is worth knowing the policy upfront.
Minimum value thresholds. Most stores have a minimum buylist price per card (commonly AU$0.50 to AU$1.00). Cards below this are not accepted individually. Confirm before building a submission that includes low-value singles.
The Gap Problem: Why Manual Comparison Is Slow
The comparison process described above is effective but slow. Checking three stores for a 100-card collection using each store's individual search tool takes 30 to 60 minutes. Each store uses a different interface, different condition terminology, and different price display format.
There is currently no single Australian tool that aggregates buylist prices from multiple stores simultaneously. Every Australian TCG seller either does this manually, checks only one store, or skips the comparison entirely.
This is the problem a buylist aggregator solves. A tool that accepts your card list once and returns the best available Australian buylist price for each card from every participating store in a single view would save sellers significant time and consistently return more money than any single-store approach.
C3 is building this. The aggregator will be free to use and will cover the major Australian stores with active buylists. If this is something you would use, join the early access list below.
Free: Download the C3 TCG Collection Tracker Catalogue your cards before you start comparing buylists. A structured list makes the comparison process significantly faster.
C3 Buylist Aggregator — Coming Soon One search. Every Australian store's buylist price. Free to use. Join the early access list now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many stores should I check before submitting a buylist in Australia? At least two, ideally three. The comparison effort is worth it for any collection worth AU$100 or more in total buylist value. For smaller collections, checking two stores is sufficient.
Is it worth splitting a buylist submission between two stores? Only if the price difference on specific cards is large enough to cover two sets of postage costs. Calculate the total offer from each store and compare the net amounts after postage before deciding to split.
How often do I need to compare buylist prices? Buylist prices change frequently based on market movements and store inventory. If you checked prices a week ago, check again before submitting. A card that was AU$12 last week may be AU$8 this week if the market moved.
What is the fastest way to compare Australian TCG buylists? Currently there is no single aggregator tool for Australian buylists, so manual comparison using each store's search tool is the only option. A buylist aggregator, which C3 is building, would pull all prices into one view automatically.
Should I sell all my cards to one store or split between multiple? One store is simpler and avoids double postage costs. Splitting is worth considering when a specific card has a significantly higher price at a different store, and the dollar difference justifies the additional postage and administrative effort.
Do Australian stores match each other's buylist prices? No. Australian TCG stores do not price match on buylists. Each store sets prices based on its own inventory and demand. This is what creates the price variation that makes comparison worthwhile.